14 DAY TRIAL // The University of Florida's latest Shark Attack File shows how, in 2012, the number of shark attacks in the US somehow managed to reach its highest level in over a decade.
More precisely, the researchers claim that, since 2000 and up until present days, the year 2012 witnessed the most elevated number of shark attacks in US waters.
Thus, 53 people were involved in such incidents in 2012 alone.
Researcher George Burgess wished to draw attention to the fact that, from where he stands, people and not the animals must be blamed for this rise in the number of reported shark attacks.
“What I’ve seen in all situations when there’s been a sudden upswing in an area is that human-causative factors are involved, such as changes in our behavior, changes in our abundance, or an overt shark-attracting product of something that we’re doing,” he argued.
Just for the record, 2012's shark attacks in US waters were distributed as follows: Florida experienced 26, followed by Hawaii (10), California (5), South Carolina (5), North Carolina (2) and one in Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and Puerto Rico, respectively.
The only good news is that, courtesy of the country's medical system, the national fatality rates linked to shark attacks was lower than the one reported worldwide.