Jaws Breakers
They extracted the boy's arm from the shark's mouth and rushed Jessie and his arm to the hospital, where a team of doctors successfully reattached his arm. Jessie has been slowly recovering, as he lost a good deal of blood, but doctors are quite positive about his chances for recovery.
A week later, on July 15, there were two more shark attacks in Florida waters. An adult male surfer was bitten on the leg by a shark off Santa Rosa Island, Florida, which is six miles from where Jessie Arbogast was attacked.
And, a three-foot shark bit an 18-year-old tourist on the foot, when he was riding on a boogie board near Amelia Island, about 40 miles from Jacksonville. People have been asking what's going on. Global warming? Auditioning for another Jaws sequel? Let's look at some of what we know about shark attacks.
According to the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida in 2000 there were 79 unprovoked shark attacks reported worldwide, 10 of which were fatal, and one of those was in Florida. This is not unusual. In recent years shark attacks worldwide years have averaged 70 to 100 per year with between 5 and 15 deaths. Remember, however, that media reporting of shark attacks varies from country to country, and has improved over the years. Also, remember that medical treatment has improved, so some people who survive attacks today probably would have died several decades ago.
Fifty-one of the attacks reported in 2000 were in the U.S., and 34 were in Florida waters, with Volusia County having the most reported attacks — 12. These figures are not abnormal, although shark attacks in North Carolina and Alabama were record highs in 2000.
Lightning More Lethal
Sharks are highly evolved killing machines that have survived for millions of years. They eat only meat, fresh or dead, and locate their prey with an extraordinary battery of organs for smell, taste, hearing, changes in water pressure, and electromagnetic sensing.
There are about 300 species of shark. They range from cigar-sized dwarf sharks to 60-foot long whale sharks. Only six species of shark are known to attack man, and only four of these with any regularity.
Bull sharks and tiger sharks are the most frequent sharks attacking humans in shallow waters. Both are most likely to appear at dawn and dusk. Great white sharks, the largest species (15-20 feet) likely to attack a human, are featured in the book and movie Jaws. They are more apt to attack surfers who resemble their favorite food, seals.
Hot spots for shark attacks are Florida, Australia, South Africa, and the Pacific Ocean waters off San Francisco. Bathers are the most frequent targets, followed by surfers.
In the open ocean, mako and hammerhead sharks will attack humans, but it is the oceanic white-tip shark that is most likely to prey on humans. They hunt in packs and have been responsible for devouring many shipwreck survivors as they struggle to stay afloat.
Shark attacks seem to occur in clusters, for reasons that are not well understood. In 1957-58, South Africa had seven shark attacks with five fatalities between December 18 and April 5th. In the San Francisco area, we periodically have episodes of great white sightings and attacks. Usually they are most likely to be near shore when seals are giving birth, or schools of salmon are in the shallows. Last summer a guy in a 15-foot boat briefly hooked a 16-foot great white, when it came up and engulfed a salmon he was about to net. That's a big one you're glad got away.
For perspective on the relative danger of sharks, in the U.S. you are 30 times more likely to be killed by a lightning strike than a shark attack, and bees, wasps, and snakes kill more people every year than sharks. A shark attack is not a pleasant experience, but if you had a choice between being attacked by a shark and an alligator, choose the shark. Between 1948 and 1995 in Florida there were 276 shark attacks with six fatalities, and 218 alligator attacks with seven fatalities.
Instinct, Not Reason
Sharks are survivors. They live 25-30 years, and some to 100 years. They have outlived many species, but now are threatened by over-fishing in some areas. Shark flesh is quite tasty, and they are also prized for their skin and medicine. Shark cartilage has been found to very useful in treating some kinds of cancer.
The sharks' Achilles heel is that they reproduce in small numbers. Some 100 million are caught every year; some are just caught for the fin, which is prized in the Orient, which is a tremendous waste. As we saw in The Perfect Storm, some are caught and killed by long line fishing and not used at all.
As near-shore species of shark are declining in many areas, when several shark attacks occur in one area in a short period of time, one cannot help but speculate. It could be more people going to the beach, or even better reporting of shark attacks. But let's keep an open mind. Something fishy may be going on around Pensacola. February 14, 2001, 200 dead sharks turned up in St. Andrews Bay near Pensacola. None showed signs of mutilation from nets or hooks. There were some traces of red tide, but nothing that unusual.
Changing ocean currents, food supply, and turbulence all influence shark attacks. If I was investigating that area, I'd also want to look at anything the Navy might be doing with sonar around the time of the attacks or the die-off. Sharks are extremely sensitive to very subtle sounds and electrical currents and fields. They operate on instinct, not reason, so it's not impossible that an electrical or sonar device could have stirred them up.
The bottom line is that if you choose to go swimming or surfing in areas sharks are known to frequent, take some precautions. Some suggestions for avoiding shark attacks offered by the International Shark Attack File include: bathe in groups; avoid twilight swimming; don't wear shiny jewelry in the water; and avoid bathing if you have any open cuts or sores. Sharks can detect blood in water at a concentration of one part per million.
That's the lowdown on shark attacks, and I did it without telling one lawyer joke.
(This article is reprinted with permission from National Review Online.)
