Has Covid Reduced Shark Attacks?

The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File has released its findings for 2020, the annual report is an important measure of global shark attack trends.

This last year, they investigated 129 alleged shark-human interactions worldwide, which saw 57 unprovoked shark bites on humans.

That may initially sound a high number, but that number is actually the lowest it has been for the last five years. Arguably, less people have been hitting the beach or sea. So, could it just be a case of less potential people in the water with various lockdowns in effect due to Covid?

Despite that decrease in unprovoked attacks, the number of fatalities from shark bites and attacks has actually increased - which is bound to be something that most media are set to get their teeth into.

In total, there were 13 shark related fatalities this year, 10 of which were confirmed to be unprovoked. That's significantly higher than the annual global average of four unprovoked fatalities per year.

So, where in the world are you most likely to get an unprovoked bite from a shark? Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is still the US that leads the pack, with 33 unprovoked shark bites, with Australia swimming into second place with 18.

However, that's not the full picture, only three people died from from US attacks, but six out 18 died in Australian attacks last year. A far higher attack to death ratio.

Here's what we said about the International Shark Attack File findings in 2019: https://thedailyjaws.com/news/2020/1/26/global-shark-attacks-remain-low-for-second-year-running

Words Dean Newman