Lewis completes Jaws swim to highlight plight of sharks

ENDURANCE swimmer Lewis Pugh said “we must stop killing sharks” as he completed an “exhausting” swim in the stormy waters where Jaws was filmed.

- EMILY BEAMENT [e-mail]

The conservationist and UN patron of the oceans has launched a campaign to protect sharks, which are threatened by commercial fishing and what he describes as “indifference” to the fate of an apex predator which helps keep the world’s oceans in balance.

The Plymouth-based swimmer has completed a 60-mile, 12-day swim around Martha's Vineyard, an island off the east coast of the US to mark the 50th anniversary of the Hollywood blockbuster film.

He said the swim was a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to change the narrative around sharks, which were cast as the ultimate underwater villains in Jaws, terrifying generations of film fans.

“The movie Jaws was so effective, it shaped the narrative for the past 50 years.

“The aim of the swim was to change the narrative for a new generation, we need to change the narrative,” said Mr Pugh.

“Sharks are not monsters, they’re magnificent, they're essential.”