Changing patterns of shark attacks in Australian waters
By J. G. West. 2011
136 citations recorded by the source corpus.
Although infrequent, shark attacks attract a high level of public and media interest, and often have serious consequences for those attacked. Data from the Australian Shark Attack File were examined to determine trends in unprovoked shark attacks since 1900, particularly over the past two decades. The way people use the ocean has changed over time. The rise in Australian shark attacks, from an average of 6.5 incidents per year in 1990–2000, to 15 incidents per year over the past decade, coincides with an increasing human population, more people visiting beaches, a rise in the popularity of water-based fitness and recreational activities and people accessing previously isolated coastal areas. There is no evidence of increasing shark numbers that would influence the rise of attacks in Australian waters. The risk of a fatality from shark attack in Australia remains low, with an average of 1.1 fatalities year–1 over the past 20 years. The increase in shark attacks over the past two decades is consistent with international statistics of shark attacks increasing annually because of the greater numbers of people in the water.
Subfields: Global and Planetary Change, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Social Psychology
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6df3816710f55a3ea1cbce7cb12bb03ce6ba99e6
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In Nature and Landscape Conservation
Citations in the corpus
- Decadal trends in shark catches and effort from the New South Wales, Australia, Shark Meshing Program 1950–2010 (2011, background): “The species most regularly implicated in shark attack off NSW is the white shark (West 2011).”
- The importance of research and public opinion to conservation management of sharks and rays: a synthesis (2011, unknown): “In fact, West (2011) reported that, at least in Australian waters, ocean use has increased dramatically, and as a result the incidence of attacks, relative to total population, has increased over the past 20 years.”