Shark bites increase in 2021
Great whites were the primary culprit for unprovoked fatalities
Shark bites were again on the rise in 2021 as 73 unprovoked incidents were recorded around the world, with Cape Cod’s seasonal visitor leading the pack for most fatalities.
Great white sharks were responsible for five unprovoked fatal bites out of the nine total deaths reported across the globe, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File.
The number of unprovoked bites in 2021 is in line with the five-year global average of 72 bites a year, but the total is a major jump from the 52 confirmed bites in 2020 — the lowest in more than a decade. Many beaches were closed in 2020 at the start of the COVD-19 pandemic.
“Shark bites dropped drastically in 2020 due to the pandemic,” International Shark Attack File manager Tyler Bowling said. “This past year was much more typical, with average bite numbers from an assortment of species and fatalities from white sharks, bull sharks and tiger sharks.”
Great white sharks, which roam the Cape’s waters during the summer and fall, were responsible for 11 unprovoked bites last year — including four bites in the U.S. Three of the five unprovoked fatal bites happened off of Australia.
The last shark bite recorded along the Cape was in 2018, when a 26-year-old Revere man was killed.
Unprovoked bites are incidents that occurred in the shark’s natural habitat without human provocation. The U.S. continues to lead the world in the annual number of shark bites, with a total of 47 last year, representing 64% of global cases. Of these 47 bites, all but five took place along the Atlantic seaboard.
Florida again characteristically had the highest number of shark bites of any geographic region in the world, and made up 60% of bites that occurred along U.S. coasts.
The majority of individuals (51%) bitten by sharks were surfers or boarders, who spend a significant amount of time on the water in and around surf zones.
Marine coasts and estuaries are a favorite feeding ground for a variety of fishes, which take advantage of the tides to scope out new food and rummage near the shallow seafloor. These smaller fishes, in turn, attract sharks, which sometimes mistake humans for prey.
“For blacktip sharks in Florida, it’s most often a case of mistaken identity,” Bowling said.
International Shark Attack File’s suggestions on how to decrease your chances of being bitten by a shark include avoiding splashing in open water, which sharks may mistake for struggling fish. People also should not wear reflective jewelry, which may glint in sunlight, resembling iridescent fish scales.
‘Shark bites dropped drastically in 2020 due to the pandemic. This past year was much more typical, with average bite numbers from an assortment of species and fatalities from white sharks, bull sharks and tiger sharks.’
– Tyler Bowling, International Shark Attack File