Six people were killed in shark attacks as human and shark encounters have increased. One death was recorded in Hawaii, Australia, Egypt and New Caledonia, with two deaths being recorded off the Indian Ocean island of Reunion,
The International Shark Attack File (ISAF) on Monday reported the 2015 figures were double the number of attacks in 2014, but were on par with the numbers for the past decade, according to George Burgess, director of the ISAF. The organizations database, started in 1958, is maintained at the University of Miami in Florida, reports The Guardian.
So why are we seeing more shark attacks? Does this mean they are increasing in number or are they becoming more curious and less afraid around humans? Burgess says the answer is not as simple as we may think.
“The numerical growth in human-shark interactions does not necessarily mean there is an increase in the rate of shark attacks,” said the report from the ISAF, according to WTVR Richmond. “It most likely is a function of the growing human population.”
To put it another way, with the growing human population, more people are going swimming in the ocean. It makes sense to say that with more bodies in the water, there is a greater chance of someone encountering a shark. But there is also another factor to consider.
Shark attacks are occurring farther north along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States as warmer waters extend marine animals’ ranges, Burgess pointed out. There was a rare shark encounter that occurred on June 5 last year in New Jersey. A 17-year-old was enjoying the waves at Surf City when he felt something hit his leg.
Ryan Horton told reporters it felt “like a baseball bat had whacked my foot.” Burgess said the attack, which left a hunk of flesh missing from the teen’s leg, was called a “hit and run” attack. “It’s as much of a slash as a bite. The shark was doing what sharks do, feeding in the troughs between the sand bars. It was a moment of normal prey. Surfers are prone to this.”
According to the ISAF, of the 59 shark attacks in the U.S. in 2015, Florida saw 30, and there were 16 attacks off the coasts of North and South Carolina. Hawaii saw seven attacks and the rest occurred in California, Texas, Mississippi and New Jersey. Australia and South Africa recorded the next highest number of attacks, at 18 and 8 respectively, reports Reuters.
Researchers tell us shark populations are declining, or, at least, holding at reduced levels due to overfishing and habitat loss, and this situation should actually make shark encounters less likely to occur, but climate and warming ocean temperatures, along with more people going into the oceans has increased the chances of human-shark encounters.
