'Jaws' fear simmers down after lots of hype

Last week's headlines about the supposed great white shark sightings in Massachusetts would have you believe that Martha's Vineyard, which served as the setting of the 1975 film that forever made swimmers fear dorsal fins poking out of the water, was finally living up to its cinematic fame.

" 'Jaws' returns to stalk Martha's Vineyard," boasted the (London) Independent. " 'Jaws'-size fear sweeps Vineyard," the Boston Globe said. One blogger stretched it even further, proclaiming "' Jaws' comes true."

The reaction was swift. Beaches were closed, and an aerial search for the possible Jaws imitator ensued. But by later in the weekend, the beaches were reopened, fears were subsiding, and the Boston Globe reported beachgoers were undeterred by the shark sightings.

You can't blame people for being unmoved by the hysteria. For one, a man was charged with disturbing the peace for concocting two of the sightings. And secondly, shark attacks in Massachusetts are extremely rare; only four have occurred since 1670--that's right, in over 300 years--and the last fatality was in 1936.

-- Tony Barboza

Photo: Al Seib/Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Brien Comerford]

Millions of innocent sharks have been wrongfully slaughtered and maimed because they have been demonized by untrue movies, fiction, disinformation and folklore. Humans are a much bigger threat to sharks than they are to us. The ocean is their habitat not ours.

[Chris Elwell]

I was on South Beach the morning this shark was seen, and I can tell you that the fear in the lifeguard's eyes who spotted it was genuine. In all though, the story is accurate; few are avioding the water out of fear.

Ironically, the increase in the seal population probably ensures that sharks will be more common in these waters. Responsible stewardship of the seal population has yielded unintended, though predictable, consequenses.