Global Courant 2023-05-24 00:12:22
Recent shark bites in Hawaii, Florida and a suspected case in New Jersey raise questions about water safety. Last year there were only 57 unprovoked bites worldwide and five of them were fatal. Scientists say potentially dangerous interactions between humans and sharks are uncommon, and serious injuries and deaths from the bites are vanishingly rare.
Recent shark bites in Florida and Hawaii and a suspected case in New Jersey have sparked interest in an age-old summer question for beachgoers: Is it safe to get in the water?
Scientists and researchers who study sharks said the overwhelming answer to that question is yes, it’s safe. Potentially dangerous interactions between humans and sharks are uncommon, and serious injuries and deaths from the bites are rare, scientists said.
Nevertheless, the dramatic nature of shark bites and survivor stories, such as Hawaii surfer Mike Morita’s story of fighting off a shark in April, capture the imagination. It’s a good idea to remember how rare shark bites really are, scientists said.
How common are shark bites?
There have been about 70 to 80 unprovoked shark bites per year worldwide over the past decade. And not only are shark bites rare, they’ve been especially rare lately.
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There were just 57 unprovoked bites last year, and five of those were fatal, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File. Last year there were nine such deaths.
The Shark Attack File reported a year ago that one of the reasons for the decline in bites could be the global decline of shark populations.
It’s too early in the warm season to get a sense of how active this year will be for human-shark interactions, said Greg Skomal, a shark expert with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.
“If we get a lot of baitfish and fish species close to shore, we have a super hot summer that draws people to the beach, more people in the water, then we can assess the risk,” Skomal.
What are the most sensitive areas for shark encounters?
A great white shark swims over a sandbar off Cape Cod in Massachusetts on August 13, 2021.
The United States and Australia tend to be the locations of the most reported shark bites. Florida had more bites than anywhere else on Earth last year with 16 unprovoked bites, two of which resulted in amputations, the shark attack dossier said.
This month, two Florida fishermen were bitten by sharks in separate incidents less than 36 hours apart.
The number of shark bites has remained stable in recent years, but it may seem to be becoming more common due to the prevalence of smartphones, said Nick Whitney, a senior scientist at the New England Aquarium in Boston. Recently developed smartphone apps allow users to report shark sightings in real time.
What kinds of sharks are cause for concern?
White sharks, bull sharks and tiger sharks are the sharks most commonly cited by the International Shark Attack File for unprovoked bites. Those species are large sharks that also cause the most fatalities.
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However, it’s worth keeping in mind that many shark interactions are with smaller species that are unlikely to cause serious injury, said James Sulikowski, director of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station at Oregon State University. Those species can bite a human, realize we’re not their favorite prey, and move on, he said.
Is it safe to swim?
Yes. You’re at an exponentially higher risk of being injured in a car accident on your way to the beach than of being seriously injured by a shark bite.
Millions of people flock to the beach in the summer when the weather warms up, increasing the chance of interacting with a shark. But by taking simple precautions, such as not carrying shiny objects in the water and not swimming at dawn and dusk, beachgoers can reduce the chance of a dangerous encounter with a shark, Sulikowski said.
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“We are intruders in their environment. What we can do is be logical and safe in there and avoid areas where sharks go to feed,” Sulikowski said. “When there’s an interaction, it’s mistaken identity — we’re in an area where a shark is looking for food.”
