According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, shark attacks worldwide have fallen from71 in 2007 to 59 in 2008. But of these 4 were fatal in 2008 compared to only 1 in 2007. Surfers appear to be their victims of choice, making up 57% of the total. Divers account for 8%, with swimmers and waders making up the rest. Even so, these are very low numbers considering how many people use the world’s oceans.
George Burgess, an ichthyologist and director of the International Shark Attack File, which is housed at the University of Florida’s Museum of Natural History, thinks that this apparent decline could be partly because of the effects of the recession reducing the number of people holidaying on beaches.
