Could Sharks Be Itching To Feed on Humans Even More? Experts Explain Why Shark Attacks Seem To Be Rising

Beachgoers and holidaymakers could be drawn to take extra caution during summer after hearing of news of shark attacks, such as that of a young Russian male who died in Egypt just last month.

Young Russian Man Dies in Egypt Due to Brutal Shark Attack

The 23-year-old was mauled by a tiger shark at the popular Egyptian resort Hurghada last June 29. He was reportedly dragged down by the shark, the Telegraph reports.

According to Aljazeera, the Environment Ministry later reported that the tiger shark was caught and examined further in the lab to learn more about the rare and violent attack.

More Shark Attacks

Aside from this recent case, there have also been other fatal attacks in the last year that have happened in Mexico, Australia, Brazil, and South Africa.

The Telegraph notes that on a global scale, Florida is annually among those with the highest number of recorded bites. In fact, 21 bull shark attacks were carried out in the state in the past decade.

Shark Attack Trend

MailOnline explains that while such brutal cases are indeed alarming, scientists say that the shark attack trend has remained unchanged. This year's number of incidents is still consistent with previous years.

Professor Gavin Naylor, who is an evolutionary biologist from the University of Florida, explains in the Why Sharks Attack BBC documentary that, in the short term, shark attacks are actually not rising. The trend is not "moving up and up or down," further expressing his surprise about the rate's consistency as time passed.

Generally, there are 80 to 110 attacks each year, with 80 indicating a good year and 110 indicating a bad one. As of July 17, 38 unprovoked shark attacks have been globally documented. This includes seven attacks that were fatal.

In 2022, there were 57 unprovoked attacks, including five proven fatalities. This is based on the International Shark File's (ISAF) latest yearly report. In total, there were 79 provoked and unprovoked attacks all over the world in 2022. Data also suggests that there was a decline in 2022 in the five-year average of unprovoked shark attacks. There were, however, some noteworthy hotspots.

MailOnline reports that since 2013, the average number of unprovoked bites per year has been 74, though the average went down in 2020 due to the outbreak of the pandemic.

According to Paul Cox, who serves as the UK-based Shark Trust's managing director, the numbers of shark attacks are generally consistent across years, with some years having better numbers compared to others.

Among the 500 or so shark species, only a few are prone to feeding on humans. Cox also mentioned to MailOnline that recent assessments have given the "threatened" classification to a third of shark species.

Long-Term Shark Attack Trend

However, when it comes to the long term, documented unprovoked attacks have globally increased since the year 1960, with spikes that seem to have started in the late 80s.

Cox explains that this long-term rise could be due to the rising opportunities for contact due to behavioral changes and the growth of the human population. He adds that shark attack data largely depends on reports, which were less likely before compared to now. As such, higher research and reporting focuses could be a reason why there have been more reported incidents in the long term trend.

The human population could also be a factor, as humans also have a growing preference for ocean and beach recreation. Professor Catherine Macdonal, who serves as the program director for shark research and conservation from the University of Miami, explains that more people go to the water today compared to 50 years ago.

Professor Naylor also adds that sharks are not moving to the shore more frequently, which means that this is not a factor that affects the numbers. He also adds that people are not in more danger right now, during summer, compared to before.

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