Western Australia's shark policy has been heavily influenced by Steven Spielberg's blockbuster movie Jaws, a New South Wales academic claims.

University of Sydney researcher Christopher Neff said he looked at WA Government policy between 2000 and 2014 and found "striking similarities" to the 1975 film.

In his findings, published in the Australian Journal of Political Science, Dr Neff argues the current WA Government's "imminent threat" policy has been influenced by aspects of the wildly popular film's plot.

WA Premier Colin Barnett in September said "rogue" sharks which stay in one area close to swimming areas needed to be caught and removed.

"I think if you have, I'd use the term rogue shark, a shark that stays in one area for repeated periods, I think we need to catch that shark and remove it," Mr Barnett said.

A spokeswoman for the Premier's office said the Government had not said shark attacks in WA were the result of a "rogue shark", and had not drawn parallels to scenarios from films.

She said the Government had been clear that a range of theories explaining the spike in shark attacks in WA had been put forward.

In the movie Jaws, Roy Scheider plays a police sheriff who hunts down, fights and eventually blows up a giant shark terrorising residents at a beachside American town.

Dr Neff argues the "Jaws effect" sees political actors use fictional representations in film as the basis for explaining real-life events.

"This policy is using myths as the basis for killing sharks that are protected by law and which provides no real beach safety," Dr Neff said.



"This fiction serves an important political purpose because films allow politicians to rely on familiar narratives following shark bites, to blame individual sharks in order to make the events governable, and to trump evidence-based science."

Fatal shark attacks in WA since 2000 Spearfisher Jay Muscat: Cheynes Beach December 29, 2014

Spearfisher Jay Muscat: Cheynes Beach December 29, 2014 Surfer Chris Boyd: Gracetown November 23, 2013

Surfer Chris Boyd: Gracetown November 23, 2013 Surfer Ben Linden: Wedge Island, July 14, 2012

Surfer Ben Linden: Wedge Island, July 14, 2012 Diver Peter Kurmann: Geographe Bay, March 31, 2012

Diver Peter Kurmann: Geographe Bay, March 31, 2012 Diver George Wainwright: Rottnest Island, Oct 22, 2011

Diver George Wainwright: Rottnest Island, Oct 22, 2011 Swimmer Bryn Martin: Cottesloe Beach, Oct 10, 2011

Swimmer Bryn Martin: Cottesloe Beach, Oct 10, 2011 Surfer Kyle Burden: Bunker Bay, Sept 4, 2011

Surfer Kyle Burden: Bunker Bay, Sept 4, 2011 Surfer Nick Edwards: Gracetown, Aug 17, 2010

Surfer Nick Edwards: Gracetown, Aug 17, 2010 Snorkeller Brian Guest: Port Kennedy, Dec 27, 2008

Snorkeller Brian Guest: Port Kennedy, Dec 27, 2008 Snorkeller Geoffrey Brazier: Abrolhos Islands, Mar 19, 2005

Snorkeller Geoffrey Brazier: Abrolhos Islands, Mar 19, 2005 Surfer Brad Smith: Gracetown, July 10, 2004

Surfer Brad Smith: Gracetown, July 10, 2004 Swimmer Ken Crew: North Cottesloe, Nov 6, 2000

His paper examines why there are often pressures placed on governments to act following shark bites.

"These highly emotional issues present unique and complex public policy questions," Dr Neff writes.

"There are circumstances when one event may result in little or no response, yet the same event occurring, or appearing to occur, a second or third time results in a dramatic escalation of policy responses.

"Unpacking the politics of shark bites, or any public policy issue, involves addressing the way words and images are used to paint a picture for the public and inform policy choices.

"[It] identifies a worrying style of policymaking where widely known fiction can be used to navigate the attribution of blame and to prescribe policy responses."

Mr Barnett has previously said his job was to look after the safety of beachgoers.