Fatal Shark Attacks Saw 'Unnerving' Uptick in 2023

There has been an "unnerving" uptick in shark attack deaths in 2023, data from the International Shark Attack File shows.

The data from the University of Florida, which is the only complete record of global shark attacks, showed there was an increase in not just the number of attacks but an uptick in fatalities in 2023.

In 2023, there were 69 unprovoked shark bites recorded, which is higher than the five-year average of 63 attacks, scientists found.

"This is within the range of the normal number of bites, though the fatalities are a bit unnerving this year," Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History's shark research program, said in a summary of the findings.

Out of all the attacks in 2023, ten were fatal, whereas in 2022, there were only five fatal attacks recorded. Most of these fatal attacks occurred in Australia, which is home to multiple dangerous species including the great white shark and the bull shark. Both of these species are known to carry out vicious attacks on humans, although rarely.

While only 22 percent of all attacks happened in Australia, 40 percent of fatalities occurred there.

There were 36 unprovoked bites in the U.S., which made up over half of all attacks. Two of these, which occurred in California and Hawaii, were fatal. However, Florida is the state that usually sees the most bites overall. This trend stayed the same in 2023, with 16 attacks in total.

"The uptick in fatalities might simply be a consequence of year to year variation. However, the fact that four of them were in Australia and three of those four were due to white sharks piqued our interest," Naylor told Newsweek. "It's possible that white shark populations are increasing—at least at aggregation sites near seal colonies. Also, its possible that surfing activity has increased in some of the sites in South Australia."

Shark attacks remain very rare. Fatalities are even rarer. Sharks do not usually attack a human unless it is provoked to do so in some way. For example, if the human was swimming in an area where bait is being used to lure fish to lines, this would be classed as a provoked attack, as the shark is already hunting.

For this reason, unprovoked attacks are the most studied kinds of attacks, as they provide additional insight into why sharks behave the way they do, the shark attack report said.

"We're biologists, and we want to understand the natural behavior of the animals — not the unnatural behavior," Naylor said in the summary.

Scientists suspect there are two reasons why Australia holds the record for most fatalities: the surf and the seals.

The Eyre Peninsula in South Australia is a notorious area for shark attacks. Not only does it attract surfers with its wild waves, but it also has a high population of seals, according to the report. Seals are a favorite food of great white sharks.

"If a white shark is going after a seal and the seal knows it, the white shark hasn't got a chance," Naylor said. "Seals are really agile, so the only ones that get caught are the ones that are goofing off and flopping around on the surface minding their own business. And that's kind of what a surfer looks like."

It isn't that Australia doesn't have good beach safety. In fact, Joe Miguez, a doctoral student in the Florida Program for Shark Research, describes Australia's beach safety as "second to none."

However, remote areas where surfers go to catch waves are often not under a safety watch.

"If you go to remote regions where beach safety isn't in place, there is a higher risk of a fatal shark attack," Miguez said in the summary. "This is because when an attack happens and there is beach safety, you can get a tourniquet on sooner and save the person's life. So, the solution isn't to not surf. It's to surf in areas where there's a good beach safety program in place."

Most shark attacks are caused by great white sharks, bull sharks and tiger sharks, although it can often be hard to determine a species following an attack as the sharks will not stick around for long. These sharks are also known as the "big three."

One notable attack in 2023 occurred in Egypt. This fatal attack occurred along the Red Sea, at a popular beach, and involved a tiger shark. This attack was particularly gruesome and one of the rare occasions that the exact shark species was recorded.

"The bite in Egypt stood out because a video shows a tiger shark taking multiple passes at a human in the water. Even though predation events are exceedingly rare, it's pretty clear that's what it was," Miguez said.

Despite this apparent increase in bites and fatalities, scientists stress that shark attacks remain rare. They do not believe the slight increase is a case of sharks becoming more aggressive; rather, it is more likely to be due to humans spending more time swimming.

A summary of the findings said that "something as simple as a holiday weekend falling on particularly hot days can contribute to a spike in attacks."

"It causes a lot of fear, but the reality is you're putting a lot of people in the water on a hot day with bait fish in the water," Naylor said.

Update 02/06/24, 04:26 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional comment from Gavin Naylor.

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