I’m used to hearing about shark attacks at beaches in far-flung locales such as South Africa or Australia. But now sharks are attacking people in… Daytona Beach :eek: ! AAaack! My memories of Daytona Beach include stale beer, scantily-clad co-eds, MTV Spring Break parties and [Friends reference]Joey Tribbiani selling T-shirts[Friendsreference], with nary a shark in sight! :eek:
Now that all the spring break people have gone to Cancún, Daytona Beach is trying to rework its image as a family destination. I’m sure that, in light of the recent shark attacks, the chair of the tourism board is wringing his/her hands.
Now, if I was a person given over to irrational thought, I would say that these shark attacks are the earth’s way of getting back at us for killing sharks in our fishing nets, or heating up the ocean via global warming, yada yada yada. But I’m not and I won’t.
Instead, I propose a solution to the shark-biting problem: bite back! That’s right. Give these sharks a taste (heh heh) of their own medicine. At Union Station in St. Louis is a Key West-themed restaurant that serves an appetizer called “Shark Bites.” It’s yummy, and you can guess the ingredients. If you’re in the St. Louis area, teach the Shark God a lesson and order a plate.
According to this article, it’s not even a statistical fluke. It’s been an average year for shark attacks. We’ve had some high-profile attacks, but the number of attacks and the areas in which the attacks have occurred are, apparently, not unusual.
I’m not sure I see the rant here, this seems more like a question, but there are many things to consider. I don’t like to hear about people being bitten, particularly that little boy who lost his arm, but let’s face it: sharks don’t seek people out. As a matter of fact, most of these people survived because the shark was exhibiting more of a territorial than a feeding behavior. This territory itself is not fixed, it is affected by food supply, currents, and fluctuations in temperature. If it happens to overlap with an area where an ever increasing number of humans enter the water, then there are going to be some regrettable attacks.
And humans do bite back. They hype caused by the recent news stories will no doubt lead to the irrational killing of a large number of the creatures.
Right after the boy in Florida had his arm bitten off, I said to my wife that we would be hearing about every single shark attack for awhile. How right I was. The number of attacks hasn’t changed, the press coverage has.
That said, its not that we sharks are mad, its just that the smell of cocoa butter sun tan lotion is soooo irresistible.
pldennison is right that there are more attacks in the US than anywhere else. But check out this website http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/Statistics/GAttack/World.htm and you’ll see that while there are more attacks in the US, it is also statistically the best place to be attacked, given that, between the years 1580 and 2000, only 48 (about 7%) of the 706 shark attacks in the lower 48 states have resulted in fatalities. Compare that with Australia, where 323 attacks have resulted in 152 fatalities; even Europe has 19 deaths from only 37 attacks.
Also, for those paranoid about these sorts of things, go here http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/attacks/relarisk.htm
to check out the relative risk from shark attack and some other dangers. For example, Florida had 180 shark attacks and four fatalities 1959-1990, but in that same period it had 1155 lightning strikes, with 313 deaths.
My best advice is, don’t swim in Florida during a lightning storm.
I’m still not convinced they’re not gaining intelligence and are pissed at us. You know humans are only the third most intelligent species on the planet. Sharks may be gaining on us!
[QUOTE] Originally posted by mhendo *
it is also statistically the best place to be attacked, given that, between the years* 1580 ** and 2000, only 48 (about 7%) of the 706 shark attacks in the lower 48 states have resulted in fatalities.
Wow only 48 attacks in 421 years- where did I leave my bathing suit?
CWN, it was not 48 attacks, but 48 fatalities from 706 attacks. And no, the date was not a misprint. The University of Florida’s Shark Research Program lists “confirmed unprovoked shark attacks” over the whole world for the years 1580-2000, although its figures for the United States start in 1670. See http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/Statistics/GAttack/mapusa.htm
The webite also says:
"There are three major kinds of unprovoked shark attacks. By far the most common are “hit and run” attacks. These typically occur in the surf zone with swimmers and surfers the normal targets. The victim seldom sees its attacker and the shark does not return after inflicting a single bite or slash wound. In most instances, these probably are cases of mistaken identity that occur under conditions of poor water visibility and a harsh physical environment (breaking surf and strong wash/current conditions). A feeding shark in this habitat must make quick decisions and rapid movements to capture its traditional food items. When these difficult physical conditions are considered in conjunction with provocative human appearance and activities associated with aquatic recreation (splashing, shiny jewelry, contrasting colored swimsuits, contrasting tanning, especially involving the soles of the feet), it is not surprising that sharks might occasionally misinterpret a human for its normal prey. We suspect that, upon biting, the shark quickly realizes that the human is a foreign object, or that it is too large, and immediately releases the victim and does not return. Some of these attacks could also be related to social behaviors unrelated to feeding, such as dominance behaviors seen in many land animals. Injuries to “hit and run” victims are usually confined to relatively small lacerations, often on the leg below the knee, and are seldom life-threatening.
