“Somewhat worrying”: Fatal shark attacks to double by 2023

class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc”>

The number of unprovoked shark attacks increased significantly in 2023 compared to the previous year. A University of Florida scientific database of global shark attacks confirmed 69 unprovoked shark attacks last year that injured or killed people. In 2022 there were relatively few at 57.

The 2023 figure is within normal bite rates, although the deaths are “somewhat concerning,” said Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s shark research program. Ten of last year’s unprovoked attacks were fatal. The year before there were five. The chance of being bitten by a shark remains extremely low.

Sharks think surfers are seals

The majority of attacks last year took place in the United States (52 percent) and Australia (22 percent). Surfers are bitten in 42 percent of cases worldwide. Most shark deaths in 2023 were due to bites from great white sharks. “If a great white shark is chasing a seal and the seal knows it, the great white shark doesn’t have a chance,” Naylor said. “Seals are very mobile, so the only ones who get caught are the ones wandering around on the surface minding their own business. And that is exactly what a surfer looks like.”

When more attacks occur, it often means more people are spending time in the water — not that sharks have become more dangerous, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. Increasing human activity in sharks’ natural habitats is leading to an increase in the number of encounters with the animals.

The number of registered attacks has risen sharply in recent decades. However, it has fluctuated enormously over the past ten years: in 2016 there were a particularly large number, namely 98, and in the pandemic years 2020 and 2022 there were only 57 – the lowest number in that period. With simple precautions, the already low chance of being bitten by a shark can be further minimized. People should stay close to shore, avoid swimming at dawn or dusk and avoid excessive splashing, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. (SDA)

Source: Blick