Scientists explain mystery of why America is becoming 'shark attack capital of the world'

The US has go nan shark onslaught superior of nan world amid a spate of gruesome bites in Florida, Texas, New York and California.

Despite Australia's estimation for being a hotspot, much than half of nan 69 worldwide confirmed shark bites last twelvemonth occurred successful nan US.

These figures, arsenic good arsenic heightened media attraction astir nan attacks successful America, person led galore to wonderment if nan sharks astir our coastlines are becoming much fierce successful immoderate way.

Former President Donald Trump has floated nan thought that nan summation successful battery-powered boats are causing origin humans to beryllium attacked by sharks. Other experts person theorized global warming and rising oversea levels could beryllium changing nan predators' behavior.

But experts told DailyMail.com they judge it to beryllium a substance of a surplus of food migrating to nan coasts and biology conditions while different experts person said it's caused by America's efforts to clean up nan ocean.

Over nan Fourth of July weekend, a 14-year-old was attacked while lifeguard training successful Florida. When Dempsey Manhart dove into nan water, he landed connected apical of a shark which spot his limb earlier swimming away.

The teen was rushed to nan infirmary wherever he needed 17 stitches to seal nan wound. 

Many experts theorize that US conservation efforts to decrease pollution in nan oceans has changed sharks' hunting behaviors, bringing them person to h2o adjacent onshore that was erstwhile unviable because it was truthful polluted. 

In immoderate states, for illustration New York, conservation efforts to clean up rivers that travel into nan water person reduced nan magnitude of polluted and soiled h2o that reaches nan sea, driving a rebound successful marine life.

'Seeing sharks successful our section ecosystem is highly important, and it's a motion that nan situation astir america is healthy,' Chris Paparo, a shark master astatine Stony Brook University successful Long Island said successful a series of Twitter videos.

But professors Oliver Shipley and Michael Frisk astatine nan School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences astatine Stony Brook told DailyMail.com that can't conclusively opportunity location is 1 circumstantial logic why nan sharks are swimming truthful adjacent to shore.

'This is not a cut-and-dry cause-and-effect scenario,' Shipley said.

'This is thing that's highly analyzable and we person to beryllium really observant astir attributing azygous things, for illustration pollution, to why we whitethorn spot much of definite animals successful definite areas than we did before.'

Shipley said: 'I don't deliberation that nan number of incidents are higher successful nan US because it's thing to do pinch sharks being much fierce present comparative to different places, I deliberation location are different demographic factors that mightiness play into it.'

The number of shark attacks successful nan US decreased past year, dropping from 41  recorded incidents successful 2022, according to nan University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File report, which contradicts nan thought bites are becoming much common.

Shipley and Frisk are not ruling retired nan theory, but said location isn't conclusive grounds that contamination has contributed to sharks' proximity to shore.

Fisheries adopted regulations to safeguard nan declining shark population over a decade ago.

The Shark Conservation Act of 2010 banned shark finning - a waste and acquisition successful which sharks are captured and their fins removed earlier tossing them backmost into nan ocean.

'Are location much sharks now than location were 5 aliases 10 years ago? Absolutely,' Tobey Curtis, a fishery guidance master astatine nan National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told Vox. 'We've been managing and conserving shark populations since 1993.'

Despite this report, Frisk and Shipley said nan shark organization hasn't drastically accrued successful nan past 30 to 50 years and shark attacks much apt hap wherever schools of food congregate.

In 2019, a 19-year-old was vacationing connected nan Texas seashore erstwhile she was attacked by a shark and fought disconnected nan predator by punching it connected nan chemoreceptor and successful a abstracted incident, a man received stitches successful his limb aft a shark onslaught successful California successful 2022.

Some of nan sharks that person seemingly attacked humans are beautiful docile, for illustration soil tiger sharks, but if a personification and nan shark bumped into each different location would beryllium a chance nan swimmer could get bitten.

'All successful all, it could conscionable beryllium you came into interaction accidentally and they deliberation that you are portion of their feeding system,' Frisk said.

Florida and California spot nan astir attacks successful nan US each year, and this is apt caused by more group swimming successful nan h2o successful those regions and nan magnitude of clip group aquatics successful nan water during nan year.

The International Shark Attack File revealed that awesome whites, tiger and bull sharks killed nan mostly of group successful 2023, but nan accrued deaths are owed to much group being successful nan water each twelvemonth and a stronger accent placed connected reporting bites and fatalities. 

These reports are successful nonstop opposition to erstwhile President Donald Trump's mendacious claims that boat batteries origin humans to beryllium attacked by sharks.

The 2024 statesmanlike hopeful brought up shark attacks astatine a run arena successful Nevada past period aft he expressed interest that an electrical boat's weight could make them descend and electrocute nan group connected board.

'What would hap if nan vessel sank from its weight and you're successful nan vessel and you person this tremendously powerful battery, and nan artillery is now underwater, and there's a shark that's astir 10 yards complete there?' Trump said.

'Do I get electrocuted aliases do I jump complete by nan shark? By nan way, batch of shark attacks lately. Did you announcement that?'

However, contrary to Trump's claims, Arc Boat Company explained that nan batteries are successful water-tight containers and person leak discovery sensors, 'something you don't typically spot successful electrical cars.'