However, it does appear hard for many other politicians to accept that, in the 224 years of human-shark interaction record keeping undertaken since 1788, the number of deaths due to shark attack barely equates to one death per year along the est. 59,736 kilometres of coastline in this country.
Here are a few facts which are on that record.
A ‘shark attack’ is defined in the ASAF as any human–shark interaction where either a shark (not in captivity) makes a determined attempt to attack a person who is alive and in the water or the shark attacks equipment held by the victim or attacks a small-water craft containing the victim…..
Over the 218 years for which records were available, there have been 592 recorded unprovoked incidents in Australian waters, comprising 178 fatalities, 322 injuries and 92 incidents where no injury occurred. Most of these attacks have occurred since 1900, with 540 recorded unprovoked attacks, including 153 fatalities, 302 injuries and 85 incidents where no injury occurred. Attacks have occurred around most of the Australian coast, most frequently on the more densely populated eastern coast and near major cities…
In the 20 years since 1990, there have been 186 reported incidents, including 22 fatalities (Table 1). This represents a 16% increase in reported attacks during 1990–1999 and a 25% increase over the past 10 years (Fig. 3). The majority of attacks occurred in New South Wales (NSW) with 73 incidents (39%), then Queensland with 43 incidents (23%), Western Australia (WA) with 35 incidents (19%), South Australia with 20 incidents (11%), Victoria with 12 incidents (6%), Tasmania with two incidents (1.5%) and Northern Territory with one incident (0.5%)…..
[CSIRO, Marine and Freshwater Research, 2011, Shark Attacks In Australia, p.745]
SHARK ATTACKS AUSTRALIA-WIDE JANUARY 2012 to NOVEMBER 2017
2012 – 22 attacks (8 provoked) in total, 2 fatalities and 14 attacks involving injury
2013 – 14 attacks (4 provoked) in total, 2 fatalities and 10 attacks involving injury
2014 – 23 attacks (12 provoked) in total, 5 fatalities and 14 attacks involving injury
2015 – 33 attacks (11 provoked) in total, 2 fatalities and 23 attacks involving injury
2016 – 26 cases (9 provoked) in total, 2 fatalities and 16 attacks involving injury
2017 – 19 attacks (2 provoked) in total, 1 fatality and 11 attacks involving injury [up to 24 November 2017]
[Taronga Conservation Society Australia, The Australian Shark Attack File (ASAF), Annual Report Summary]
Throughout the world, human populations are increasing whereas shark populations are decreasing because of direct and indirect human impact (Castro et al. 1999). There is evidence that at least some shark populations in Australia have declined as a result of commercial and recreational fishing pressure (Punt and Walker 1998; Punt et al. 2000; Simpfendorfer et al. 2000; McAuley et al. 2007…..
Patterns of attack have changed substantially over time as a result of the changing population and human behaviour. If human activity related to water-based activities and the use of beaches, harbours and rivers continues to change, we can expect to see further changes in the patterns, distribution, frequency and types of attacks in the future. Encounters with sharks, although a rare event, will continue to occur if humans continue to enter the ocean professionally or for recreational pursuit.
It is important to keep the risk of a shark attack in perspective. On average, 87 people drown at Australian beaches each year (SLSA 2010), yet there have been, on average, only 1.1 fatalities per year from shark attack over the past two decades. It is clear that the risk of being bitten or dying from an unprovoked shark attack in Australia remains extremely low.
[CSIRO, Marine and Freshwater Research, 2011, Shark Attacks In Australia]
ABC News, 8 February 2016:
The shark nets used on Sydney beaches in New South Wales do nothing to reduce the chance of attacks, a statistical analysis has found.
Associate Professor Laurie Laurenson from Deakin University's School of Life and Environmental Sciences has analysed 50 years of data about shark mitigation programs and coastal populations in NSW and South Africa.
He told Four Corners reducing the density of local shark populations did not reduce the likelihood of shark attack.
"I can show statistically that there is no relationship between the number of sharks out there and the number of shark attacks," he said.
"It's just simply not there … I'm surprised that it's not there, but it's not there."
It is the first time a comprehensive analysis has been done in an effort to link populations of sharks and people and the number of attacks in netted areas.
The findings are included in an unpublished paper which is in the process of being peer reviewed.
"We could not demonstrate a statistically significant relationship between the density of the sharks and the number of attacks in the localised area around Sydney where there have been historically large numbers of attacks and there've been large numbers of mitigation programs," Dr Laurenson said.
In early 2017 North Coast Voices observed about the predictably lethal consequences of shark netting that the NSW North Coast marine species protection record is a very sad affair.
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