Tips in Avoiding a Shark Attack

“The Kids’ How to Do (Almost) Everything Guide” by George Burgess gives 13 useful tips in how to decrease your chance of being attacked by a shark.

1. Sharks tend to attack individuals who are swimming alone so always swim in a group.
2. Stay close to shore.
3. Sharks are most active at night, dawn and dusk. So, avoid the water during those times.
4.  Sharks are able to smell and taste blood. If you are bleeding do not go in the water.
5. Avoid wearing shiny jewelry because sharks can mistake the reflected light as fish scales.
6. Bait fish are attracted to sewage and sharks are attracted to bait fish. So, if there is sewage in the water don’t go in.
7. Don’t go in waters being fished and waters that have an abundant amount of bait fish.
8. Sharks are commonly spotted along beaches but to avoid the chance of being bit, don’t enter the water if sharks are present.
9. Avoid wearing brightly colored bathing suites because sharks see contrast well.
10. Avoid an unnecessary amount of splashing.
11. Sharks like to linger around sandbars and drop-offs so, be extra cautious when in those areas.
12. Because propoises are around, the absence of sharks is not definite.  Don’t let your guard down just because porpoises are nearby.
13. Of course, if you spot a shark don’t try to touch it.

5 Most Dangerous Locations for Shark Attacks

5. Queensland, Australia

            Australia is the home to 166 shark species. Although you could run into these sharks anywhere in the country, the eastern coast of Australia is the most densely populated. Of the 57 shark attack fatalities in Australia from 1957 to present, Queensland accounts for 22 of them. Since 1700, Queensland has had 103 shark attacks and 38 of them were fatal.

            In Queensland effort to protect beach goers, they have setup protective netting in the some of their beaches. The nets are designed to stop the larger sharks (6.6 ft and up) from coming close to shore where swimmers are present.

            In 2005, 630 sharks were caught in the netting and 298 of those sharks were larger than 6.6 feet. One of the sharks caught and stopped from coming close to shore was a 17-foot tiger shark.

4. Hawaii

            Nearly half of Hawaii’s 113 shark attacks since 1882 have occurred off the coats of Oahu and Maui. The island of Oahu has had 34 attacks and six fatalities while the island of Maui has had 36 attacks and three fatalities.

            Maui and Oahu aren’t the only dangerous islands. Kauai has had 19 shark attacks and the big island of Hawaii has had 12.

            Hawaii is the home to approximately 40 shark species, one of those being the dangerous tiger shark. Hawaii’s effort in dealing with the danger of sharks is mixed throughout the island. In 1959 the island had a decade-long shark eradication program sponsored by the government but, some of the natives are extremely supportive of having the sharks around calling the tiger shark their “guardian spirit.”

           

3. New South Wales, Australia

            Since 1700, according to the International Shark Attack File, New South Wales has had 140 shark attacks and 61 fatalities.

            As of 2006, 84 beaches in Australia were protected by the nets initially installed in the Queensland. The netting has caused a dramatic dip in the number of shark attacks as well as the number of sharks present near swimmers.  

2. South Africa

            In the past 100 years, South Africa has seen 214 shark attacks and 42 fatalities.

            Because South Africa was one the first countries to protect great white sharks, their population has increased in South Africa. Great whites aren’t the only sharks found swimming the waters of South Africa; Mako, ragged tooth, tiger sharks, hammerheads, bull and blacktip sharks are also very abundant.

            Dyer Island, near Capetown, is known as “Shark Alley” because of abundance of species of sharks in the water, especially great white sharks.

1. Volusia Country, Florida

            The No.1 most dangerous location for shark attacks is right here in Florida!

            Although South Africa has had more shark attacks and fatalities than Volusia County, Volusia County is considered the most dangerous location because the 210 attacks since 1882 occurred just off the coastline. South Africa’s attacks occurred over 2,798 miles off the coastline.

            At New Smyrna Beach, located in Volusia County, there are more shark encounters per square mile than any other beach in the world. New Smyrna Beach is known as the “Shark Attack Capital of the World” because if you have ever gone swimming in the water you have most likely been within 10 feet of a shark.

            The reason for the high number of attacks is simply the high number of people swimming in the waters of this country. Volusia County attracts fisherman and surfers from all over because the county has some of the most popular beaches in surfing.

Shoppin' for Shark Lovers

The American Elasmobranch Society has made shopping for shark lovers easier.

