Unprovoked shark attacks rose slightly worldwide last year, but new data shows twice as many people died from shark bites than the year before.
According to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File, there were 69 unprovoked shark attacks in 2023; this was above the five-year average of 63 attacks per year.
Researchers said 10 of the attacks in 2023 were fatal, with five of those attacks increasing the previous year.
“That’s within the normal range of bite numbers, but the deaths are a little unnerving this year,” said Gavin Naylor, manager of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s shark research program.
Australia has a disproportionate number of shark bite deaths, researchers have noted. The continent accounted for 22% of all attacks and 40% of deaths.
Other deaths from shark attacks occurred in the United States, the Bahamas, Egypt, Mexico and New Caledonia, researchers said.
There were 36 unprovoked shark attacks in the United States, accounting for 52% of incidents worldwide. Two attacks were fatal, one in California and the other in Hawaii.
As in previous years, Florida had more shark bites than any other state, with 16 attacks.
Non-fatal bites have also been confirmed to occur in Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, New Zealand, Seychelles, Turks and Caicos Islands, Ecuador and South Africa.
This annual report focuses primarily on unprovoked attacks, but the database documents all bites by sharks on humans.
Provoked attacks involve deliberately approaching a shark or swimming in an area where bait is used to attract fish, the researchers said.
Three of the deaths in 2023 occurred on the Eyre Peninsula off the coast of South Australia, a remote surfing destination. This area is known for its outstanding surf breaks, making it a difficult to reach but attractive destination for surfers.
Unfortunately, the area is also home to seal colonies and large numbers of white sharks, the researchers said.
“If a white shark is going after a seal and the seal knows it, the white shark doesn’t stand a chance,” Naylor explained in a museum news release.
“Seals are really agile, so the only ones that get caught are the ones that are goofing off and the ones that are stuck on the surface minding their own business. And that’s what a surfer looks like.”
Australia also has bull sharks in and around tidal rivers, and in early 2023 there was one fatality from a bull shark attack in the salty estuary of a river near the coast.
“Beach safety in Australia is second to none. They’re amazing,” said Joe Miguez, a PhD student at the Florida Shark Research Programme.
“However, if you go to remote areas where beach security is not available, the risk of a fatal shark attack is higher. This is because when an attack occurs and beach security is maintained, you can apply the tourniquet sooner to save the person’s life,” Miguez added.
“So the solution is not to not surf,” he concluded. “Surfing in areas where a good beach safety program is in place.”
Most unprovoked attacks are “test bites” in which the shark, like a seal, mistakes the human for its preferred prey.
When this happens, the shark usually swims away after a single bite. Unfortunately, some shark species are so large that a single bite can be fatal to humans.
Rarer incidents where a shark continues to bite a human rather than swimming away have been documented in tiger sharks, bull sharks, and white sharks.
One of the deaths in 2023 involved such a scenario; A tiger shark occurred on the Red Sea coast in Egypt.
“The bite in Egypt was notable because a video shows the tiger shark attacking a human in the water multiple times. Although predatory incidents are extremely rare, it’s pretty clear that this is the case,” Miguez said.
Despite the increase in shark bites, researchers say the number of bites and deaths in 2023 are within the average of the last decade.
Each year, fewer than 100 unprovoked bites consistently occur worldwide. This means you’re more likely to win the lottery than be bitten by a shark, researchers noted.
Miguez said the increase in shark attacks means more people are spending time in the water, rather than a dramatic change in shark behavior.
Something as simple as a holiday weekend falling on a particularly hot day can contribute to a spike in shark bites, and this can be made worse by large schools of fish in a particular area.
This combination led to the first known shark attack in New York in more than half a century, researchers said. Improved water quality has led to more fish in the waters off New York, which generally means more sharks.
“It causes a lot of fear, but the reality is you put a lot of people in the water on a hot day with baitfish in the water,” Naylor said.
Although the chances of a shark attack are low, researchers said people can take more precautions:
Stay close to shore.
Do not swim at dawn or dusk.
Avoid excessive splashing.
Swim with a friend as sharks are more likely to approach lone figures.
Remove shiny jewelry that could be mistaken for fish scales.
SOURCE: Florida Museum of Natural History, news release, February 5, 2024
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