Sharks Went Crazy in 2011

Sharks were apparently more aggressive in 2011 when compared to previous years. A statistical analysis released on February 7 shows that sharks attacked 75 people last year, killing 12 of them (16 percent). The death toll is well above the average for the past 20 years, experts say.

What I find particularly interesting is that many of the attacks that resulted in fatalities took place in areas where shark encounters are very rare, where medical personnel are not readily available, and where little to no contingency measures are set in place to handle such a situation.

In the United States, the overall number of attacks decreased last year, and no casualty was reported. However, people practicing sports such as surfing and waterboarding made up 60 percent of attack victims. Swimmers accounted for 35 percent of attacks, while divers for only 5 percent, LiveScience reports.

“We're killing 30 to 70 million sharks per year in fisheries – who's killing who?. The reality is that the sea is actually a pretty benign environment, or else we'd be measuring injuries in the thousands or millions per year,” says report coordinator George Burgess, from the University of Florida.