Ecology
In the US, the number of fatal shark attacks on humans in 2011 decreased compared to other years, but in the rest of the world, on the contrary, it increased and reached its highest in the past few 10 years old, according to data released this week.
The increase in deaths after a shark attack may indicate that tourists dare to travel to the most remote regions, says ichthyologist George Burgess (George Burgess) from The University of Florida, which studies shark attacks.
“Fatal shark attacks mostly occur in remote places where people are unable to receive high-quality and prompt medical care,” he said. “Also, these places are usually not registered attacks, so there is no emergency plan that exists in places like Florida.”
Number of shark attacks
The report said that 75 shark attacks per person have been recorded worldwide, an average of the same number as in the previous 10 years. 29 attacks were reported in the United States, 11 of which were in Florida. In other countries, the following figures were noted: 11 in Australia, 5 in South Africa, 4 on Reunion Island, 3 in Mexico, 3 in Russia, 2 in Seychelles and 2 in Brazil.
As expected, sharks mainly attacked surfers and other water sports enthusiasts: in total, they accounted for about 60 percent of all shark-bitten people. There were 35 per cent swimmers and 5 per cent of divers.
“It's not just a coincidence that the number of attacks in the US has decreased,” Burgess said. “While some might argue, sharks are being spotted less frequently than before. Their populations are recovering very slowly. It is likely that fewer of these fish swim in the waters surrounding the United States.”
However, in 2011, of all shark attacks on humans, 16 per cent were fatal. This number is twice as high as in the previous year. On average, less than 7 per cent of shark attacks have been fatal over the past decade.
Human shark attacks have been reported in Australia (3), Reunion Island (2), South Africa (2), Costa Rica, Kenya and New Island Caledonia (1 case each). In the United States, there were no fatal shark attacks last year, when the number of deaths from shark teeth increased by 25 percent worldwide.
Burgess suggests drawing up an emergency plan in areas where there are no such plans, but there is a risk of shark tourists being attacked. He plans to assist in drawing up such a plan on Reunion Island, located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar.
Despite the fact that news of attacks by ferocious marine predators on humans is chilling, humans are, by and large, much more dangerous to sharks than sharks to humans.
“The fishing industry kills between 30 and 70 million sharks every year. The question is: Who is killing whom? “says Burgess. “The reality is that the sea is actually quite mild, and humans do much more harm than you think.”
According to a 2010 study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, one third of all shark species on the planet are at risk of extinction.