Sixty unprovoked attacks were recorded in 2002, down from 72 in 2001 and 85 in 2000, said George Burgess, director of the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File.
Three of those were fatal — two in Australia and one in Brazil, compared to five in 2001 and 13 in 2000.
Burgess, a biologist, said one reason for the drop might be that fewer tourists were taking to beaches because of weak economies around the world.
“That the number of attacks was down in Florida, a popular tourist destination, as well as the U.S. and internationally, may be reflective of a worldwide downturn in the economy,” he said.
Another factor could be overfishing of sharks.
“Shark populations are at low levels, not only on the East Coast of the United States but worldwide, primarily because of overfishing and to a lesser extent because of habitat alteration,” he said.
Other reasons for the drop in shark attacks could be that there were fewer baitfish in shallow waters where people usually swim and tourists had been reluctant to go in the water because of rainy weather and colder water, Burgess said.
Most of the attacks were in North American waters, including 47 in the United States and one in the Bahamas.
Of those 29 were in Florida, dubbed the “shark capital of the world,” followed by Hawaii with six.
Florida’s Volusia County, where an inlet near New Smyrna Beach is a popular surfing site, listed 18 attacks.
Surfers were the most frequent victims with 32 incidents last year, followed by swimmers and waders, 22, and divers and snorkelers with four.
“Most of the attacks fall into the category of hit-and-run attacks in which the shark makes a quick grab and then releases the victim,” Burgess said.
“The injuries are relatively minor, often comparable to what one would see in a dog bite.”
The figures showed that the so-called Summer of the Shark in 2001, when several attacks provoked a media frenzy, was not particularly unusual, the report added.
CNN
