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Shark attacks worldwide reached all-time high in 2015

Six people were killed in shark attacks in 2015, the International Shark Attack File announced Tuesday.

By Ed Adamczyk
The International Shark Attack File reported a record 98 unprovoked shark attacks on humans in 2015, and six fatalities worldwide. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
The International Shark Attack File reported a record 98 unprovoked shark attacks on humans in 2015, and six fatalities worldwide. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Sharks set a record in 2015, with 98 recorded unprovoked attacks on humans, beating the previous record of 88 in 2000, Florida researchers announced.

The increase is thought to be the result of humans spending more time in the water.

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"Sharks plus humans equals attacks. As our population continues to rapidly grow and shark populations slowly recover, we're going to see more interactions," said George Burgess, curator of the International Shark Attack File, an international research clearing house of the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida.

The Shark Attack File began as a project to quantify shark stacks on U.S. servicemen in World War II. The United States led the world in shark attacks in 2015, with 59, propelled by increasing numbers of swimmers and surfers in the water. The attacks involved six fatalities, up from a record low of three in 2014: two off the Indian Ocean island of Reunion and one each in Australia, Egypt, New Caledonia and the United States, in Hawaii.

Surfers were most likely to be attacked by sharks, with 49 percent of the 2015 attacks involving surfers and other board sports participants. Swimmers and waders accounted for 42 percent, and snorkelers had 9 percent. There were no shark attacks reported on scuba divers.

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In the United States, Florida had the highest number of shark attacks -- 30. New York had one.

"We can and should expect the number of attacks to be higher each year," Burgess commented. "When we visit the sea, we're on their turf."

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