He cared very much about sharks. He spent most of his life trying to explain to people that if you are in the ocean, you?re in the shark?s territory, so it behooves you to take precautions.

Spielberg certainly made the most superb movie; Peter was very pleased. But Peter kept telling people the book was fiction, it was a novel, and that he took no more responsibility for the fear of sharks than Mario Puzo took responsibility for the Mafia.

Sharks don't target human beings, and they certainly don't hold grudges.

Without sharks, you take away the apex predator of the ocean, and you destroy the entire food chain.

I didn't invent the fear of sharks; it's as old as mankind, and that - to take that responsibility would mean that Mario Puzo should take the blame for the Mafia.

I believe implicitly that every young man in the world is fascinated with either sharks or dinosaurs.