Their journey results in a face-off that sees Quint dead, and a mega explosion that only a master filmmaker like Spielberg could have executed in the '70s. The defenseless shark is detonated to bits and everyone cheers. It's a cathartic scene for most viewers, but a big bummer for those of us who were rooting for the shark.

The toothy villain of “Jaws” terrified audiences in 1975. Offscreen, the hit film — which is celebrating its 50th anniversary — impacted sharks in unexpected ways.

After 450 million years of evolutionary history, shark populations are collapsing, and more than a third of shark species and their relatives face extinction. Now scientists are trying to use the lure of “Jaws” to advance shark conservation efforts.