To separate myth from reality, Discovery contacted Samuel Gruber, a professor of marine biology at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and one of the world's leading shark experts.

Because valid information on sharks was scarce, at least in the media, directors then had a field day after "Jaws." "Sharksploitation" became all the rage.

Nine hundred men wearing life jackets bobbed up and down with the waves. Sunrise the next day, sharks began to arrive at the site....

When we think of a shark feeding frenzy, we think of sharks’ voracious appetite for seals, fish, other sharks, and maybe even a human or two. But in fact, sharks are winding up on our dinner table more often than we do on theirs, and we are willing to pay a high price for just a taste.

Many scientists are benefiting from technological innovations in shark research that have occurred over recent years, including remotely tracking the position of tagged sharks by simply going online.

What might Shark Week be like in another two decades? The reality is that shark populations worldwide are in grave danger. The most conservative estimates report that one-fifth of all sharks and rays are critically close to extinction.