How Jaws changed our perception of sharks

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published June 20, 2025 at 10:52 AM CDT

Actresses Desiree Kerns, left, in water, Donna Wilkes, center, and Colleen Barber, right in a staged publicity photo for "Jaws 2" off the coast of Southern California on Monday, June 12, 1978. (Lennox McLendon/AP)

Friday marks 50 years since the movie “Jaws” was released in theaters. The movie transformed cinema; it is considered to be the first true summer blockbuster. It also had a huge impact on how people view sharks, thanks to the villain’s rampaging and violent nature.

However, marine ecologist Dr. Taylor Chapple says that this impression of sharks is false and has done the animal a lot of damage. Chapple heads Oregon State University’s Big Fish Lab and joins host Asma Khalid for more on how our perception of sharks has changed and how they are coping as a species.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Here & Now Newsroom

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