“The American Elasmobranch Society is a non-profit organization that seeks to advance the scientific study of living and fossil sharks, skates, rays, and chimaeras, and the promotion of education, conservation, and wise utilization of natural resources.”

The AES has added four new fun and inexpensive items to their online store which already included calendars, books, T-shirts, and stationery.




1.      Mini Shark Cookie Cutter

Measure 3” long

 


2.      25 oz AES Aluminum Water Bottle

 


3.      Limited Edition Blown Glass Shark Ornament

Measures 3.75” long and 2” high.

   



4.      Limited Edition Shark Fin Ice Cube Tray

 

                       

Spinner Sharks

Similar to the nurse shark, spinner sharks don’t pose an immediate threat to humans. Although they are not considered dangerous to humans, the International Shark Attack File states that the spinner shark is responsible for 13 unprovoked attacks on humans, none being fatal.

The spinner shark is currently listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as "Near Threatened" throughout its range and "Vulnerable" in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. The IUCN explains that because this shark is frequently captured in commercial and recreational fisheries, it is highly vulnerable to fishing pressure.

Naming

• The spinner shark underwent numerous name changes including: Squalus brevipinna, Aprionodon brevipinna before it was finally named Carcharias brevipinna but most commonly known as spinner shark.
• Obtained the name spinner shark because of the way it jumps out of the water and because of the spinning motion in which they catch their pray.

Description

• Long, slender build with pointed snout and small eyes
• First dorsal fin is small and located above and behind the pectoral fin.
• Backs are gray-bronze
• Stomachs are white
• Dorsal, pectoral and anal fins all have black tips
• Average size is 6.4 feet and 123 lbs. Smallest spinner sharks are found in the northwestern Atlantic and the largest in the Indian Ocean and Indo-West Pacific.

Diet

• Primarily pelagic fish
• Prefer swarm fish such as sardines or herring.
• The shark swims rapidly through schools of fish, spinning along the axis of its body and snapping in all directions at the scattering fish

Distribution

• Spinner Sharks make seasonal migrations which is why they are found almost worldwide.
• Western Atlantic: North Carolina to the northern Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, Cuba and brazil
• Southern Mediterranean: Off the coast of North Africa, Cape Verde Islands, Sierra Leone and down to Angola
• Indian Ocean: Southeast Africa, Madagascar, the Seychelles, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden
• Spinners have also been spotted in the Western Central Pacific and Australia.

Shark Fishing with Team Rebel

Tuesday evening I had the pleasure of going shark fishing with members of the Team Rebel Fishing Club.

We arrived at Spanish River Beach in Boca Raton around 6:30 p.m. and had a great view of the sun setting as people left the beach.

Just after sundown, Zach Miller and his fellow teammates set up their fishing poles and canoed out to drop their bait, frozen Blue Fish.

It wasn’t long before they caught their first shark of the night and I got my first jolt of adrenalin.  We all sprinted down to the shore to find an estimated 5-foot, male, Spinner Shark.

Zach Miller, 23, and founder of Team Rebel, assured me that every shark caught is released back into the water within minutes of it being pulled ashore.

Tuesday evening Team Rebel was “doing the right thing,” as Miller stated, by tagging the Spinner Sharks they caught and sending the information back to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Association to aid in their research of shark migration.

Overall, shark fishing was an experience I will never forget. Being out there with the members of Team Rebel gave me a different outlook on what it really is that these shark fishermen are doing. They aren’t throwing fish guts all over the water to attract sharks, they aren’t fishing for sharks while people are at the beach, let alone in the water, and they certainly aren’t killing nor harming these sharks.

  

I hope to someday get the chance to go shark fishing again and help NOAA’s Apex Predators Program.

12 Fun Shark Facts

Did you know?

(Fun facts I found in the children’s book, "Shark!" by Chris Madsen)

1. There are over 300 species of sharks
2. The biggest living fish is the Whale Shark
3. Shark’s bones are soft, like gristle
4. Shark’s skin is covered with tiny teeth
5. Stroking a shark from nose to tail feels smooth but from tail to nose is rough
6. Sharks have to swim in order to breath
7. Pushing a shark backwards can put it to sleep
8. Sharks sometimes vomit the remains of their last meal in order to make room for more
9. The egg sacs of small sharks are called “mermaids purses”
10. A raincoat, 3 jackets, and a car license plate were once found inside a shark’s stomach
11. Sharks only eat 10% of their body weight in a week
12. About two-thirds of a shark's brain is connected to its nose

Sharks Keep The Bahamas’ Oceans and Economy Healthy

Although sharks are in trouble all around the globe, the shark population in The Bahamas is thriving.

