Shark Bites Drop Due To Florida Hurricanes

February 15, 2005

Release from: Jane Sutton
Reuters

MIAMI - Sharks and humans both fled the coast as hurricanes battered Florida last year, causing a dramatic drop in shark attacks in the state that usually has a third of the world's annual total, scientists said Tuesday.

Shark attacks occur most often in North American waters, and Florida normally has more than any other state or country because its long coastlines, dense population and year-round swimming weather often bring sharks and people together.

But Florida had only 12 shark attacks last year, compared with 30 a year earlier and down from an average of 33.5 in the previous four years, according to the annual tally from the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

With the drop in Florida attacks, the number of shark attacks in U.S. waters fell to 30 last year, down from 41 a year earlier, It was the lowest number in a decade that peaked with 52 U.S. attacks in 2000.

Researchers attributed the drop in Florida to the unusually vicious hurricane season. Four hurricanes and a tropical storm hit Florida last year. They crisscrossed the state, forcing evacuations and causing wide destruction that kept people away from both the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts for long periods.

"Even if the storm doesn't hit them, people are evacuating or certainly not going into the water," said George Burgess, the shark file's director.

The sharks also left the coast, he said. Like many fish, they can sense an approaching storm a day or two before its arrival, probably through pressure changes.

"They know they're coming and they boogie off shore in anticipation. They're quite good at it," Burgess said. "Fishermen have known for years that fishing goes to hell just before a storm comes in."

Elsewhere in the United States, California had six shark attacks last year, Texas four, Hawaii three and North Carolina two. Alabama, Oregon and South Carolina had one each.

Worldwide, 61 shark attacks were reported last year, slightly higher than the 57 counted in 2003, but lower than in the three previous years, when the total ranged from 63 to 78.

Australia had 12, Brazil and South Africa each had five and Reunion Island, a French isle in the Indian Ocean, had three. The Bahamas, Cuba, Egypt, Fiji, New Zealand, and Venezuela had one each.

SEVEN FATAL ATTACKS WORLDWIDE

The number of shark attacks rose steadily over the past century as the human population grew and aquatic recreation became more popular, Burgess said. Swimmers and waders are attacked most often, followed by surfers.

Seven of last year's attacks were fatal -- two in Australia and one each in Brazil, California, Egypt, Hawaii, and South Africa. That was up from four fatalities in 2003, but in line with totals over the last decade, which ranged from three to 11.

Human fatalities from shark attacks have dropped steadily over the past century, with improved medical treatment of trauma victims and a rise in the number of lifeguards and safety measures on the beaches, Burgess said.

Scientists expect shark bites eventually will become less common because shark populations have declined due to overfishing and loss of habitat.

"There are less of these animals, particularly the big ones," Burgess said. "The real story as far as scientists are concerned, is the decline of sharks ... we're less concerned about shark bites man than man bites sharks."

The researchers, housed on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, count only attacks they consider unprovoked. They exclude those that occur when people deliberately try to touch sharks in settings such as aquariums and fishing nets.