Bull sharks are responsible for many bites on humans, as well as frequently taking fish off the lines of anglers. (Wikimedia)

Every year since 2015, the total number of shark bites on humans worldwide has declined, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History (FMNH), which keeps the international shark attack files updated annually.

Last year was an exceptionally safe year for shark bites, per FMNH. Worldwide, there were only 47 unprovoked attacks, down 22 from the previous year and well below the 10-year average of 70. Four of last year’s attacks resulted in fatalities, also a significant reduction from recent years.

The United States consistently has the highest number of reported unprovoked bites, a trend that continued last year with a total of 28 reported incidents. An attack by an unknown shark species off the northwest coast of Oahu, Hawaii resulted in the only fatality in the U.S.

The United States also has the most protective laws for sharks of anywhere in the world, which has resulted in very healthy populations of most shark species, not coincidentally.

With warm waters and ample shoreline, Florida had a total of 14 bites, more than any other state. Of these, eight occurred in Volusia County, which bears the unofficial title of shark bite capital of the world. 

Per FMNH, many of the  bites in the Daytona Beach/New Smyrna area were likely from blacktip sharks, whose breeding grounds stretches along the northeast Florida coastline. Many of the sharks in this area are juveniles and the agency says they haven’t yet fully developed the ability to distinguish between humans and their natural prey, which includes fish, stingrays and other sharks.

Even on the flats, shark predation can sometimes be a problem, as this bonefish angler discovered. (Captain Rick Grassett)

In June, an odd spate of attacks in the Florida Panhandle took place within four miles of each other, injuring three people.  A woman was bitten by a shark reported to be a bull at Watersound Beach in South Walton, and less than two hours later, a shark bit two teens wading in the shallows near Seacrest Beach.

Human Bites Down, Fish Bites Up
While shark attacks on humans are down, on fish hooked by anglers, they are WAY up if you listen to many voices from the southeastern coastal states, some of whom say they can’t get a reef fish into the boat without a shark taking most or all of it. Some charter captains report sharks rushing to their boats when they arrive over a reef, cruising around it to wait for victims to be cranked off the reef.

There’s a push among coastal anglers to encourage more harvest of sharks to trim down the population a bit and allow humans to get a greater share of the fishy pie.

Shark encounters with anglers are nothing new, but in recent years recreational anglers in some areas are being just about chased off the water by shark predation on hooked fish. In 2023, one fishing team lost some $3.5 million in tournament money when a marlin they were fighting was bitten by a shark. Any billfish with shark injuries can’t be weighed in for these events—they lost the money! That’s peanuts, though, compared to the overall impact of shark predation on smaller reef and gamefish species occurring throughout the Southeast. Very low limits on the grouper and snapper have been particularly frustrating when anglers see the fish they must release snapped up one after another by sharks.

Glenn Hughes, president of the American Sportfishing Association, along with lots of help from other conservation groups, has shepherded the “SHARKED” Act into Congress in response to the complaints of these anglers. The bill was passed by the U.S. House in January and is headed to the Senate. 

The bill aims to address shark depredation by creating a dedicated task force of fisheries managers and shark experts. This group will “focus on improving coordination within the fisheries management community, identifying research priorities, and seeking funding opportunities to reduce these incidents nationwide.”

Sharks are a huge problem for offshore grouper and snapper anglers, who report it’s impossible to land a fish in some areas due to predation. (Return Em Right)

What anglers are hoping the result will be is in part opening up commercial harvest of some of the most numerous species of shark like bulls and blackfins to trim down the numbers a bit and thus reduce the predation. The current commercial limit is just two per person per day, one per day for recreational anglers.

And many species, including dusky, lemon, sandbar, sand tiger, silky, tiger and white may not be harvested at all. 

While sharks are an interesting and essential part of the coastal ecosystem, as with management of many species, a bit of trimming of the population in some high-predation areas might go a long way toward preserving the gamefish numbers, as well as cutting down on the conflict with sport and commercial fishermen.

— Frank Sargeant
Frankmako1@gmail.com