ISAF 2005 Worldwide Shark Attack Summary

The International Shark Attack File (ISAF) investigated 105 alleged incidents of shark-human interaction occurring worldwide in 2005. Upon review, 58 of these incidents represented confirmed cases of unprovoked shark attack on humans. "Unprovoked attacks" are defined as incidents where an attack on a live human by a shark occurs in its natural habitat without human provocation of the shark. Incidents involving sharks and divers in public aquaria or research holding-pens, shark-inflicted scavenge damage to already dead humans (most often drowning victims), attacks on boats, and provoked incidents occurring in or out of the water are not considered unprovoked attacks. "Provoked attacks" usually occur when a human initiates physical contact with a shark, e.g. a diver bit after grabbing a shark, a fisher bit while removing a shark from a net, and attacks on spearfishers and those feeding sharks. The 47 incidents not accorded unprovoked status in 2005 included 13 provoked attacks, 11 cases of sharks biting marine vessels, seven incidents dismissed as non-attacks, one scavenge, and 15 cases in which insufficient information was available to determine if shark attack was involved.

The 2005 yearly total of 58 unprovoked attacks was lower than the 65 unprovoked attacks in 2004 and continues a five year decline in attacks since reaching 78 in 2000. Despite the recent yearly declines, the number of unprovoked shark attacks has grown at a steady rate over the past century. Overall, the 1990's had the highest attack total of any decade and the first decade of the 21st century likely will continue that upward trend. The growth in shark attack numbers does not necessarily mean there is an increase in rate of shark attack, rather it most likely is reflective of the ever-increasing amount of time spent in the sea by humans.

The number of shark-human interactions occurring in a given year is directly correlated to the amount of time humans spent in the sea. As the world population continues its upsurge and interest in aquatic recreation concurrently rises, we realistically should expect increases in the number of shark attacks and other aquatic recreation-related injuries. If shark populations remain the same or increase in size, one might predict that there should be more attacks each year than in the previous year because more people are in the water. Shark populations, by contrast, actually are declining at a serious rate or are holding at greatly reduced levels in many areas of the world as a result of over-fishing and habitat loss, theoretically reducing the opportunity for these shark-human interactions. However, year-to-year variability in local economic, social, meteorological and oceanographic conditions also significantly influences the local abundance of sharks and humans in the water and, therefore, the odds of encountering one another. As a result, short-term trends in the number of shark attacks - up or down - must be viewed with caution. Thus, the ISAF prefers to view trends over longer periods of time (e.g., by decade) rather than trying to assign too much significance to often high year-to-year variability.

In addition to increases in the number of hours spent in the water by humans, the ISAF's efficiency in discovering and investigating attacks has increased greatly over the past decade, leading to further increases in attack number. Transfer of the ISAF to the Florida Museum of Natural History in 1988 resulted in greatly expanded international coverage of attack incidents and a consequent jump in the number of documented attacks. In the early 1990's the ISAF was able to develop important cooperative relationships with many Florida beach safety organizations and medical facilities, leading to increased documentation of attacks from a region that is a world leader in aquatic recreation. Fundamental advances in electronic communication (the Internet and email), a greatly expanded network of global ISAF scientific observers, and a rise in interest in sharks throughout the world, spawned in part by increased media attention given to sharks, have promoted more complete documentation of attack incidents in recent years. ISAF's web pages which include electronic copies of the Attack Questionnaire in four languages as well as a plethora of statistics and educational material about sharks, comprise the most highly accessed shark site on the Internet. Our strong web presence regularly results in the receipt of unsolicited documentation of shark attacks. Many of these attacks likely would have been missed in the past because they occurred in communication-poor locales or areas lacking ISAF representatives.

Four fatalities occurred in 2005, down from seven in 2004 (the five-year average from 2001-2005 was 4.4 per year). Two fatalities occurred in Australia and single deaths were reported the United States (Florida) and the western Pacific island Vanuatu. The number of serious attacks in 2000-2005, as measured by fatality rate (8.5%), has been lower than that of the decade of the 1990's (12.7%), continuing a century-long trend reflective of advances in beach safety practices and medical treatment, and increased public awareness of avoiding potentially dangerous situations.

