Public policy expert praises movie Jaws (even with flaws) on 50th anniversary for helping (after harming) sharks

A boy looks inside the jaws of a giant Great White Shark replica at Ankara's zoo in August 2005. - (Tarik Tinazay/AFP via Getty Images))

When Steven Spielberg's smash hit film Jaws opened in theatres in June 1975, it kindled a worldwide panic about shark bites that led many sharks to die by human hands.

But as the original summer blockbuster nears its 50th anniversary, an expert on the politics of shark attacks has said it also deserves qualified praise for getting more people involved with shark conservation.