Rising Shark Attacks: Surfers at High Risk of Fatal Bites

This month marks 50 years since Peter Benchley’s best-selling book “Jaws” first appeared on bookstore shelves, inspiring the successful film adaptation of the same name.

Though it’s still a classic, its well-known antagonist isn’t keeping people away from the shore. The University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File indicates that the number of shark bites and fatal attacks increased globally in the previous year.

According to the shark attack file, which looks into shark attacks worldwide, 69 unprovoked shark bites were reported last year, an increase of six above the previous five-year average.

According to Gavin Naylor, head of the shark research program at the Florida Museum of Natural History, the bites are still within the typical range. The deaths, however, “are a bit unnerving this year.”

In the world last year, there were 14 documented shark-related deaths, double the number from the year before, with 10 of those deaths being deemed unprovoked. There were two of such in the US.

The United States lead the world with 36 unprovoked bites, as usual. Florida led the country in shark bites even though the 16 incidents were marginally below normal, but Naylor noted that given the state’s vast coastline and thriving tourism sector, this is never surprising.

In the world, 42% of bites happened to surfers, while 39% happened to swimmers and waders.

Which shark attacks were fatal?

• In the United States, one individual passed away in Hawaii and another in California.
• There was one verified death each in Egypt, Mexico, the Bahamas, and New Caledonia.
• Of the ten deaths, 40% occurred in Australia.
• The Eyre Peninsula, a rural surfing location off the coast of Southern Australia, is home to wild beaches and surf breaks. Three of the four victims of the deadly attacks in Australia were surfers, and all three of their deaths happened there.

An provoked shark attack is what?

a bite that results from provocating the shark, whether on purpose or accidentally. There are 22 attacks in the shark attack file that were reported as provoked last year.

For study purposes, they would rather concentrate on the unprovoked attacks, according to Naylor.

“As biologists, our goal is to comprehend the animals’ natural behavior, not their abnormal behavior,” Naylor stated. “We want to understand if the animals’ behavior is modified by people throwing stuff into the water, or fishing or trying to have a selfie taken.”

The most popular activity going on when the provoked bites happened the previous year was spearfishing.

The other shark attacks—where were they?

About 52% of all bites worldwide were the 36 that occurred in the United States.

Eight of the bites occurred in Volusia County, Florida, which is home to Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach and has earned the moniker “the shark bite capital of the world.” The region consistently has the most bites, despite the quip among many local surfers that most bites are only “nibbles.”

Two bites apiece in Brevard and St. Lucie, and one each in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Escambia, and Pinellas were reported in other Florida counties.

Apart from the mortality that occurred in Hawaii, seven other bites occurred. Along with the fatalities, there were reports of two bites in South Carolina, two in North Carolina, and two in California.

There were four bites in New York, one of which happened in New York City. According to Naylor, the activity is a result of rising fish numbers and better water quality. “It causes a lot of fear, but the reality is you’re putting a lot of people in the water on a hot day with bait fish in the water,” he said. One bite was reported in New Jersey.

There have also been reports of bites in South Africa, the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, New Zealand, Seychelles, and Turks and Caicos.

Recalling “Jaws”

According to the experts, since Jaws was released, the number of white shark bites has gradually climbed. However, that isn’t the result of the sharks becoming aggressive. They come to the conclusion that a greater emphasis on reporting bites and fatalities combined with more persons in the water is more likely to be the cause.

In an article for The Conversation, Naylor stated that the movie and the film also gave rise to a generation of shark scientists.

According to Naylor, “Shark research quickly went mainstream.” “In 1982, the American Elasmobranch Society was established. The number of published shark studies dramatically rose, and graduate students flocked to research shark behavior.”

Why is Australia the land of bites?

Four fatalities and fifteen bites were reported in Australia. According to Naylor, the nation’s efforts to safeguard sharks and seals have contributed to the attacks.

According to him, the seal populations are becoming healthier. Thus, more white sharks and seals. Furthermore, while you’re floating about on a surfboard, you kind of look like a seal if those white shark aggregation zones are close to good surf breaks.”

“Australian beach safety is unparalleled,” stated Joe Miguez, a PhD candidate in the shark research program. However, there is a greater chance of a deadly shark attack if you travel to isolated areas without beach safety measures.

This is partly because, according to Miguez, “you can get a tourniquet on sooner and save the person’s life” when an incident occurs close to lifeguards and beach rescue.

A tourniquet can be applied sooner and the victim’s life can be saved when an attack occurs close to lifeguards and beach rescue, according to Miguez.

Bull sharks can be found in and around Australia’s estuary rivers, in addition to the country’s white shark concentrations around the shore. Early in 2023, a bull shark assault near the shore resulted in a fatality in a brackish river.

What about the sharks?

Although there has been a minor increase in attacks, Naylor stated that worries about shark species still exist, even though there seems to be a rise in shark sightings in certain localities.

Regulations meant to stop the drop in shark fishing fatalities have not stopped the trend. Researchers from Canada and the United States predicted that between 2012 and 2019, the number of shark deaths annually increased from at least 76 million to 80 million, according to a study published in “Science” in January.

The study, which was headed by marine scientist Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, found that about 25 million of those sharks were threatened species. The researchers found that while widespread laws to stop shark finning was effective, it did not ultimately lower the number of shark deaths. Regional prohibitions on shark fishing or retention did yield some success, the study found.

Although they are fierce predators, sharks But studies show that they are powerless against warming oceans.

How can a shark bite be prevented?

How is a shark bite prevented?

• In the United States, one individual passed away in Hawaii and another in California.
• There was one verified death each in Egypt, Mexico, the Bahamas, and New Caledonia.
• Of the ten deaths, 40% occurred in Australia.
• The Eyre Peninsula, a rural surfing location off the coast of Southern Australia, is home to wild beaches and surf breaks. Three of the four victims of the deadly attacks in Australia were surfers, and all three of their deaths happened there.
• In the United States, one individual passed away in Hawaii and another in California.
• One American citizen passed away in California, and another in Hawaii.
• There was one verified death each in Egypt, Mexico, the Bahamas, and New Caledonia.
• The Eyre Peninsula, a rural surfing location off the coast of Southern Australia, is home to wild beaches and surf breaks. Three of the four victims of the deadly attacks in Australia were surfers, and all three of their deaths happened there.