The Bahamas are making a strong effort to protect their sharks because they recognize how crucial sharks are in maintaining balance in the marine ecosystem.

As top predators in the food chain, sharks regulate the amount as well as variety of species below them in the food chain. This regulation helps to keep the ecosystem in balance.  The decline in shark populations can lead to thing such as an unhealthy marine ecosystem and the collapse of important commercial fisheries.

 Coastal Angler Magazine explained that in North Carolina, an important commercial fishery was terminated because there weren’t enough sharks in the area to the keep the ecosystem in balance.  Because the shark population in the area had declined so much, the cownose ray population exploded which led to them diminishing the bay scallop population.

Sharks also aid in keeping the coral reef ecosystems healthy and beautiful. Corals depend on the small herbivorous fish to eat the aglea so that coral can settle and grow. Without sharks, the large fish, which feed on the small herbivorous fish, take over and eat the little ones which the coral depends on. The loss in small fish, because of the loss of sharks, results in an algae-dominated reef where coral cannot thrive and a change in the entire ecosystem.

Having sharks present keeps The Bahamas’ oceans looking beautiful, maintains healthy habitats, as well as successful fisheries which all draw in the tourism that maintains The Bahamas’ economy.

The Bahamas Diving Association stated that shark-related tourism contributed $800 million in its national economy over the last 20 years, said the Pew Environmental Group.

Boca Raton Marine Advisory Board votes against shark fishing ban

The Boca Raton Marine Advisory Board met Wednesday to discuss the proposed shark fishing ban on Boca Raton beaches.

Although most of the attendees of Wednesday’s meeting were in favor of the ban, the board chose to vote against banning shark fishing, reported Rebekah Monson of the Sun Sentinel.

The board appeared to have voted against the ordinance because of their concern with the state law that designates the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as the ones in charge of regulating fisheries.

Residents argued that although the sharks are in the water, it is not natural for fishers to be luring them in from offshore while swimmers are present. They also claimed that shark fishing could hurt Boca Raton’s tourism by discouraging visitors to feel safe in the water.

The Board recommended banning “fishing on beaches with lifeguards from sunrise until sunset” and that the City Council rejects the ordinance as it is currently written.

The City Council is expected to receive the Board’s newest recommendations and could take the ordinance up again as early as Tuesday Feb. 8.

Nurse sharks

Of the shark family, the nurse shark is known to be the least threatening to humans. Although they are of the least hostile sharks, the National Aquarium in Baltimore advises to still be weary of them because they have strong jaws filled with thousands of serrated teeth that they can use to cause great damage if you step on or both them. 

Theories on how the “nurse shark” got its name:

1.      From the sucking sound they make while looking for food in the ocean’s sand. The sound resembles that of a nursing baby.

2.      .From the archaic word, nusse, which means cat shark. 

3.      The theory most accepted is that the name came from an Old English word, hurse, meaning sea-floor shark.

Characteristics:

• 7.5- 9.75 ft long
• Weight 200 – 300 lbs
• Light yellowish brown to dark brown, with or without dark spots
• Flat, smooth body with a broad, round head
• Large, long tails can be up to ¼ their total length.
• Slow-moving bottom dwellers, often found resting on the ocean’s floor

Location:

• Tropical and subtropical waters on both sides of North America.

• The warm, shallow waters of the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans.
• Found in reefs, sandy bottoms, caves and crevices.
• Nurse sharks are non-migratory. Meaning, that they don’t relocate in search of warmer water, rather, they adapt to the cold by being less active and resting even more than usual.

Eating habits:

• Feed mostly at night
• Dine on spiny lobsters, small stingrays, sea urchins, squid, bony fish, and shrimp

Thousands of Sharks Spotted off Palm Beach

Thousands of sharks were spotted only 100 feet off the Palm Beach coast this morning.



Steve Irwin, pilot for Island Marine Service, spotted this terrify site as he was headed to Fort Pierce and immediately whipped out his iPhone and began shooting.

Although a frightening sight, it is not uncommon for sharks to be lingering so close to shore during this time of year. Sharks migrate towards warmer water and often get close to shore as they chase fish.