Press reports indicated an increase in the number of shark attacks around the world, and an increase in deaths during the year 2023, compared to the previous year, and Australia recorded a high number of deaths resulting from them.
In a report published yesterday (Monday) by the International Registry of Shark Attacks (ISAF) of the University of Florida, which is a scientific database of global shark attacks, 69 unprovoked or human-provoked attacks occurred in 2023. This is higher than the average during The previous five years, which amounted to 63 attacks.
The report stated that 10 of the unprovoked attacks last year were fatal, compared to 5 the previous year, with the number of attacks in Australia accounting for 22 percent and 40 percent of the deaths. The ISAF documents and investigates all shark attacks and bites on humans, and its annual report this year focuses primarily on “unprovoked” attacks, that is, in which the shark is in its natural environment and attacks without any human provocation, such as deliberately approaching a shark. Or swimming in an area where bait is used to attract fish. Unprovoked bites and attacks are the most useful for studying how sharks behave.
A newborn great white shark was photographed off the coast of California near Santa Barbara (AFP)
Regarding deaths in 2023, the report monitored two deaths in the United States, and one each in the Bahamas, Egypt, Mexico, and New Caledonia. Other confirmed, non-fatal attacks have occurred in Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, New Zealand, Seychelles, Turks and Caicos, and Ecuador (in the Galapagos Islands), as well as South Africa.
“This number is within the normal range for bites and attacks, although the deaths are a bit concerning this year,” said Gavin Naylor, director of the Shark Research Program at the Florida Museum of Natural History. He added: “We are biologists, and we want to understand the natural behavior of animals, not abnormal behavior.”
The annual report includes 22 additional attacks last year that were intentionally provoked, and the most common victim activity at the time of the attacks was spearfishing.
In the United States, 36 unprovoked attacks occurred, representing 52 percent of incidents worldwide. Of these cases, two died; One is in California, the other is in Hawaii.
As in previous years, Florida saw more shark attacks than any other state, with 16 attacks.
Australia and attacks
3 deaths occurred in 2023 at a remote surfing destination off the coast of South Australia. The Eyre Peninsula is known for its wild, untamed beaches and great surf breaks, and although difficult to access and navigate, it is an attractive place for surfers. The area is also home to seal colonies and has a high density of white sharks.
The foreshore at Elizabeth Bay in Sydney Harbour, where a woman in her late twenties was bitten on her right leg (EPA)
“If a white shark was going after a seal and the seal knew it, the white shark wouldn’t have a chance,” Naylor said. “Seals are really resilient, so the only ones that get caught are the ones that miss and flounder on the surface, and that’s kind of what happens with surfers.”
Surfers faced 42 percent of bites and attacks worldwide, with swimmers and divers coming in second at 39 percent.
White and tiger shark attacks
The vast majority of unprovoked attacks are test bites, which occur when a shark mistakes a human as its preferred prey. When this happens, the shark usually swims away after one bite. However, some species, such as white sharks and tiger sharks, are large enough that a single bite can be fatal.
In the Red Sea incident in Egypt, which occurred last summer, an encounter with a tiger shark turned out to be fatal. Gavin Naylor, director of the Shark Research Program at the Florida Museum of Natural History, explains: “The video showed a tiger shark making multiple passes at a human in the water. The Red Sea contains a narrow, deep trench in the middle of which is a wide coral reef.” the range. “Its deep walls allow deep-water fish to get unusually close to shore.”
“You see pelagic fish like oceanic whitetip sharks only 700 feet from shore, whereas you normally have to go 20 miles to find those species,” Naylor added. “These marine animals are used to living on very little food, so when they find anything they will try it. “The geomorphology of the Red Sea brings very large predatory fish along with diving tourists enjoying their vacations.”
Shark attacks and their relationship to temperature and population density
The report notes that when there are more attacks, it often means that more people are spending time in the water, not that sharks are becoming more dangerous. Increased human activity in sharks’ natural habitats naturally leads to an increase in the number of sharks. Encounters with animals.
Particularly hot days such as weekends can contribute to an increase in attacks.
The report explained that, for example, the increase in water quality throughout New York over the past two decades has led to the emergence of a greater number of marine mammals, such as whales and dolphins, which have been observed off the coast along with greater numbers of fish, which leads to the emergence of more Sharks too.
This contributed to several attacks over the course of a few weeks over the summer, including the first known shark attack in New York City in more than half a century.
Most shark bites usually occur during the summer in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The report makes recommendations on further precautions people can take. These include staying close to shore, not swimming at dawn or dusk, and avoiding excessive movement in the water.
