WHY INCREASE IN SHARK ATTACKS IS NO REASON TO PANIC
Shark attacks are on the increase according to the latest International Shark Attack File annual results, which cover the year 2021.
The headlines of the latest International Shark Attack File show that there were 57 unprovoked global shark attacks last year, compared to 52 in 2020.
But that increase should not be a cause for alarm or panic. The report admits that number could show an increase due to the fact that more people were indoors rather than in the sea thanks to lockdown and Covid restrictions, which meant beach closures.
That was echoed by Dr. Brianna Le Busque, PhD (Psychology), BPsych (Hons) from the University of South Australia. She said:
“The 73 documented unprovoked incidents in 2021 seems like a large increase from the 52 documented in 2020. However, the 73 is aligned with the 5-year average and it is expected that the lower number in 2020 could be attributed to COVID-19 restrictions rather than changes in shark behaviour patterns."
And with a return to more normal activities, that has meant shark encounters and bites have returned to more normal levels, after the decade low of 2020.
Not that sharks are out there swimming about near shore for foolish humans to swim into their lair. We are entering into their domain and they are likely following a food source. One that isn't us.
To put the 2021 figures in some context, they are just marginally above the five-year worldwide average of 72 unprovoked attacks. The numbers have now returned to where they were before the pandemic.
Dr. Le Busque added: "As usual, 73 (updated to 57) is a low number of incidents considering this is globally, but from a social science perspective, we know that many members of the public perceive the risk of encountering a shark to be much higher than the statistics.
"This is in part due to the heavy media coverage of such incidents and also due to the fact that incidents can unfortunately lead to fatal outcomes. There are also likely other factors that contribute to people perceiving the risk of sharks to be high, which we are still investigating.”
Words by Dean Newman
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