As the summer heat rises, the United States continues to lead the world in the number of shark attacks.
Last year, the country saw 41 of 57 confirmed cases worldwide, representing a staggering 72 percent of the global total by 2022, according to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF).
More specifically, Florida is by far the shark capital of the world, recording 16 unprovoked non-fatal bites last year, the most attacks of any state or anywhere, for that matter.
The state’s Volusia County, known as a shark hotspot, saw 44 percent of the total attacks.
New York saw the next most attacks last year, with eight in total. Hawaii was next, with five bites in all, one of which was fatal.
Driving mages obtained by DailyMail.com show at least three sharks swimming just off the coast in Southampton on Saturday
The United States continues to record the most shark attacks in the world. Sharks off the coast of New York on Saturday
However, the global total number of shark attacks last year was less than the average of 70 cases worldwide for the previous five years. The total number of cases in the US also decreased last year from the reported 47 attacks in 2021.
Additionally, in 2022 there were five fatal unprovoked shark bites: two in Egypt, two in South Africa, and one in Hawaii.
As of July 10, there have already been seven fatal unprovoked shark attacks this year, including three in Australia and two in Egypt.
ISAF defines an unprovoked shark attack as ‘incidents in which a bite occurs on a living human being in the shark’s natural habitat without human provocation by the shark’.
And the nation is on track to record the most shark bites in the world this year again; has seen 23 of 42 reported attacks.
The New York area is particularly on high alert this summer.
Last week, a 15-year-old boy was attacked by a shark off the coast of Fire Island. The surfer said the shark had sunk its teeth into his left heel and toes, but they were still intact.
Three more people were bitten Tuesday, including a 47-year-old man who was swimming in chest-deep water off Quogue Village Beach, police said. He had cuts on the knee.
The other two, a 49-year-old man in Pines Beach and a woman in Cherry Grove, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Fire Island will now remain on high alert for the remainder of the summer after six shark attacks occurred in three weeks in the area last summer.
Forced mages obtained by DailyMail.com show at least three sharks swimming just off the coast in Southampton on Saturday.
Before 2022, New York had only recorded a dozen unprovoked bites. Over the past decade, there have only been four people bitten by sharks, according to data compiled by the International Shark Attack File, which tracks shark attacks around the world.
Last year, eight people reported being bitten by sharks swimming in the shallows off Long Island beaches. So far this year, there have already been five reports of bites.
According to ISAF, ‘Year-to-year variability in oceanographic, socioeconomic and meteorological conditions significantly influences the local abundance of sharks and humans in the water.’
Most unprovoked shark attacks were reported in the US and Australia last year, however individual bites also occurred in New Zealand, Thailand and Brazil.
And the nation is on track to record the most shark bites in the world this year again, with the New York area particularly on high alert. Smith Point Beach on Long Island pictured above
Six shark attacks occurred along the Long Island coast last year in just six weeks.
Since the year 2000, the year 2015 holds the record for the most shark attacks in one year, with 111 unprovoked attacks.
The International Shark Attack File has recorded 1,604 unprovoked shark attacks in the US since the 16th century. The next country with the most attacks, Australia, has seen less than half that of the United States, 691.
The number of annual shark attacks has increased over the past 70 years; In 1950, there were 50 reports of shark attacks worldwide, and by 2020, the average number of bites per year had risen to 70.
Just two months ago, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the addition of 10 drones to her squadron, bringing the total to 18 that can be used to monitor shark activity on her state’s beaches.
“With New Yorkers and visitors preparing to enjoy our beautiful Long Island beaches all summer long, your safety is our top priority,” Ms. Hochul said in May.
“This year we are taking further steps to protect bathers by increasing vigilance to control shark activity near the beaches of the south coast.”
An increase in shark sightings could suggest a healthier ecosystem, some say. Cleaner waters allow the small fish that sharks feed on to flourish. More small fish swimming closer to shore means more sharks biting their tails.
