A new report found that shark attacks are down across the globe.
What happened: A new report from the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File shows numbers dropped in 2019.
- There were reportedly 64 unprovoked attacks around the world in 2019. The average per year rests at 82, according to USA Today.
- Sharks killed only two people. The average is four.
- There were 62 total bites in 2018.
Method: The researchers reviewed “unprovoked attacks,” which are when a shark attacks a human when the human doesn’t provoke the incident, per USA Today.
What they’re saying: Gavin Naylor, the director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s shark research program, talked about the decision to USA Today.
- Naylor: “We’ve had back-to-back years with unusual decreases in shark attacks, and we know that people aren’t spending less time in the water. This suggests sharks aren’t frequenting the same places they have in the past. But it’s too early to say this is the new normal.”
- Naylor (via Miami Herald) “It begs the question of whether we’re seeing fewer bites because there are fewer sharks — that would be the ‘glass half-empty’ interpretation. Or it could be that the general public is heeding the advice of beach safety officials.”
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Yes, but: There’s been an increase in sharks chasing fishing lines and depredation, per Dayton Beach News-Journal.
- Tyler Bowling, manager of the shark file, said a decline in fish has led to sharks heading towards boats.
- Naylor: “If their resources are thin, they’re going to go to places that are more reliable, and if that means fishing boats, that’s where they’re going to go. That exacerbates problems for fishermen.”