A wildlife biologist and “Shark Week” host says the ocean’s most feared predators must be respected, but family vacationers shouldn’t buy into the latest “hysteria” about summer attacks.

“This year happens to be the 50th anniversary of the movie ‘Jaws,’ which has created more hysteria and more mass fear for sharks than anything else,” Forrest Galante told Fox News Digital this week. “So much so that Steven Spielberg himself says that he regrets making the film.”

Increased fear could also be a product of scientific advances that have allowed biologists to more closely track sharks. 

Dold, an 11-foot, 761-pound great white shark, is being tracked by researchers as he makes his way down the Florida coast. (OCEARCH)

Being extra careful when swimming in the ocean at dawn and dusk is crucial, he said. So is avoiding areas like estuaries, which are natural fish nurseries, and any area that has a lot of fish or bird life or a lot of seals or sea lions. 

Those are called “marine-rich environments” and are often found at river mouths, he noted. That’s where sharks prey naturally, and humans swimming there could get caught in the mix.

Galante also mentioned more specific actions that could attract sharks. 

“One thing that a lot of people don’t think of is not wearing shiny jewelry, because that flash can simulate a bait fish,” he said. “The crunching of a beer can or a water bottle actually nearly perfectly simulates the crunching of fish bones. So these little things that we do inadvertently can actually lead to a higher likelihood of a negative encounter with sharks.”

Beachgoers crowd onto Miami Beach, Fla. (US Sun/Mega)

The bottom line for beach vacationers is to do a bit of homework about their destination before they arrive. 

“If you do that little bit of reading — and I mean the same amount of time you’ll be scrolling Instagram — that few minutes of reading, you’re gonna end up minimizing your risks so substantially that, personally, I wouldn’t even worry about sharks.”