Why Steven Spielberg should make a very different Jaws film in Scotland

Porbeagle sharks, which eat fish like mackerel and herring, have many more reasons to be afraid of us, than we have of them (Picture: Maddie Meyer) | Getty Images

If Steven Spielberg ever decides to remake Jaws in Scotland, it would be a very different film.

Sharks, skates and rays keep a low profile in the seas around Scotland, and also some lochs. But then, they have good reason to do so with species such as the porbeagle, angelsharks and the misnamed common skate critically endangered. The basking shark and sandy ray are endangered, while the blue shark, Greenland shark and knifetooth dogfish are near-threatened.

Now a two-year, £1 million research project is set to monitor the movements of these extraordinary creatures in Scottish waters in an attempt to “understand and protect” them – ie, protect them from us.

Dr James Thorburn, a marine ecologist at Edinburgh Napier University, stressed this was about more than the sharks themselves, with their role as apex predators making them “essential for maintaining the health and diversity of marine life”.

Spielberg’s famous film has taken some flack over the years for ruining the reputation of sharks. He could perhaps set the record straight by making a sequel that’s every bit as scary – but this time for the sharks, not the humans.