Over the last 90 years, fatal shark attacks in Australia have averaged one per year. However, 2020 brought up the average, with a total of eight, causing some scientist to scratch their heads. Not only did they take a look at shark behaviors but, took a look at a change in human habits. Sharks are not the vicious and blood-thirsty creatures we see in films. When sharks do encounter humans, they sometimes bite and hardly ever chase. However, they never look at them as a meal or snack. So, what’s the deal with the increase? And should we be watching our surroundings when entering the water?
Human Behavior Vs. Shark Behavior
In recent years, the average number of encounters with sharks by visitors of Australia’s oceans has been 26. This number includes both mild and fatal results. While this sparked interest for marine biologists, they didn’t find anything that was quite so interesting. Sharks don’t eat people; they bite them. It’s the location of the bite that’s behind the cause of death, often related to blood loss. Sharks are not the ones that have changed, sticking to their same behaviors and habits. Humans are behind the increased statistic, venturing out more and further into the ocean blue.
In 2020, more Australians lived near the ocean than ever before, going for a swim or dive to pass the time. Plus, it’s becoming common practice to venture out into the unknown and explore, taking a look at the creatures and specimens far from the shores. These behaviors could be behind the rise in the number of fatal shark encounters last year.
What’s Happening Under the Sea?
One burning question in the quest to find out answers was, what’s happening underwater. Scientists set out to take a look, wondering if there was an increase due to breeding. What they found was that several species are actually decreasing, including the Tiger Shark and Great White. This discovery led them to look at other shifts in underwater activity, including sharks’ distribution.
As waters change temperature, everything underneath them changes too. Animals begin to move toward conditions they flourish in, causing other animals to change direction too. The increased encounter between sharks and humans could be a direct cause of warmer ocean temperatures. They cause sharks to move toward more favorable waters that house their prey. Sharks are not the only finned creatures changing their habitat underwater. Other fish like salmon and herring are heading south, hunting for better living conditions.
Are Waters Dangerous?
During their time studying these changes, scientists realized that one thing is true; sharks are not making the waters dangerous. The word “attack” substitutes for bite, which is drawing negative attention toward the species. While they do bite if they’re on the hunt, their aim is never to kill or eat a human. Sharks are around swimmers and surfers more than we think, on the hunt for more preferred meals like fish and squid.
