Steven Spielberg ‘truly’ regrets 'Jaws' impact on shark population

Steven Spielberg has revealed that he ‘truly regrets’ the ‘decimation of the shark population’ after his blockbuster hit film Jaws – released in 1975.

During a recent appearance on the BBC's Desert Island Discs radio show, the Indiana Jones director, 75, explained how he feels about the classic film nearly five decades after its release.

Spielberg was asked how he would feel being stranded on an island surrounded by sharks, to which, he replied, "That's one of the things I still fear.”

The Terminal director continued, “Not to get eaten by a shark, but that sharks are somehow mad at me for the feeding frenzy of crazy sport fishermen which happened after 1975, which I truly, and to this day, regret."

Jaws received several prestigious awards, including three Oscars, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA. However, Spielberg ‘regrets’ that the film is thought to have had a huge negative impact on public opinion of sharks.

The film, based on Peter Benchley’s novel of the same name, is set in the fictional town of Amity Island, which is terrorized by a man-eating great white shark.

Jaws cast included Roy Schneider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw.