Photo credit: Ken Bondy/Flickr
In the year 2013, in the United States, there were 47 shark attacks. That number is lower than the 2012 total of 54, which, by the way, was the highest yearly total of the current century.
Two localities, Western Australia (six deaths in the past four years) and Reunion Island (five deaths in three years) in the southwest Indian Ocean, remained shark-attack hot spots, while places where shark activity is typically rare or nonexistent also experienced attacks, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File report.
“When sudden increases in shark attacks occur, usually human factors are involved that promote interactions between sharks and people,” says George Burgess, curator of the file at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
“Shark populations are not in a growth phase by any means, so a rise in the number of sharks is not to blame. However, we can predict with some reliability that shark attacks will concurrently rise with the growth of human populations, a trend we saw throughout the past century.”
In recent years, globalization, tourism, and population growth worldwide have led to shark attacks in historically low-contact areas like Reunion Island, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, Solomon Island, and the small island Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, which in 2013 saw its first recorded shark attack. As more people enter the water in these areas, they become equal opportunity locations for shark-human interaction.
Remote shark attacks more deadly
“Globalization of societies and the ease of modern travel means that we have access to places that have never been frequented by tourists before,” Burgess says.
“Remote destinations are not typically medically equipped to handle a serious shark attack. This situation is a key factor in the higher death rate this year. When a shark attack happens in a remote place, the results are going to be more dire than if it happened on a Florida beach, for instance.”
Traditionally leading the world in shark attacks, North American waters saw 34 attacks in 2013 compared with 43 in 2012. Yearly fluctuations in attacks are normal because changes in ocean systems and economics, and human conditions affect the opportunities for humans to encounter sharks, Burgess says.
The 47 US incidents include Hawaii, which is not recorded as occurring in North American waters by the International Shark Attack File database. Florida led the country with 23, followed by Hawaii (13), South Carolina (6) and one each in Alabama, California, North Carolina, Oregon, and Texas.
The single U.S. fatality occurred in Hawaii. Most incidents in Florida occurred in Volusia County (8), a historical hot spot that has experienced more than one-third of Florida’s shark attacks, which is attributable to the heavy draw of surfers and tourists to its beaches, Burgess says.
The 13 attacks recorded in Hawaii were higher than its recent average of 4.3. Spikes occurring over the past two years on the island of Maui could be due to an increase in area surfers, who globally encountered sharks most often in 2013 in 46 percent of reported cases, while swimmers were affected by 31 percent of attacks, followed by divers, with 14 percent.
Revenge killings
Although Australia experienced an average year with 10 attacks and two fatalities, international attention has been drawn to the country regarding incidents in Western Australia that resulted in the controversial reinstatement of government-sanctioned culling hunts for endangered white sharks in December.
“Even if one ignores that an endangered species is involved, the archaic reaction can only be characterized as ‘revenge killings,’” Burgess says. “Although infrequent, shark attacks are high-profile events that excite the emotions of human beings and often impact a community.
“Killing 10 sharks after a death is not the answer as it does not result in reduced attacks. This problem has been faced in other locations around the world and addressed in more effective ways.”
In addition to shark-culling activity in Australia and in Natal, South Africa, shark populations are declining significantly as a result of over-fishing and habitat loss, with 30 million to 70 million sharks killed every year by fisheries. People pose a greater threat to sharks than sharks do to humans, Burgess says.
“Sharks have a lot more to fear from us than we do from them. Statistically, shark attacks are extremely rare, especially considering the number of humans that enter the water each year.”
As in any wilderness experience, it is humans’ responsibility to avoid dangerous situations, or risk meeting a shark and potentially paying the consequences. Scientific research can have an important role in reducing shark attacks by creating a better understanding of the species, Burgess says.
When scientists study sharks and develop more information about how they move and why they attack, it allows us to recommend measures that reduce the chances of sharks and people meeting.
“One-on-one in the ocean, the shark has the advantage. But, by better understanding where and when it is safe to be in the ocean, we can better avoid those encounters.”
EarthSky Via Futurity
