A Historic Trend in Shark Attacks in North America

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, June 21 will mark the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and the official kickoff of summer. Warmer weather ushers in beachgoers by the thousands and whenever you put humans in the ocean, someone's bound to be bitten.

Last weekend's shark attacks off the North Carolina coast, which occurred within about an hour of each other, remind us that sharks are a natural part of the seaside landscape. Fortunately, scientists at the Florida Museum of Natural History have been keeping score.

The International Shark Attack File (ISAF) is the longest running database on shark attacks in the world. Beginning in 1958, the ISAF boasts over 3,400 investigations, going all the way back to the 1500s. Although owned by the Smithsonian Institution, the file is maintained by the American Elasmobranch Society (AES), the largest and most widely respected group of shark biologists in the world. And according to their research, the number of attacks has steadily grown over the course of the last century.

According to the ISAF, there were 72 unprovoked shark attacks in 2014. Attacks are separated into two categories: unprovoked attacks are defined as incidents where an attack on a human occurs in the shark's natural habitat, without provocation; provoked attacks are those that result when human's initiate contact with a shark, for example when feeding, grabbing, or handling the fish.

Last year's tally of unprovoked attacks was down by three compared to the year before, but over the long term, attacks have steadily increased each decade since 1900.

But scientists are hardly surprised by the uptick. As more people engage in water sports, it's inevitable that their encounters with sharks will increase as well. And it's not just the incidents that are increasing, it's also our ability to record and investigate such events. With advances in communication, the ISAF has expanded to include shark bites from every corner of the globe; numbers that until now would not have been captured.

And where are most of these shark bites occurring? Primarily in North America.

There were 52 attacks in the U.S., seven of which occurred in Hawaii. Florida boasts the most attacks, which should come as no surprise. With thousands of miles of beaches crowded with millions of tourists annually, the chance of encountering a shark is significantly higher than if you chose to spend Spring Break at the Grand Canyon.

Also included in the North American tally were South Carolina (5 attacks), North Carolina (4), California (also 4), and Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas (1 each).

Australia and South Africa were home to the only fatalities, with two in the Land Down Under and one off the Eastern Cape.

And what should you do if attacked? According to the ISAF website, "repeated blows to the snout may offer a temporary reprieve." They also advise swimmers to claw at the eyes or gill openings; two sensitive areas on the shark's body. And above all else, "One should not act passively if under attack," for according to the experts, sharks respect size and power.