As in recent years, the majority (64%: 37 attacks) of incidents occurred in North American waters. The 38 attacks in United States territorial waters (including Hawaii) were higher than those recorded in 2004 (30), but lower than totals in 2003 (40), 2002 (47), 2001 (50), and 2000 (52). Elsewhere, attacks occurred in Australia (10) and South Africa (4), with single incidents reported from the Bahamas, Fiji, Mexico, South Korea, St. Martin and Vanuatu.

Following recent trends, Florida (18) had most of the unprovoked attacks in the United States. The 18 attacks were up from 12 in 2004, but were substantially lower than the 2000-2003 average of 33 (based on 30 in 2003, 29 in 2002, 34 in 2001, and 37 in 2000). Additional U.S. attacks were recorded in South Carolina (5), Texas (4), Hawaii (4), California (3), North Carolina (2), New Jersey (1), and Oregon (1). Within Florida, Volusia County had the most (9) incidents, up from three in 2004 but well below the yearly average of the 16 recorded from 2000-2003. This area normally has higher numbers of shark-human interactions as a result of very high aquatic recreational utilization of its attractive waters by both Florida residents and tourists, especially surfers. Other Florida counties having attacks (one each) in 2005 were Brevard, Duval, Gulf, Lee, Miami-Dade, Pinellas, St. Johns, Sarasota, and Walton.

Surfers/windsurfers (29: 54% of cases with victim activity information ) and swimmers/waders (20 incidents: 37%) and were the recreational user groups most often involved in shark attacks in 2005. Less affected were divers/snorkelers (4: 7%). One (2%) attack occurred during a water entry event and in four attacks the activity of the victim was not ascertained.

Shark attacks have generally declined worldwide over the past five years. Likely reasons include:

1. Less sharks in the water. Worldwide overfishing of elasmobranchs (sharks and their relative, the skates and rays) has left many populations at critically low levels. Nearshore sharks are the most affected because they are easily captured and are highly sought for their flesh and especially for their fins, which fetch a high sale price and are exported to the Orient, where they are used in shark fin soup, an expensive delicacy. The nearshore area is where humans most often enter the sea.

2. Less people in the water in traditional high shark-human contact areas. Post-9/11 slow-downs in local economies and reticence in some circles to engage in air travel resulted in tourism declines in some regions, reducing the number of tourists entering the sea. Meteorological conditions also have played a role - the large number of tropical storms that *******d Florida and other U.S. east coast states in 2004 and 2005 significantly reduced the amount of time spent in the water by humans in these areas. Since Florida annually has more attacks than any other region in the world, the large drops in number of attacks in this region during 2004-2005 is reflected in the worldwide totals in these years.

3. Humans may be getting smarter reducing their interactions with sharks. Media coverage of sharks has been high over the past decade with a plethora of television and print stories detailing the "do's and don't's" involved in reducing shark-human interactions. It is possible that those engaged in marine aquatic recreation (and beach safety personnel charged with their oversight in many areas of the world) are doing a better job of avoiding high risk areas and times, thereby reducing chance meetings between sharks and humans.

If one is actually under attack by a shark, we advise a proactive response. Hitting a shark on the nose, ideally with an inanimate object, usually results in the shark temporarily curtailing its attack. One should try to get out of the water at this time. If this is not possible, repeat bangs to the snout may offer temporary restraint, but the act likely becomes increasingly less effective. If a shark actually bites, we suggest clawing at its eyes and gills, two sensitive areas. One should not act passively if under attack - sharks respect size and power.

The International Shark Attack File, internationally recognized as the definitive source of scientifically accurate information on shark attack, is a compilation of all known shark attacks. In existence since 1958, it is administered by the American Elasmobranch Society, the world's foremost international organization of scientists studying sharks, skates and rays, and the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida. More than 4,000 individual investigations are currently housed in the ISAF, covering the period from the mid-1500's to present. Many of the data in the ISAF originate from the voluntary submissions of numerous cooperating scientists who serve worldwide as regional observers. Data submitted to the ISAF is screened, coded and computerized. Hard copy documentation, including original interviews and notes, press clippings, photographs, audio/video tapes, and medical/autopsy reports, is permanently archived. Biological researchers and research physicians study investigations housed in the ISAF. Access to ISAF data is granted only after careful screening on a case-by-case basis. Direct access by the press and general public is prohibited since much data, including medical records, is sensitive in nature and is given in confidence. Requests for summary information and non-privileged data are made to the ISAF director, George H. Burgess.