Florida, and Volusia County in particula, holds on to its title of shark bite capital of the world.
According to to a study by the University of Florida, the state saw 23 shark bites in 2006. Of those, 12 were in Volusia County, compared to nine in 2005.
Florida’s number of bites increased by four between 2005 and 2006, but remains low compared to the state’s average of 33 between 2000 and 2003.
Australia had seven bites, South Africa had four and Brazil had three. None of Florida's attacks were fatal and the report said attacks in Volusia County are seldom serious. However, deaths resulted from four of the 62 worldwide attacks, one each in Australia, Brazil, La Reunion and Tonga.
The report attributes the long-term decline in attacks to overfishing and increasingly cautious swimmers. It also noted that many vactioners are not taking precautions when traveling to remote areas of the world with primarily native populations. For example, tourists often don't ask about the areas that are dangerous for swimming.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Volusia County Still Shark-Bite Capital
Shark Bite Sinks Shrimp Boat
February 6, 2007 FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. -- Capt. Roger Schmall said a group of sharks had been slamming into the Christy Nichole's hull for four days, But then a 14-foot bull shark broke the boat's tail shaft, leaving Schmall and his crew of two adrift about 100 miles off the coast.
Schmall radioed for help, and another vessel picked the crew up about two hours later. He remained aboard his ship to pump water out while the other boat pulled it back to land. Schmall said it was working for a couple of hours, but the waves eventually took their toll on Schmall's boat and the boat sank. The crew made it to shore safely.
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