Shark attacks down in 2005 - but up in the longer-term

Sharks

ISAF 2005 Worldwide Shark Attack Summary

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 26 February, 2006 : - - The International Shark Attack File (ISAF) investigated 105 alleged incidents of shark-human interaction occurring worldwide in 2005. Upon review, 58 of these incidents represented confirmed cases of unprovoked shark attack on humans. "Unprovoked attacks" are defined as incidents where an attack on a live human by a shark occurs in its natural habitat without human provocation of the shark.

Incidents involving sharks and divers in public aquaria or research holding-pens, shark-inflicted scavenge damage to already dead humans (most often drowning victims), attacks on boats, and provoked incidents occurring in or out of the water are not considered unprovoked attacks.

"Provoked attacks" usually occur when a human initiates physical contact with a shark, e.g. a diver bit after grabbing a shark, a fisher bit while removing a shark from a net, and attacks on spearfishers and those feeding sharks. The 47 incidents not accorded unprovoked status in 2005 included 13 provoked attacks, 11 cases of sharks biting marine vessels, seven incidents dismissed as non-attacks, one scavenge, and 15 cases in which insufficient information was available to determine if shark attack was involved.

The 2005 yearly total of 58 unprovoked attacks was lower than the 65 unprovoked attacks in 2004 and continues a five year decline in attacks since reaching 78 in 2000. Despite the recent yearly declines, the number of unprovoked shark attacks has grown at a steady rate over the past century. Overall, the 1990's had the highest attack total of any decade and the first decade of the 21st century likely will continue that upward trend.

The growth in shark attack numbers does not necessarily mean there is an increase in rate of shark attack, rather it most likely is reflective of the ever-increasing amount of time spent in the sea by humans.

The number of shark-human interactions occurring in a given year is directly correlated to the amount of time humans spent in the sea. As the world population continues its upsurge and interest in aquatic recreation concurrently rises, we realistically should expect increases in the number of shark attacks and other aquatic recreation-related injuries. If shark populations remain the same or increase in size, one might predict that there should be more attacks each year than in the previous year because more people are in the water.

Shark populations, by contrast, actually are declining at a serious rate or are holding at greatly reduced levels in many areas of the world as a result of over-fishing and habitat loss, theoretically reducing the opportunity for these shark-human interactions. However, year-to-year variability in local economic, social, meteorological and oceanographic conditions also significantly influences the local abundance of sharks and humans in the water and, therefore, the odds of encountering one another.

As a result, short-term trends in the number of shark attacks - up or down - must be viewed with caution. Thus, the ISAF prefers to view trends over longer periods of time (e.g., by decade) rather than trying to assign too much significance to often high year-to-year variability.

Read the full report at International Shark Attack File

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