Study: Shark attack deaths worldwide highest since 1993

[News_Editor]

Study: Shark attack deaths worldwide highest since 1993

2012-02-08 07:45:54 GMT+7 (ICT)

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA (BNO NEWS) -- Sharks killed at least a dozen people worldwide last year, the highest number in nearly two decades, according to statistics released by the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) at the University of Florida on Tuesday.

The Florida researchers confirmed sharks attacked at least 104 people worldwide in 2011, resulting in 12 fatalities. The majority of the attacks were deemed to be unprovoked attacks, but 29 were provoked by humans when they, for example, initiated physical contact with a shark.

The 2011 yearly total of 75 unprovoked attacks was slightly lower than the unprovoked attacks recorded in 2010, according to ISAF statistics. The year 2010 saw a total of 81 confirmed shark attacks, the highest figure since 2000. Six people were killed by sharks in 2010, similar to the six fatalities in 2009.

But the number of fatal attacks in 2011 was considerably higher than totals from recent years, with a yearly average of 4.3 fatalities between 2001 and 2010. These unprovoked fatalities were recorded from Australia (3), Costa Rica (1), Kenya (1), New Caledonia (1), Reunion (2), the Seychelles (2), and South Africa (2). The annual fatality rate was 16 percent, higher than the 6.7 percent average of the first decade of this century.

"We had a number of fatalities in essentially out-of the way places, where there's not the same quantity and quality of medical attention readily available," said ichthyologist George Burgess, director of ISAF. "They also don't have histories of shark attacks in these regions, so there are not contingency plans in effect like there are in places such as Florida."

Although sharks killed no one in the United States in 2011, most unprovoked shark attacks occurred in North American waters where ISAF documented 26 attacks, including eleven in Florida where the waters are attractive to both Florida residents and tourists, especially surfers. Three non-fatal shark attacks were also recorded in the U.S. state of Hawaii.

The 29 U.S. incidents in 2011 was the lowest total since 1998, according to ISAF. The agency says the number of shark-human interactions has exhibited a slow but steady decline in the U.S. over the last decade, possibly the result of the recession which has reduced the number of tourists and vacationing residents. Other possible reasons include the reducing number of sharks in the water and the increased media coverage of shark attacks, creating a greater awareness.

Elsewhere in the world, eleven unprovoked attacks occurred in Australia, five in South Africa, four in Reunion, three in Indonesia, three in Mexico, three in Russia, three in the Seychelles, two in Brazil, and two took place in open sea. Single incidents were reported from Antigua, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Kenya, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, Tahiti, and the Turks & Caicos.

As usual, surfers were the most affected group in 2011 due to the provocative nature of the activity, accounting for about 60 percent of the unprovoked attacks. "When you're inside the water, there's much less chance of sharks making a mistake because both parties can see each other," Burgess said. "Surfing involves a lot of swimming, kicking and splashing."

Swimmers experienced 35 percent of attacks, followed by divers with about 5 percent.

But despite the spike in shark attack deaths, Burgess pointed out that humans pose a far greater threat to sea life than sharks do to humans. "We're killing 30 to 70 million sharks per year in fisheries - who's killing who?" he said. "The reality is that the sea is actually a pretty benign environment, or else we'd be measuring injuries in the thousands of millions per year."

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-02-08

[ScubaBuddha]

When you consider the huge number of surfers, swimmers, and divers using the worlds oceans every day, there is s very, very small chance of being attacked by a shark. The odds are many times greater you getting killed in a traffic accident on the way to the ocean. In fact there is a better chance of being killed by lightning.