Shark attacks reach lowest number in 2022 – 03/04/2023 – Environment

Shark accidents worldwide reached the lowest level in the last decade in 2022: there were 57 attacks, with five deaths. In the previous year, 73 cases were registered.

In 2020, the first year of the Covid pandemic, 57 cases were also recorded, a fact attributed to the lower number of people at sea due to the restrictions imposed by the health emergency.

The data are from the International Shark Attack File, produced by the Florida Museum of Natural History (USA). In the last ten years, in 2022 and 2020 alone, less than 60 attacks per year were recorded – the record is the 98 records of 2015.

Despite this, Brazil has the highest fatality rate in attacks, 30% (3 in 10) of accidents in 2021 – against 1% and 14% in the two places with the highest number of records of shark attacks, Florida and Australia.

According to biologist and Unesp professor Otto Bismarck, this is because in Florida the sharks that most cause incidents are the blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus), smaller and with a lower risk of fatality, while places like Pernambuco have the flathead species (carcharhinus leucas) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) as main.

“Different species are involved in different risks. In addition, another factor that will influence the severity is the infrastructure to carry out the first rescue. Unfortunately here we often see ten, 20 people around the person with the injury filming and little help being provided “, laments.

According to Gavin Naylor, director of the American museum’s shark research program and research coordinator, the most important thing is to understand why the numbers fluctuated so little over the period. .

“The fluctuation in the number of accidents seems to vary very little, but that could be because places with better infrastructure and better communication are the ones that register more. It is likely that other accidents occur in places where there is not such precise monitoring”, he says. .

The drop in accidents, according to the report, can be attributed to a reduction in the population of all shark species in the world, but also to safety measures and awareness on beaches.

“More and more people are on the beaches, and accidents only occur when there are sharks near the beaches and many people in the sea. Today we have some successful cases of risk communication and accident prevention on crowded beaches around the world”, he says.

Among the measures mentioned are not entering the water when there is low visibility, avoiding areas where fish are seen “jumping” out of the water or fishing lines —since the sharks may be actively hunting the fish— and avoiding using jewellery, watches and bracelets at sea, as light can reflect and glare can be mistaken for prey.

The factors that lead to the decline in shark populations are overfishing, environmental imbalance and the global reduction of fish in the oceans, which are the preferred food for sharks. A study showed that coral sharks and rays are the most endangered in the world, second only to aquatic mammals.

For Naylor, there has been a notable drop in the number of fatal accidents over the last hundred years. “This is largely due to local prevention policies and how to act in cases of shark bites, significantly reducing the time between the attack and medical care”, she explains. “In the case of a bite close to the femoral vein, the window of time is minutes.”

One of the successful models in the world cited by the report is Australia, which has the highest incidence of white shark accidents (Carcharodon carcharias).

“It is natural for this to happen because there are two crucial factors for the highest number of records: many people in the water and the largest known shark, also in quantity, close to the coast. That is why it was essential that the public, as well as the authorities, was also oriented on how to act in case of an accident”, says Naylor.

The Brazilian researcher points out that the risk of an accident with a shark happening still remains rare. “You can be sure that in water the risk is much greater of dying from other things, such as drowning or other accidents”, he says.

“And for every person who sees a shark, surely other sharks have seen a thousand people. The difference is that, in general, they flee and go in search of prey, while attacks occur in particular situations, when they are hungry or when they bite by accident”, explains the scientist from Florida.

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WHAT TO DO TO AVOID A SHARK ATTACK

before sighting

• See if the place has any prohibition notice

• Check water visibility (do not enter if you have poor visibility)

• Avoid going into the water from dusk to dawn

• Do not enter the water alone

• Do not enter the water if there are fishing lines or fish nearby

• Avoid wearing jewelry, watches and metallic bracelets

• Do not urinate or urinate in the water (the smell can attract animals)

In the water, when you see a shark

• Don’t get scared or go around thrashing and splashing water (sharks can interpret this as a sign of weakness)

• Scream (they tend to run away)

• Keep calm and try to get out of the sea as soon as possible.