'Jaws' shark hunter Frank Mundus went on to champion keeping the creatures safe, his daughter says

Fifty years after Steven Spielberg’s "Jaws" instilled fear in the hearts of many and the desire in others to wield a harpoon, the real-life Montauk charter fisherman forever tied to the fictional work is remembered as both hunter and conservationist.

Frank Mundus, the man experts of film and fish point to as the inspiration for the character of Quint, the sea captain of the Orca who leads the expedition to hunt and kill the shark that bloodied the waters off the fictional Amity Island, pioneered not only shark fishing off Montauk, but efforts to keep the creatures safe, his daughter, Pat Mundus, recalled.

Despite starting a "monster hunting," or shark fishing, charter business after his move to Montauk in 1951, Mundus "felt bad" that others began scouring the waters for notoriety after the film credits rolled, Pat Mundus said. The film, based on Peter Benchley's novel by the same name, has long been considered a culprit for the overfishing of sharks that caused their populations to dwindle.

"After Jaws came out he kind of felt personally responsible for creating this — pardon the pun — monster," Mundus said of her father, who died in Honolulu in 2008 at age 82.

"Shark fishing was not at all something that everybody wanted to do in those days," she added. "But after 'Jaws,' every — he would call them ‘idiots’ — every idiot out there with a boat wanted to catch sharks."

Great white hooked in '86

For many years after the film, Mundus continued fishing for sharks. In 1986, he hooked a great white that weighed more than 3,400 pounds, a feat believed to be the largest catch with a rod and reel. But the film’s impact meant he was no longer a rarity. The pursuit of sharks, once deemed so scary the local chamber of commerce requested Mundus temper any marketing with the large-toothed sea creatures, became popular.

"Thirty to 50 years ago, people used to say that the best shark was a dead shark," said Craig O’Connell, executive director of the Montauk Shark Lab and a founder of the O’Seas Conservation Foundation, both of which educate the public on sharks. "There used to be these massive spectacles where dead sharks would be brought onto the docks and everyone would celebrate that."

This trend led Mundus to promote conservation efforts such as shark tagging to learn the creatures’ migration habits to better protect them, a widespread practice today, said his daughter, herself a sea dog who ventured to the Caribbean to learn sailing five decades ago.

"He was very opposed to shark tournaments because that promoted this mass slaughter," Pat Mundus recalled of her father. "He would go to every single shark tournament and set up a little card table ... and then give away circle hooks. He thought that if they’re going to do these shark tournaments, everybody should do catch-and-release properly, which he was doing in the '60s."

The circle hooks Mundus used and promoted are now a requirement for commercial fishing or scientific research and "much better for sharks," said O’Connell, a frequent television presence during Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week. Circle hooks reduce "the possibility of a shark being gut-hooked," which occurs when hooks "get lodged deep down in a shark’s stomach," causing "catastrophic" injuries, he said.

Long-term impact of 'Jaws'

Like Mundus’ own legacy, the long-term impact of "Jaws" was more complex than fear and bloodlust, according to Paula Uruburu, an emeritus professor of English and film studies at Hofstra University. The film steered more than Mundus and "Jaws" author Benchley toward conservation.

"There seemed to be this movement toward studying sharks because most people didn’t really think about them before 'Jaws,' " said Uruburu, who teaches the film. She noted the movie also struck a nerve with animal rights and environmental activists.

"You’ve got this interesting cultural phenomenon that started out as a movie and ended up being a movement," Uruburu said.

In O’Connell the film conjured more fascination than fear.

"For me, ‘Jaws’ made me wonder, ‘What the heck is out there?' " he said. "In a way, it made me want to go out and explore. ... A lot of shark scientists say something very similar."

In the 50 years since the first summer blockbuster, more Long Islanders have been exposed to sharks besides the one Quint vowed to kill through Shark Week or aquarium visits. O'Connell said he believes the once widespread fear of the sea creatures has abated.

"The tide has turned," the Montauk conservationist said of Long Islanders’ perception of sharks. "Now people want to protect these animals, and I think the more people that go out there and learn about them ... the more people that are going to want to protect them just like us."