International Shark Attack File: Shark Attacks Hit New Record In 2015

A record of 98 shark attacks took place worldwide a year ago, the highest number ever recorded, a USA university said Tuesday, citing warmer waters and more beachgoers as possible explanations.

International Shark Attack File curator George Burgess says attacks are expected to continue to increase as human populations grow and shark populations recover.

North and SC had eight attacks each, tied for second in the US behind Florida.

“The number of shark-human interactions occurring in a given year is directly correlated with the amount of time humans spend in the sea”, the report notes.

The museum’s International Shark Attack Files were first compiled in 1958 and represent the only scientifically documented database of information on all known shark attacks from the mid-1500s. The rise reflects growing populations of both people and sharks, he said.

Fatality rates for 2015 are significantly higher than in 2014, which only saw three cases.

In January 2016, a Minnesota man was surfing in Hawaii when he was attacked by a shark. In a rare incident, a New Yorker was attacked while boogie boarding off Long Island, he said. However Four Corners reported that tiger sharks had not killed anyone in Western Australia for more than 20 years.

Hitting a shark on the nose, ideally with an inanimate object, usually results in the shark temporarily curtailing its attack.

“With more humans who go swimming in the world’s oceans perhaps it’s likely there will be more shark attacks“.

The state of Florida – which had more shark attacks than Australia and South Africa combined – also witnessed a record year for tourism. Hawaii saw seven attacks and the country’s only fatality, with the remaining incidents occurring in California, Texas, Mississippi and NY.

The chances of dying from a shark attack are much lower than deaths by snake bit, lightning strikes, drowning or heart attack. The Sunshine State recorded 30 bites, which is less than the record high of 37 in 2000. “However, year-to-year variability in local meteorological, oceanographic, and socioeconomic conditions also significantly influences the local abundance of sharks and humans in the water and, therefore, the odds of encountering one another”.

“Over the coming years”, he said, “we’re going to see a lot more of these attacks”.