Fins up: Are shark attacks increasing? Here's what recent data shows.
Why are people so fascinated with sharks? Perhaps it's the mixture of fascination, terror and respect for their strength. As one of the world's top predators, sharks are both dangerous and beautiful while being essential to marine environments, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Sanctuaries.
As the ocean's top predators, sharks maintain their balance by feeding on sick, weak, or overabundant animals, including fish, marine mammals and other ocean life, according to NOAA.
Despite their terrifying reputation, only three of the 350-plus shark species are thought to be responsible for roughly two-thirds of all shark attacks, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
How common are shark attacks?
You're far more likely to be struck by lightning than to be attacked by a shark. Shark attacks are considered extremely rare. The Florida Museum, a state natural history museum, puts the odds of being attacked by a shark at 1 in 11.5 million, while the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are 1 in 1.2 million, according to NOAA.
TrackingSharks says eight shark attacks occurred as of July 7 in five states: Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina, New York and South Carolina. In 2024, there were 28 shark attacks in the United States, down from 36 in 2023. Since 2021, shark attacks have been on the decline.
More: 'Jaws' scared swimmers out of the ocean 50 years ago. Real locations of Amity's terror
Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them.
According to data released by the International Shark Attack File, 2024 was an "exceptionally quiet year" for shark bites around the world. Forty-seven unprovoked attacks were reported globally. That was 22 fewer than 2023 and well below the 10-year average of 70. On average, six fatal attacks are reported each year.
The shark species most frequently linked to attacks
These are the five shark species most often cited in nonfatal unprovoked attacks on humans:
More: Summer of 'Jaws': Shark Week 2025 stocked with drama, dread ... and dancing
The U.S. leads the world in shark attacks
According to the International Shark Attack File, the majority of the U.S. incidents occur off the coast of Florida. That might be too surprising considering that Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States.
How to reduce your risk of an attack
CONTRIBUTING Doyle Rice, Natalie Neysa Alund/USA TODAY
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
His 'Yellow Submarine' dream sat in a swamp for decades. Why it was just hauled away.
Thousands of abandoned and derelict vessels around the US pose environmental and navigational challenges. A Florida man's dream to build a 100-foot-long submarine has formally ended after workers hauled the giant steel tube out of a Keys mangrove swamp to be hacked up and recycled. Known locally as the "Yellow Submarine" even though it had mostly rusted to a dirty red, the former piece of industrial equipment was the pipe dream of a Marathon resident who envisioned turning the windowless tube into an eco-tourism attraction. But the man's efforts ran squarely into that old nautical saying: A boat is a hole in the water you throw money into. The vessel had been tucked in a canal on a tiny island called Boot Key since the late 1990s. The then-owner told a reporter in 2008 that he'd rescued the steel vessel from a Chicago scrapyard and had it barged to the Keys, where he planned to renovate it into a powered submarine. He described floating around the erstwhile vessel on a homemade raft and predicted he was close to being finished. But 17 years later, contractors this week surrounded the rusting 100-ton tube with rigging and float bags so they could haul it ashore for recycling. The painstaking $195,000 removal of the vessel highlights the environmental and navigational challenges posed by the thousands of other abandoned and derelict vessels around the United States, from Florida to Alaska, Minnesota and Oregon. Florida law allows the government to seize and remove abandoned vessels, and to charge the owner for the cleanup. The 2008 news article said the then-owner discovered it would cost him $750,000 to get the vessel certified as seaworthy. "There was basically nothing inside ‒ it's just a huge tube," said Brittany Burtner, who oversaw the vessel's Aug. 11 removal. "It was actually still floating." 'It's shocking how much of it can be recycled' Burtner, who is Monroe County, Florida's, senior administrator for marine resources, said abandoned boats can contain everything from diesel fuel to oil and cleaning supplies that can leak into waterways when a vessel runs around or springs a leak. Because of the ongoing legal case involving the now-removed Yellow Submarine, Burtner said she didn't have publicly available information about who currently owned the vessel or why it had been abandoned. She said a 2021 change to Florida law allowed authorities to launch a derelict-vessel investigation after years of it sitting in the canal. Monroe County has been using a Biden-era $3 million federal grant to clean up abandoned vessels, and has already removed about 250 in the past 12 months. "A lot of things had to happen at once, and they all came together this year," Burtner said. "Even though this thing looks like a rust bucket … it's shocking how much of it can be recycled. They're probably going to spend the next month cutting it apart." Working to solve the problem The federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is separately funding the removal of more than 300 abandoned and derelict vessels across six states over the next four years, both on the seacoasts and along the Great Lakes. NOAA is providing $69 million for the work, which also includes removing abandoned fishing gear, tires and marine debris. Burtner said people often buy cheap used boats thinking they'll renovate them, get in over their heads, and then leave them anchored in a quiet cove before boating away. "What will be fairly common is that someone will abandon a boat and it will just sit there at anchor and just slowly fall apart," she said. "It's really hard to tell the difference between a boat that's just sitting there and a boat that's been abandoned. It can take years. It's a difficult problem we're working to solve from many different angles."
