🦈 Shark attacks decreased during 2024

• The number of shark attacks decreased from 69 to 47 during 2024, well below the ten-year average of 70 attacks.
• Four of the attacks resulted in fatalities.
• Bull sharks were responsible for the majority of identifiable attacks during the year.

Surfers most affected

The International Shark Attack File, maintained by the Florida Museum of Natural History, shows that unprovoked shark attacks decreased during 2024. A total of 47 attacks were registered globally, which is 22 fewer than the previous year. Four of the attacks resulted in fatalities.

With 28 reported incidents, the US had the most shark attacks during the year. Florida accounted for 14 of these, with eight occurring in Volusia County - an area known as the shark bite capital of the world. According to the report, many of the attacks were likely caused by blacktip sharks, whose breeding grounds extend along Florida's northeastern coast.

Globally, surfers accounted for 33 percent of all attacks during the year. Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, explains this by saying "people surf where there are good waves, and where there are good waves, there is often turbid water and small fish that attract sharks. The turbid water also makes it harder for sharks to see."

Australia notes positive development

Australia, which typically has the second-highest number of reported bites and fatalities, experienced a positive trend. Despite the country's waters being home to 13 different shark species that can pose a danger to humans, no fatalities from unprovoked encounters were reported in 2024.

Ten countries reported single attacks during the year, including Egypt, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas, the Maldives, Mozambique, French Polynesia, Thailand, and the Turks and Caicos. An unusual case occurred off Western Sahara, which was the region's first reported shark attack.

Bull sharks dominated identified attacks

Of the attacks where the shark species could be identified through witness accounts, video footage, or bite patterns, bull sharks were the most common species. These sharks are unique as they can survive in freshwater and have been found hundreds of miles upstream in rivers. Pregnant females often seek upstream waters where there are fewer predators threatening their young.

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