US director: Spielberg regrets consequences of his hit film for white sharks

In an interview, US director Steven Spielberg regretted the negative consequences of his hit film "Jaws" for the predatory fish.

US director: Spielberg regrets consequences of his hit film for white sharks

In an interview, US director Steven Spielberg regretted the negative consequences of his hit film "Jaws" for the predatory fish. "To this day I regret the decimation of the shark population because of the book and the film. I really regret that," the 76-year-old said on Sunday on BBC's Desert Island Discs.

Spielberg spoke of a "feeding frenzy" that the film triggered among sport fishermen after its release in 1975. Half-jokingly, half-seriously, Spielberg said that's why he's scared of going swimming in shark waters - "that the sharks are kind of mad at me."

Spielberg's horror shocker (English title: "Jaws") is based on the novel of the same name by US author Peter Benchley (1940-2006). It grossed about $470 million worldwide on an estimated budget of $8 million and won three Oscars and a Golden Globe in 1976. A BBC report asked fish researcher George Burgess about the aftermath of the film: "Thousands of anglers set out to catch trophy sharks after seeing 'Jaws'." Burgess spoke of a "testosterone rush" spilling over the US east coast. Benchley is said to have already apologized for the consequences of his book.

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