2015 saw a record number of unprovoked shark attacks

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water comes word from the University of Florida researchers behind the International Shark Attack File that a record 98 unprovoked shark attacks took place worldwide last year, with more than half of them occurring in the US.

According to AFP reports, only six of those attacks proved to be fatal, keeping with the average number over the past decade. However, as Shark Attack File director George Burgess noted, the nearly 100 attacks against humans topped the previous record of 88, set back in 2000.

Fifty-nine of the attacks took place in US waters, including 30 in the Florida alone, and the only American fatality took place in Hawaii. Australia was a distant second in shark attack frequency with 18, followed by South Africa with 8, Reunion island with 4 and the Canary and Galapagos islands tied with 2 apiece. No other region had more than one shark attack.

Two of the fatal shark attacks were among the four that took place on the French island, while the remaining three occurred in Australia, Egypt and New Caledonia. Burgess team warned that Reunion was the deadliest place for shark attacks, as seven of the 18 that occurred there during the past five years have resulted in a loss of life.

So what caused such a drastic spike in shark attacks last year?

Burgess told AFP that the increasing number of attacks witnessed in 2015 could be due to rising water temperatures caused by climate change, which has encouraged sharks to journey north and south than ever before – as evidenced by the fact that one attack took place in New York.

In addition, the El Nino water pattern would have warmed the ocean waters, leading more people to head to the beach than normal, and the upward trend of the global population each year would suggest that the frequency of attacks would continue to increase for the foreseeable future.

“Sharks plus humans equals attacks,” Burgess said in a statement. “As our population continues to rapidly grow and shark populations slowly recover, we’re going to see more interactions… We can and should expect the number of attacks to be higher each year. When we visit the sea, we’re on their turf.”

Despite the increase, the researchers noted that more people were killed by spiders, lightning and dogs last year than shark attacks. Still, they advise staying out of the water during dawn, dusk or the nighttime, avoiding areas where people are fishing and not swimming while wearing jewelry. If attacked, they say you should hit the shark in the nose and claw at its eyes and gills in order to break free and frighten it off.

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