Thanks to 16 recorded instances of unprovoked shark bites in the state of Florida, the United States once again led the world in shark attacks, according to a report from the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File.
The ISAF reported that there were 32 instances of an unprovoked shark attack — bites that were initiated by a shark in its natural habitat — in the U.S. last year. Only one of those attacks proved to be fatal. North and South Carolina, and Hawaii each had three confirmed shark attacks. The lone fatal encounter happened in Massachusetts, which along with New York, were the only other states to have multiple incidents with two.
While Florida continued to lead the nation in attacks, the number of encounters that ended in a bite decreased dramatically from 31 instances in 2017. Volusia County, the shark attack capital of the world, had four bites, compared to nine the year before.
Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s shark research program, pointed to the decrease in the state’s blacktip shark populations – the species most commonly involved in Florida shark bites – as a possible factor in the reduction.
“Blacktips used to amass in huge numbers along the coast of Florida, and there have been far fewer of them, particularly in the last two or three years,” he said. “The fact that numbers of that particular species appear to be diminishing would be consistent with the number of bites being a little lower than in past years.”
Safer Waters?
Florida wasn’t the only place to experience a dramatic decline. Globally, there were just 66 confirmed cases of unprovoked shark attacks, down from 88 in 2017 and the lowest number in the last five years. Internationally, Australia saw the most bites with 20, including one fatality. Brazil and Egypt both had three bites and one fatality.
“Statistically, this is an anomaly,” Naylor said. “It begs the question of whether we’re seeing fewer bites because there are fewer sharks – that would be the ‘glass half-empty’ interpretation. Or it could be that the general public is heeding the advice of beach safety officials. My hope is that the lower numbers are a consequence of people becoming more aware and accepting of the fact that they’re sharing the ocean with these animals.”
Annual fluctuations in shark-human interactions are to be expected. Year-to-year changes in oceanographic, socio-economic and meteorological conditions significantly influences the local abundance of sharks and humans in the water at the same time, altering the chances of an encounter.
“An increase in sharks is a symptom of restoring healthy oceans,” Naylor said. “What the public needs to do is become informed about these animals, understand their behavior patterns and listen to the guidelines issued by beach safety patrols.”
Surfers beware
Of those instances deemed to be unprovoked, over half (53 percent) occurred while the victim was on a surfboard. Swimmers and waders accounted for 30 percent of incidents, while divers –both free and SCUBA — accounted for 11 percent. Only three percent of the attacks occurred on shallow water bathers. Last year there were four fatalities associated with a shark attack, continuing a downward trend reflecting advances in beach safety, medical treatment and public awareness.
Naylor said a goal of the museum’s shark research program is to increase the use of DNA as a means of identifying shark species responsible for bites, a technique his lab successfully tested with a tooth fragment recovered from one of the Fire Island attacks. The program also aims to help the public appreciate the diversity and biology of the more than 500 known species of sharks.
“Only about 5 percent of shark species have been implicated in bites,” Naylor said. “As we fine-tune our understanding of these animals, we not only increase our own safety in the water, but we can turn fear to fascination.”
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