New York Post
5 days ago
- New York Post
700-pound shark caught off Connecticut coast may break state record: ‘Holy Mackerel'
Two Connecticut fishermen reeled in a massive 700-pound Thresher shark that could be the largest ever caught in state waters, according to a report. Ed Lovely, 46, spent over six hours wrestling the powerful predator alongside a friend off the coast of Stonington last Wednesday, ABC News reported. Once out on the water, Lovely strung out a fishing line and recalled thinking, 'Bang, I feel something,' as the hefty fish began pulling, he told the outlet. Two Connecticut fishermen reeled in a massive 700-pound Thresher shark that could be the largest ever caught in state waters. Ed Lovely 'We started fighting from there,' he said. Lovely worked for over six hours into the night with his fishing partner to reel in the 16.5-foot, 700-pound shark, which was longer than his entire boat, he recalled. At one point, he was in complete 'awe' over the shark's mammoth head peeking out of the waters. 'Wow, holy mackerel, look at that shark, it is the biggest shark I've ever seen,' Lovely remembered thinking at the time. Once they completed the harrowing catch, the pair of grown fishermen 'laid on the deck and started laughing like kids, just laying there in the dark with headlamps on,' he said. Since the shark was too big for Lovely's boat, it had to be rigged to the side of the boat — then towed away in a trailer once reaching land, the outlet reported. Lovely is currently in talks with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to see if the catch will break a Connecticut state record. Lovely is currently in talks with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to see if the catch will break a Connecticut state record. Ed Lovely A spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection also confirmed to the outlet that the triumph may qualify for a Marine Trophy Fish Award. Thresher sharks can be up to 20 feet long, according to the NOAA. Lovely's family has since cut up the shark's meat to be shared with family and friends, his wife, Cynthia, told the outlet.
Miami Herald
03-08-2025
- Miami Herald
50 years after ‘Jaws,' US beaches still aren't safe for swimming
I still remember seeing the movie 'Jaws' in the theater in 1975. I was 9 years old. Whenever the great white shark appeared, my mom put her hands over her eyes — but I was transfixed, caught between fear and fascination. My friends and I then spent countless hours that summer learning about sharks and drawing them. Only later did I learn that the more widespread threat in the water was not killer sharks but man-made pollution. Just three years before 'Jaws' hit the theaters, Congress responded to the unrestrained dumping of toxins and heavy metals into our waters by passing the Clean Water Act, which pledged to make all of America's waters safe for swimming. Five decades later, that promise of the Clean Water Act remains unfulfilled. While we have made some progress in reducing direct discharges of industrial pollution, billions of gallons of sewage and polluted stormwater continue to flow into America's rivers, lakes and bays and onto beaches. New research shows just how scary that pathogen pollution can be. Environment America Research & Policy Center's recent 'Safe for Swimming?' report found that 61% of U.S. beaches had potentially unsafe contamination levels of fecal bacteria on at least one day in 2024. Each year, people swimming in contaminated U.S. waters experience an estimated 57 million cases of illness. These include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as respiratory disease, ear and eye infection and skin rash. Even though 'Jaws' is about a shark rather than fecal bacteria (I'm pretty sure no one wants to see a movie about that), it contains a lesson for dealing with any pervasive threat in nearby waters: You need adequate resources and political will. In the movie, the failure of Mayor Larry Vaughn to protect residents of the fictional New England beach town of Amity Island compounds the danger posed by the shark. Only after appeals from local Police Chief Martin Brody does the mayor commit the resources and take the steps needed to find the shark. Similarly, it will take significant resources to stop sewage overflows and runoff pollution. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that managing our nation's wastewater and stormwater will require at least $630 billion over the next 20 years. The main federal program that communities rely on for projects to reduce sewage and stormwater pollution — the Clean Water State Revolving Fund — is currently funded at less than 20% of that annual cost. You can't fight water pollution (or a shark) without enough resources at your disposal. Yet some in Congress are steering us in the wrong direction. Amid a summer of floods and beach closures across America, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee recently voted to slash funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The committee's bill also significantly reduces funding for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, even as toxic PFAS 'forever chemicals' taint the drinking water of more than 158 million Americans, and more than 9 million dangerous lead pipes are still in use. It's clear that Congress needs to increase water infrastructure funding — not slash it. We need our elected representatives to act in the spirit of Chief Brody, who urged swift action to protect the public and joined the expedition to hunt the killer shark. After an epic battle, with the help of a scuba tank and a rifle, Brody delivered the fatal blow, finally making Amity Islands beaches once again safe for swimming. With Congress now in recess, we have a critical window of time to stop these proposed cuts to the money we need to tackle sewage pollution. Americans can add their voices by contacting their representatives in Congress to urge them to vote against the committee's bill. For our members of Congress to make our waters safer, the only weapon they need is their vote. John Rumpler is clean water director at the 501(c)(4) nonprofit Environment America. He is also co-author of the 'Safe for Swimming?' report by Environment America Research & Policy Center.
