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Feb 19, 2009 11:35 am US/Eastern
Shark Attacks Dip To Five Year Low In 2008
Sagging Economy May Have Played A Role
Fewer People Heading To Beaches For Vacation
GAINESVILLE (CBS4) ―
It looks like Jaws took a bit of a vacation in 2008.
University of Florida shark researcher George Burgess says the number of reported shark attacks worldwide dipped to a five year low last year. In 2008, 59 attacks by sharks were reported compared to 71 a year earlier. But while reported attacks were down, fatalities were up. Four people were killed in shark attacks in 2008 compared to only one person in 2007. Two of the deaths were in Mexico, one was in Australia and one was in the United States.
In compiling his yearly report, Burgess said the sagging economy may have played a role in the numbers.
"I can't help but think that contributing to that reduction may have been the reticence of some people to take holidays and go to the beach for economic reasons," Burgess said. "We noticed similar declines during the recession that followed the events of 2001, despite the fact that human populations continued to rise."
The number of shark attacks in the U.S. dropped from 50 in 2007 to 41 in 2008. Thirty-two of those attacks were in Florida, same number as in 2007, followed by North Carolina and South Carolina, with three each; Hawaii, two; and California had one.
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