ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida is once again the shark bite capital of the world as numbers jumped globally after three years of declines, according to the annual update from the International Shark Attack File.
The group released its annual report this month and found 73 documented attacks last year, a stark contrast from 2020′s total of 52. Numbers don’t appear to be jumping the shark. Rather, experts say the 2021 number aligns with the five-year global average of 72 annually. International fatalities also saw an increase with 11 deaths reported. 2020 saw 10 deaths, which was unusually high given the year’s low shark bite count.
The increase in attacks and fatal incidents is surprising for experts, but not a cause for concern as overall short-term trends of both counts are still decreasing, the ISAF said.
