UF Researcher: Shark Attacks Down Last Year Worldwide And In Florida

April 17, 1997

GAINESVILLE — It really was safer to go back into the water last year as the number of shark attacks worldwide dropped by half, a new University of Florida study finds.

Fewer attacks in Florida, the global leader in human-shark skirmishes, as well as education and safety measures in other parts of the world contributed to the decline, said George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File, which is housed at UF.

Between 1995 and 1996, the number of shark attacks worldwide fell from 72 to 36, while those in Florida slumped from 29 to 13. So far this year, there have been five shark attacks worldwide, three of which occurred in Australia and two in Florida, Burgess said.

Clearer waters associated with a less-active hurricane season in 1996 may explain why shark attacks decreased from Florida’s all-time record high the previous year, he said.

“In 1995, a steady stream of hurricanes and storms scooted by Florida as they veered up the East Coast, with onshore winds creating a large surf and murky water conditions notorious for shark attacks,” Burgess said. “While the rest of mankind was buckling down in their houses and having hurricane parties, surfers were busy having the times of their lives.”

Murky water means reduced visibility, which increases the likelihood of a shark mistaking a surfer or swimmer for a fish. That scenario is supported by the fact that most Florida human-shark encounters are hit-and-run attacks, where the shark grabs the victim and quickly lets go. In the past three years, 86 percent of Florida’s shark attacks occurred in murky water, he said.

“Lifeguards on the beach tell me they are painfully aware that shark attacks increase during times of murky water, and those are the times they are most careful about being watchful,” Burgess said.

Even though Florida leads the world in shark attacks, most involve smaller species that cause relatively minor injuries, Burgess said. Unlike many other places with shark attacks, he said, the state had no fatalities in the 1990s.

“In California, the odds of being grabbed by a shark are less than in Florida, but the chances for serious injury are much greater because of the presence of white sharks, the most dangerous marine predator,” he said.

Following Florida in numbers of attacks last year were Australia (9), California (3), Brazil (2), Hawaii (2), South Africa (1), Reunion Island (1), New Zealand (1) and other regions (4). There were only two reported fatalities, compared to 11 in 1995.

The attack toll actually could turn out to be higher, though, because unlike the United States, where shark attacks hit the press instantly, there can be a reporting lag of months or even years in some developing nations, such as those in the Indo-Pacific islands, he said.

Public education and safety measures may be partly responsible for the decline in some parts of the world, such as Hong Kong and Brazil, Burgess said.

“Last year, Hong Kong, which has suffered from a spate of recent attacks, set up exclusion nets that surround the beach, keeping the sharks out,” he said. “There were no attacks at all, compared to three fatal ones in 1995.”

Brazil had few shark attacks until the 90s, when surfing emerged as a popular pastime, Burgess said. After severe attacks in one part of the country, the government began a massive education program warning citizens about the dangers of surfing there, he said.

“Last year, there were only two attacks, we think in part because folks heeded this advice and stayed out of this dangerous region,” he said.

Although a reduction in shark populations due to overfishing may be one reason for the overall decline worldwide, Burgess said that trend has been occurring over the past five years and, except for last year, shark attacks have been increasing.

“In most cases, my guess is that the situation really comes down to the luck of the draw,” Burgess said. “Getting a shark and human together is, in many ways, a crapshoot, not to mention a minor phenomenon when we look at the number of ways people find to die accidentally.”