Are shark attacks on the rise and is climate change impacting amount of sightings?

Beachgoers in Florida race to get out of the sea after a shark was spotted swimming nearby (Credit: CNN)

A recent spate of shark sightings and attacks have sparked discussions about whether the creatures' interactions with humans could be on the rise.

In the space of two days at the start of July, four people reported being attacked by sharks off the coast of Long Island, New York.

Elsewhere, at least one beach delayed opening to holidaymakers on Tuesday, after officials said drones had spotted some 50 sand sharks.

Video was also shared online of beachgoers running for safety in Florida after a shark was spotted in the water.

And in June, a Russian man died after being attacked by a shark off the Egyptian resort of Hurghada.

So, is this trend anything out of the ordinary?

Shark attacks in numbers

To date, in 2023, there have been 34 'unprovoked' shark attacks worldwide, according to trackingsharks.com - a website which monitors global shark attacks.

Data on the site shows that, of these attacks, seven have proven fatal, with the majority (23) taking place in the US.

Compared with last year, there were 57 unprovoked shark attacks across the world - five of which were fatal.

The International Shark Attack File (ISAF) - which has records stretching back to the 1900s - says that "unprovoked" shark attacks are "defined as incidents in which a bite on a live human occurs in the shark's natural habitat with no human provocation of the shark".

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...

In comparison, a "provoked" shark attack occurs "when a human initiates interaction with a shark in some way".

Figures from the most recent five year period - 2018-22 - show that, on average, there were 64 unprovoked shark attacks annually.

To put that into perspective, typically more than 100,000 people die from snake bites every year and a further 236,000 lose their lives as a result of drowning.

When using the number of shark attack fatalities from 2022, you are 20,000 and 47,200 times more likely to die from a snake bite and drowning respectively.

Are shark attacks on the rise?

The number of unprovoked shark attacks globally measured at its joint-lowest total for the past decade in 2022, and the ISAF said the risk of being bitten by a shark remains "extremely low" in relation to the "number of people participating in aquatic recreation each year".

Currently, the sum of unprovoked attacks for 2023 stands at 34, which is still below both the total recorded last year and the average for the most recent five-year period.

"Fatality rates have been declining for decades, reflecting advances in beach safety, medical treatment and public awareness," the ISAF said in its 2022 report.

Could climate change affect patterns?

Some scientists have raised concerns that rising sea temperatures could lead to greater numbers of shark sightings and attacks as the animals are pushed into new territories.

In June, the Met Office said that global sea surface temperatures in April and May 2023 were the highest on record for those months.

Speaking last summer, Chris Paparo, of the South Fork National History Museum's shark research team, told CBS News that climate change is "definitely playing a role" in the number of shark sightings that were reported in North America.

"As sea temperatures are rising due to climate change, a lot of fish populations are shifting north," he added.

However, experts remain split on whether climate change is yet influencing how often sharks come into contact with humans.

And the ISAF has warned of a "sombre truth" that interactions could in fact decline if shark populations continue to fall as a result of "overfishing and habitat loss".

"On average there are only six fatalities that are attributable to unprovoked shark attacks worldwide, each year. By contrast about 100 million sharks and rays are killed each year by fisheries," the organisation said.

What did Boris Johnson really know about Downing Street’s notorious parties? With fresh revelations from our sources, in their own words, listen to the definitive behind-closed-doors story of one of the biggest scandals of our era