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Great white shark off the coast of California

Photo: AFP

There are a lot of animals that pose a potentially greater risk to humans than sharks. Bees, for example. Or dogs. Not to mention mosquitoes. Nevertheless, many people have a deep fear of being bitten by one of the predatory fish in the water. Now researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History have presented the statistics for the past year.

The number of unprovoked shark attacks increased in 2023 compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, it is within the average of the last ten years, the experts said.

A University of Florida scientific database of shark attacks worldwide (ISAF) confirmed 69 so-called unprovoked shark attacks in which people were injured or killed last year. In 2022 there were comparatively few at 57.

The 2023 figure is within normal bite numbers, although the deaths are "somewhat concerning," said Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History's shark research program. Ten of the unprovoked attacks last year were fatal. The year before there were five. The likelihood of being bitten by a shark remains extremely low.

The ISAF database's annual report focuses primarily on unprovoked shark bites. This refers to any case in which a shark attacks in its natural habitat without any provocation from humans and was not attracted, for example, by bait.

A majority of attacks last year occurred in the United States (52 percent) and Australia (22 percent). Surfers have been bitten in 42 percent of cases worldwide. Most shark deaths in 2023 were due to great white shark bites. Australia suffered a total of four fatal attacks in 2023 (out of 15 attacks in total), and white sharks were identified three times.

Surfers cause confusion with the shark

"If a great white shark is after a seal and the seal knows it, the great white shark doesn't stand a chance," Naylor said. »Seals are very mobile, so the only ones who get caught are those frolicking on the surface, minding their own business. And that’s exactly what a surfer looks like.”

When there are more attacks, that often means more people are spending time in the water - not that sharks have become more dangerous, said the Florida Museum of Natural History. Increasing human activity in sharks' natural habitats is leading to an increase in encounters with the animals.

Over the past few decades, the number of registered attacks has risen sharply. However, it has fluctuated greatly over the past ten years: in 2016 there were a particularly large number of 98, and in the pandemic years 2020 and 2022 there were only 57 - the lowest number in that period.

With simple precautionary measures, the already low probability of being bitten by a shark can be further minimized. People should stay close to the shore, avoid swimming at dawn or dusk and avoid excessive splashing, said the Florida Museum of Natural History.

jok/dpa