The US has become the world’s worst shark attack region, following a series of horrific bites in Florida, Texas, New York and California.
Although Australia is known as a hotspot, more than half of the 69 confirmed shark bites worldwide last year occurred in the US.
These figures, and the increased media attention to the attacks in America, have led many to wonder if sharks along our coasts are somehow becoming more aggressive.
Former President Donald Trump has suggested that the proliferation of battery-powered boats is causing people to be attacked by sharks. Other experts have suggested that global warming and rising sea levels could change the predators’ behavior.
Experts told DailyMail.com they believe it is a combination of too much fish moving to shore and environmental conditions. Other experts say it is due to US efforts to clean up the ocean.
The number of shark attacks has propelled the US to become the shark capital of the world, affecting states like Florida, New York and California
Last year, 69 shark bites were confirmed worldwide in places as far-flung as Australia, Brazil and South Africa, including 36 in the U.S., the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File reported.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, a 14-year-old was attacked during a lifeguard training in Florida. When Dempsey Manhart dove into the water, he landed on top of a shark that bit him in the leg before swimming away.
The teenager was rushed to hospital, where he required 17 stitches to close the wound.
Many experts suspect that U.S. efforts to reduce ocean pollution have changed the hunting behavior of sharks, who are now coming closer to waters that were previously unsuitable because of pollution.
In some states, such as New York, conservation efforts to clean up rivers that flow into the ocean have reduced the amount of polluted and dirty water reaching the sea, leading to a revival of marine life.
“Seeing sharks in our local ecosystem is incredibly important, and it’s a sign that the environment around us is healthy,” said Chris Paparo, a shark expert at Stony Brook University on Long Island in a series from Twitter videos.
Professors Oliver Shipley and Michael Frisk from Stony Brook’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences told DailyMail.com they cannot say for sure why the sharks are swimming so close to shore.
“This is not a straightforward cause-and-effect scenario,” Shipley said.
“This is something that is extremely complex and we have to be very careful about attributing single factors, such as pollution, to the reason that we are seeing certain animals in certain areas more than before.”
Shipley said: ‘I don’t think the number of incidents is higher in the US because sharks are more aggressive there than other places. I think other demographic factors play a role.’
The number of shark attacks in the U.S. declined last year, from 41 recorded incidents in 2022, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File reportwhich contradicts the idea that bites are becoming more common.
In 2019, a 19-year-old girl was attacked by a shark while vacationing on the Texas coast. She managed to fend off the predator by punching it in the nose.
A shark attacked 14-year-old Dempsey Manhart while he was training to be a lifeguard in Florida
A man received stitches in his leg after a shark attack in Ferndale, California in 2022.
Shipley and Frisk don’t rule out the theory, but say there is no conclusive evidence that pollution contributes to sharks’ proximity to shore.
The fisheries have been adopting regulations to protect the declining shark population for more than a decade.
The Shark Conservation Act of 2010 banned shark finning, a trade in which sharks are caught, their fins removed and then thrown back into the ocean.
“Are there more sharks now than there were five or 10 years ago? Absolutely,” said Tobey Curtis, a fisheries management specialist with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Vote‘We have been managing and protecting shark populations since 1993.’
Despite this report, Frisk and Shipley argue that shark populations have not increased dramatically over the past 30 to 50 years and that shark attacks are more common in areas where schools of fish congregate.
Sharks have relatively good underwater vision, but they may have trouble distinguishing between a seal and a person on a surfboard. Murky water can also play a role, making it difficult to distinguish between a human and prey.
Some sharks that have bitten people are quite tame, such as sand tiger sharks, but can collide with each other, so there is a chance you could get bitten
In 2019, a 19-year-old girl was attacked by a shark while vacationing on the Texas coast. She managed to fend off the shark by punching it in the nose. In a separate incident, a man received stitches in his leg after a shark attack in California in 2022.
Some sharks that appear to attack humans are quite tame, such as sand tiger sharks. However, if a human and the shark collide, there is a chance that the swimmer will be bitten.
“So it could be that you accidentally came into contact with the animals and they think you are part of their feeding system,” Frisk said.
In the US, Florida and California have the most attacks per year. This is likely due to the fact that there are more people swimming in the water in those regions and people spend more time swimming in the ocean throughout the year.
The International Shark Attack File shows that the great white shark, tiger shark and bull shark killed the most people in 2023. However, the increase in deaths is due to more people in the ocean each year and a greater emphasis on reporting bites and deaths.
These reports stand in stark contrast to former President Donald Trump’s false claims that ship batteries cause people to be attacked by sharks.
The 2024 presidential candidate brought up shark attacks at a campaign rally in Nevada last month, expressing concern that the weight of an electric boat could cause it to sink and electrocute people on board.
“What would happen if the boat were to sink under its weight and you were in the boat with a huge, powerful battery, and now the battery is underwater, and there’s a shark about 30 feet away?” Trump said.
“Do I get electrocuted or do I jump over the shark? By the way, a lot of shark attacks lately. Have you noticed?”
However, contrary to Trump’s claims, Arc Boat Company has explained that the batteries are housed in watertight containers and equipped with leak detection sensors, ‘something you don’t normally see in electric cars.’