“[T]he thing about a shark, he’s got… lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn’t seem to be livin’… until he bites ya… then you hear that terrible high-pitch screamin’, the ocean turns red, and spite of all the poundin’ and the hollerin’, they all come in and they… rip you to pieces.”It was descriptions like these in Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, released 50 years ago on June 20, 1975, which had an enduring influence on the public perception of sharks, especially great whites. The portrayal of these creatures as bloodthirsty, man-eating monsters petrified audiences for decades, the movie’s tagline — “Don’t go in the water” — etched in people’s psyche.While Jaws, based on the eponymous book by Peter Benchley, was credited for ushering in the era of summer blockbusters, it has contributed to a sharp decline in the population of sharks. The movie’s popularity led to an increase in hunting of the animal, both formally and informally. The number of shark-fishing and shark-killing tournaments also increased dramatically, especially on the east coast of the United States.Jennifer Martin, an environmental historian at the University of California, told CNN, “I’m struggling to think of a parallel example of a film that so powerfully shaped our understanding of another creature… They were killing machines. They were not really creatures. They weren’t playing an ecological role.”Are sharks really man-eaters? How many people die due to shark attacks annually? What is the ecological role of sharks? Are these animals under threat?The unfounded paranoia about shark attacksJaws shows an epic battle between three men and a “rogue shark” who has developed a taste for human flesh. The animal attacks its victims with purpose, and munches on some body parts while leaving a head or arm as a warning to anyone who swims in its waters.Story continues below this adExperts say this is not how sharks behave in reality. David Shiffman, an interdisciplinary marine conservation biologist, told the BBC, “They don’t stalk humans, and the idea of ‘rogue sharks’ that develop a taste for humans is pseudoscientific nonsense.”Although there are records of sharks attacking humans, the animal did not evolve to feed on humans. Sharks have existed on the planet for at least 400 million years, and predate dinosaurs by several hundred million years. The animal only encountered people just a few thousand years ago when humans started to explore the sea.Many experts believe that most shark attacks are cases of mistaken identity, meaning a shark may confuse a person for prey. That is why sharks usually take a bite out of people, and then move on.On average, 63 people are bitten by sharks across the world annually, of whom five or six die. “More people are bitten by other people in New York City each year than are bitten by sharks in the whole world… It’s extremely rare that someone is killed [by sharks],” said Shiffman.Story continues below this adAlso in Explained | State of India’s tiger prey, why challenges to their habitat need to be addressedSharks, not humans, are under threatWhile Jaws did contribute to an increase in the hunting of sharks, the animals were being targeted by humans much before the release of the movie. For example, white shark populations began to decline in the mid-1950s.One of the primary reasons for this is the rise of commercial overfishing. Sharks are intensively fished for meat and other products such as shark-fin soup, served as an expensive delicacy, particularly in China, Taiwan and parts of Southeast Asia.Other factors that are driving the dip in the shark population include climate change, pollution, pollution and habitat destruction.Story continues below this adA 2024 study, published in the journal Science, found that annual shark mortality was at around 100 million — a number that rose during the last decade. Another study, published in the journal Nature in 2021, revealed that the global abundance of oceanic sharks and rays had declined by 71% since 1970. Currently, nearly a third of shark species are threatened with extinction, according to a 2021 analysis published in the journal Current Biology.But why does this all matter?Put simply, sharks play a crucial role in maintaining the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. For instance, as apex predators, they consume plant-eating fish which tend to excessively eat ocean vegetation such as seagrass meadows and kelp forests that absorb carbon through photosynthesis. This predatory behaviour of sharks helps maintain the marine carbon cycle.These animals also disperse grazing fish and curb their foraging efforts. As a result, sharks help reduce the chances for any loss of stored carbon which can be disturbed by foraging behaviour and activity by fish.Sharks are known to shape the behaviour and distribution of marine animals throughout the ocean as well. As they create a “landscape of fear”, these animals influence where prey species move. This ensures that no one species dominates an area, thus allowing multiple species to coexist which reduces the risk of habitat destruction.Story continues below this adAs sharks swim throughout the different ocean layers, they mix nutrient- and oxygen-rich deep water with nutrient-poor surface waters which ultimately benefits creatures living in the ocean’s surface water such as phytoplankton.These are the reasons why experts and activists in recent years have been trying to conserve the population of sharks. Even Spielberg and Benchley publicly acknowledged the role of the movie and the book in stoking fear of sharks. In 2022, Spielberg said, “I truly and to this day regret the decimation of the shark population because of the book and the film. I really, truly regret that.”