Welcome to the Inquiry with me, Paul Cunley, each week one question for expert witnesses

and an answer.

On Friday, June 20th, 1975, the world's relationship with sharks changed, perhaps forever.

It was the day that Charles, the now notorious blockbuster directed by Steven Spielberg,

was released, and the generation were scared witless by a great bite shark with the taste

for revenge and for human flesh.

The film and its many sequels sparked a flurry of interest in sharks, but in doing so cemented

the reputation as a threat to us all, the dangerous killing machine lurking in the depths.

Today, this apex predator should be dominant across the seas and the oceans of the earth,

instead collectively they are classed as an endangered species.

So this week we're asking is our fascination with sharks, bad for them.

Not one, the making of a monster.

I am George Burdys, I'm the director and meritist of the Florida program for shark research

at the University of Florida.

As a fishery biologist, our first expert witness spent more than 40 years examining the

cause and effect of shark attacks.

Just as specifics of each attack differs, George tells me there's one constant when it

comes to our approach to sharks, fear.

First of all, I think we need to accept that in fact there is a widespread fear across

cultural lines across languages and countries and is one who's visited the scenes of shark

attacks in numerous areas around the world to help local authorities deal with it.

I came to the realization very quickly that it doesn't matter what language you speak,

...