Report: Shark attacks dropped

Feb 19, 2009 1 min read

JACKSONVILLE (AP) – Shark attacks dipped to the lowest level in five years in 2008, a change that might have happened because the ailing economy kept cash-strapped vacationers away from beaches, a leading shark expert said Thursday.

There were 59 shark attacks around the world last year, compared to 71 in 2007, said George Burgess, an ichthyologist and director of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida’s Museum of Natural History.

Burgess said he expects the economy to help cause another decline in attacks in 2009, but over the long term, he expects a gradual increase from one decade to the next.

While the economy is a possible explanation, shark populations also have declined due to commercial fishing. In some areas, the number of sharks is down to 10 percent of the original populations.