Latest news with #NationalMarineSanctuaries
USA Today
19-07-2025
- General
- USA Today
Fins up: Are shark attacks increasing? Here's what recent data shows.
Combine the 50th anniversary of the movie "Jaws" – which started the nation's shark obsession in 1975 – with Discovery Channel's 37th annual Shark Week that begins July 20, and sharks might be getting extra attention this summer. 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
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Miami Herald
23-03-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Gentle giant' rarely seen in Southern California waters stuns boaters. See video
A whale-watching tour off Southern California got a close-up look at a passing basking shark, which are rarely seen in warmer waters, a video shows. A Davey's Locker Whale Watching boat spotted the shark about 3 miles offshore between the Balboa and Newport Landing piers on Friday, March 21, an Instagram post said. 'Crossing paths with a basking shark in Southern California is very rare, but a couple have been reported by boats near Long Beach and San Diego recently,' the post said. 'We are overjoyed to have seen this special shark today.' 'Oh my gosh, he's filter-feeding!' someone says on the video. 'This is absolutely nuts, you guys,' the person says in footage obtained by KTLA. The crew initially mistook the shark for an elephant seal, KTLA reported. 'Basking sharks are the second largest sharks in the world, measuring up to 30 feet as adults, about as long as a school bus,' according to the National Marine Sanctuaries website. 'Like whale sharks and unlike white sharks, these gentle giants filter feed on dense clumps of copepods, tiny crustaceans about the size of a grain of rice,' the agency said. Sometimes mistaken for predatory sharks, basking sharks spend most of their time feeding near the surface, Oceana said. They are '/considered vulnerable to extinction.' 'These gentle giants are typically found in cooler waters, and are rarely spotted in waters off California, raising curiosity about why they were off the coast today in Newport Beach,' Jessica Rodriguez with Davey's Locker Whale Watching told KTLA.