“Bump and bite” attacks and “sneak” attacks, while less common, result in greater injuries and most fatalities. These types of attack usually involve divers or swimmers in somewhat deeper waters, but occur in nearshore shallows in some areas of the world. “Bump and bite” attacks are characterized by the shark initially circling and often bumping the victim prior to the actual attack. “Sneak” attacks differ in having the strike occur without warning. In both cases, unlike the pattern for “hit and run” attacks, repeat attacks are not uncommon and multiple or sustained bites are the norm. Injuries incurred during this type of attack are usually quite severe, frequently resulting in death. We believe these types of attack are the result of feeding or antagonistic behaviors rather than being cases of mistaken identity. Most shark attacks involving sea disasters, e.g. plane and ship accidents, probably involve “bump and bite” and “sneak” attacks."
[all this at http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/attacks/howwhen.htm ]
Ok, let’s disregard evidence showing that sharks aren’t smarter than they used to be or attacking more often than usual and picture this: You’re at home, minding your own business, looking in the fridge for someting to eat. All of a sudden, for no reason you can fathom, vacationing sharks come into your house and start playing. All the food has been scared out of your fridge. Now you’re hungry and pissed, so you beat up one of the sharks and the others run away too out of fear.
When were you rin the St Louis area? I live in St Louis County. I know exactly where you’re talking about and secon my recomendation for the Shark Bites.
BTW, I read somewhere that sharks have a bundle of nerves in their snouts and that hitting them in the snouts is similar to hitting a man in his balls. Any truth to this?
What overpopulation of (formerly?) endangered sharks? Shark populations are often estimated now to be about as low as they have ever been for the time period in which data is available (but usually such data is not available). Not only that, but I am not aware of any evidence that Tiger Sharks or Bull Sharks (which are the two of most common species involved in shark attacks) have ever been on the Endangered Species list, much less that their numbers have increased because of any governmental action. White Sharks, which are another of the most common species involved in shark attacks, have been protected in South Africa since 1991, the U.S. since the mid-'90s, and are under consideration for protection in Australia (last I heard). If you have evidence that their population is increasing, many people would be interested, since most, perhaps all, experts believe their population is decreasing. (This link is informative on White Sharks)
There are, of course, a heck of a lot more people visiting the water as population increases and more people take up water sports or visit beaches.
We should address our attention to how to prevent shark attacks that do happen, rather than fictitious claims of overpopulation.
Visit the links mhendo provided, they’re very informative.
My whole frickin’ adult life I’ve taken crap for being from Nebraska, an utterly landlocked state. I’ve endured jokes about our Navy and our ignorance of “seafood,” mistaken references to Dorothy and Toto, assumptions that my neighbors live in teepees, complaints about lack of scenery and diversions from anyone who has driven through on their way to points west, and snooty dismissals of my aspirations to worldliness.
This, my friends, is payback time for we prairie folk. Sure, we suck and all. We lack culture, we eat prairie dog, and we love tractor pulls. But goddamn it, we don’t have shark attacks.
I’ll be here in front of my sod house shucking corn for the square dance tonight, if you need me.
Every year, a couple dozen people on the east coast of Florida are bitten by sharks. Almost invariably, these are inconsequential wounds inflicted by small sharks mistaking the bather’s leg or foot for a tasty fish. When the shark realizes the bather is not a fish, it lets go, and the bather is taken to the hospital for stitches. The really dangerous sharks–whites, bulls, and tigers–are not involved in the attacks on the east coast.
In other words, no big deal. I will be at New Smyrna Beach on Labor Day weekend, and I will happily and safely swim as much as I damn well want, assuming the paranoid authorities have reopened the beach by then.
