50 Years after "Jaws": Rethinking Sharks, Science, and Ethics

Luka Marie Weber
Apr 14
2 min read

– Podium discussion at Max Delbrück Center with Carlu Travel founder as a speaker

Carlu Travel founder Luka as a speaker during the podium discussion

I recently had the privilege of participating in a podium discussion that challenged one of the ocean’s most persistent and dramatic narratives: our understanding of sharks.

Notably, this conversation comes roughly 50 years after the release of Jaws – a film that profoundly shaped public perception of sharks as ruthless, mindless predators. Its cultural impact still lingers today, influencing how many people imagine these animals.

For many, the image remains almost cinematic, a shark rising from the water, powerful and relentless, reinforcing the idea of a creature driven purely by instinct. But as our discussion highlighted, this image is not only incomplete, it may be fundamentally misleading.

Together with neuroscientists, divers, journalists, and fellow researchers, we explored a different perspective: how sharks actually experience the world, particularly how they process painful stimuli.

All speakers of the Shark Ethics Podium Discussion

Historically, sharks have often been viewed as incapable of feeling pain. This belief was largely based on anecdotal observations, stories of sharks continuing to swim, hunt, or even attack despite severe injuries. Reports of animals feeding while gravely wounded contributed to the enduring myth of the “insensate predator.” Some early voices even argued that the evidence supported the idea that sharks do not feel pain at all.

However, current research is beginning to challenge these assumptions.

Scientists are now using advanced tools, ranging from bioinformatics and transcriptomics to neural network, based behavioral tracking, to systematically investigate how sharks respond to potentially painful stimuli. Importantly, there are growing signs that may indicate sharks do, in fact, experience pain. Behavioral responses, physiological signals, and emerging neurological data all suggest a more complex sensory experience than previously assumed.

If sharks are capable of feeling pain, the implications are significant. Practices such as shark finning – still occurring in various parts of the world despite legal bans –come into sharper ethical focus. These practices have long been justified, in part, by outdated beliefs about sharks’ insensitivity to suffering.

Carlu Travel founder Luka as a speaker during the podium discussion

The discussion ultimately centered on this critical intersection: when science evolves, ethics must follow.

Participating in this panel was an opportunity to reflect on how knowledge shapes responsibility. It encouraged all of us, both on stage and in the audience, to move beyond entrenched narratives and toward a future where science, empathy, and sustainability guide how we relate to marine life.

I’m grateful to have been part of this important conversation and share my pictures and experiences with sharks and fishermen around the glob, and I hope it contributes, even in a small way, to reshaping how we see and treat these remarkable animals.