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While the first sun seekers hit the beaches in particularly warm regions, newspapers label Florida as the world’s hotspot for shark attacks. Scientists are now trying to combat fear mongering.

According to experts, a quarter of all shark attacks recorded last year took place in the US state: the risk of being bitten by a shark is extremely low even in Florida, researchers claim.

The University of Florida counted 69 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide in its 2023 statistics, 16 of which occurred off the coast of the US state. Considering that there were 135 million swimmers on Florida beaches last year, according to official statistics, this number is still relatively small.

Despite the statistically low risk of being bitten by a shark, fear of the sharp-toothed predatory fish runs deep. Films like ‘Jaws’ and the American documentary series ‘Shark Week’, which has been running for decades, continue to feed them.

“Sharks make mistakes”

“When sharks are hunting fish in the water, people occasionally get in their way and the sharks make a mistake,” said Gavin Naylor, a shark expert at the University of Florida and one of the authors of the annual shark report. If sharks really wanted to attack people, it would be child’s play for them, says Naylor: “People are basically like sausages floating in the water.” But instead of attacking, sharks generally avoided humans.

The shallow subtropical waters off Florida’s beaches are rich in nutrients and therefore rich in prey fish, attracting many sharks. Last year, eight people were attacked by sharks off the coast of New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County. This earned the place the infamous nickname ‘shark bite capital of the world’. The sea there is popular with surfers, but the murky water limits the visibility of the predators, increasing the chance that they will accidentally nip at a human.

Shark bites like plane crashes

Shark bites are like plane crashes: shocking but rare, says Bruce Adams, who lives in New Smyrna Beach and has encountered the predatory fish several times while surfing. He regrets that the animals’ bad reputation is the result of sensationalism: “This boosts sales,” he says, commenting on the activities of resourceful sellers who sell T-shirts with the inscription “Shark Bite Capital of The Word” in New Smyrna Beach. .

Most swimmers in Florida have probably been in water with sharks without knowing it, said shark researcher Joe Miguez, another author of the annual report. “They don’t really want anything to do with us.”

Some people even go out of their way to prevent predatory fish. In Jupiter, about 90 miles north of Miami, Jonathan Campbell has completed more than 500 dives with people who wanted to swim with sharks. “You see sharks in movies and they are scary monsters. But in the water they look more like shy puppies,” he says.

According to a recent study, the number of sharks worldwide has declined by 70 percent since 1970. Perhaps humans pose a greater danger to predatory fish than to him. “We need to focus more on protecting these animals, rather than worrying about them coming after us,” said researcher Miguez. (sda/afp)