Human activity near coasts,
pollution and water sports are partly to blame for a record number in shark
attacks worldwide, scientists have found. Researchers at Bond University in
Australia found that human interference with the animals’ habitat and global
warming are causing the sharp rise. There were 98 reported sharks mauling last
year – an 11% increase on the previous record of 88 in 2000 and a 69% rise in
the last decade. Some 84% of shark bits occurred in just six countries, with
the US and South Africa leading the chart. Most attacks are carried out by
white sharks, bull sharks and tiger sharks. Researchers believe climate change
has the greatest impact of all, as warmer seas allow shark populations to
increase rapidly. In Recife, Brazil, the construction of a port resulted in a
rise in the number of shark attacks. Due to environmental changes displacing
shark species, Recife is now renowned for having one of the highest rates of
shark bites per unit area in the world.
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