The number of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide was last year, together with 2020, the lowest in the last decade. According to the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida (USA), there were a total of 57 incidents, most of which occurred in the United States and Australia. [Aquí puede acceder a un mapa interactivo con todos los casos]. Of these, five attacks were fatal. In 2021, nine people died from this cause, one more the year before.
Since 2013, there have been an average of 74 attacks per year. The year 2020 was a notable exception, when travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic and beach closures likely resulted in fewer human-shark encounters. However, the overall reduction in the number of attacks last year may reflect the documented global decline in shark populations.
“Overall, the number of sharks in the world’s oceans has been declining, which may have contributed to recent lulls,” says Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History. He has also been able to influence the “increased security protocols on some beaches, especially in Australia.”
attracted to fish
The report refers only to unprovoked bites and does not take into account those that may have been caused by extenuating circumstances, such as fishing lines dropped in the immediate vicinity of the incident or the presence of bait in the water. There were 32 such attacks in 2022.
“Unprovoked bites give us a significantly greater understanding of shark biology and behavior,” says Naylor. “Changing the environment in such a way that sharks are drawn to the area in search of their natural food source could prompt them to bite humans when they otherwise would not.”
As in previous years, EU recorded the most attacks. Florida stands out once again as the place on the entire planet where they occurred the most: 16. None were fatal, but two, probably from bull sharks (Carcharhinus Leucas ), required medical treatment that resulted in amputations. A woman diving in Dry Tortugas earlier in the year was notably bitten by a lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris ), which rarely attacks humans. The incident marked only the 11th known unprovoked attack of this species. The US had only one unprovoked death, which occurred late in the year when a diver went missing off Keawakapu Beach in Maui, Hawaii.
NY he had a record eight attacks in 2022, six confirmed. Prior to these attacks, the state had only 12 reported unprovoked bites. The reason may be the presence of juvenile sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) that have settled in the Great South Bay, between Long Island and Fire Island. The sharks use the protected bay as a nursery, where they are better protected from predation than they would be in the open ocean.
According to Naylor, these sharks were probably drawn to the surf zone by the influx of fish carried by the eddies of the Gulf Stream. “Juveniles tend to be more experimental and will try things that an adult shark wouldn’t,” says the researcher. “If the fish are especially dense where people swim and visibility is poor, then young sharks, which lack the experience of older animals, are more likely to mistake a swimmer’s foot for their intended prey.”
Two dead in Egypt
In Australia there were four attacks, and one in New Zealand, Thailand and Brazil. Two fatal attacks occurred on the same day in the Red Sea of Egypt, where shark encounters are considered rare.
The attacks occurred less than a mile apart and may have been carried out by a single shark, initially misidentified as a mako (Isurus oxyrinchus). It is currently unclear which species was responsible for the bites, but the shape and coloration of the fins indicate that it may have been a tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier).
Shark attacks are relatively rare in the Red Sea, but when they do occur, they are often fatal, according to Naylor. This is mainly due to the unique topography of the region. The Red Sea began to form approximately 50 million years ago when the underlying tectonic plates of Africa and Arabia began to drift apart, creating a pronounced gap between them.
“It’s a very unusual marine system because the seafloor drops so precipitously, as much as 1,000 feet in 100 yards in some places,” Naylor said.
In regions like eastern North America, where the continental shelf slopes gradually, large pelagic sharks often stay offshore. In the Red Sea, they are mere meters from the shore. “The open oceans are usually quite bleak, and the pelagic sharks that live in them make their living through opportunism. Any potential food source they find, they’ll try.”
South Africa it also recorded two, both fatal and probably caused by great white sharks.
How to avoid it
The chances of being bitten by a shark are still incredibly low. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), drowning is the third leading cause of accidental death worldwide, and coastal features such as tides and strong currents pose a greater risk to bathers than sharks.
The International Shark Attack File provides a list of recommendations to further reduce the risk of a shark bite, such as remove reflective jewelry before entering the water so as not to be confused with a scaly fish, avoid brightly colored clothing (they are attracted to the contrast), do not bathe with open wounds (the smell of sharks is very powerful), group swimstay close to shore, do not swim at dawn or dusk, and avoid areas where people are fishing.