[sunrico90]

Another one: HUTCHINSON ISLAND, FL - A 12-year-old boy was treated for puncture wounds after a shark bit him on the ankle.

It was the fourth shark attack in six weeks off Hutchinson Island, along Florida's east coast.

Can they be more active this year?

[richt1971]

Do any of the beaches in Florida use nets? I know Australia nets most major beaches but then again they get a lot of fatal great white attacks!
I've swam many times as a kid in daytona on vacation.

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by richt1971

Do any of the beaches in Florida use nets? I know Australia nets most major beaches but then again they get a lot of fatal great white attacks!
I've swam many times as a kid in daytona on vacation.

I don't believe that they use nets.

[ssg II]

No, nets are not used in Volusia or Flagler counties. How ridiculous. You'd have to net the perimiter of the whole state! Bye-bye ecosystem.

I'll swim in the ocean - anytime, anywhere. Obviously, I'm still alive. The odds of being struck by lightning are better than being bitten by a shark.

If you're scared, stay in the pool!

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by sunshinegirl

No, nets are not used in Volusia or Flagler counties. How ridiculous. You'd have to net the perimiter of the whole state! Bye-bye ecosystem.

I'll swim in the ocean - anytime, anywhere. Obviously, I'm still alive. The odds of being struck by lightning are better than being bitten by a shark.

If you're scared, stay in the pool!

Shark Attack: What Are the Odds?
In the wake of annual news stories about shark attacks, it's difficult not to hear that telltale theme song in your head as you head to the beach. But shark attacks are actually quite rare. For example, according to the International Shark Attack File, in 2005 there were only 58 unprovoked shark attacks on humans, 38 of which occurred in the United States.

Thirty-eight attacks out of a population of about 300 million. This means the odds of being attacked by a shark in the United States are roughly 1 in 8 million.

How do these odds compare to other dangers we face in the United States? See if you can guess.

But don't ask the 38 individuals that experienced the shark attack....

[ssg II]

Originally Posted by sunrico90

Thirty-eight attacks out of a population of about 300 million. This means the odds of being attacked by a shark in the United States are roughly 1 in 8 million.

How do these odds compare to other dangers we face in the United States? See if you can guess.

I'd be interested to know the current stats! The last I read shark attack odds were 1 in 3 million and lightning strike 1 in 300,000. Do you think it's because the shark population is decreasing?

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by sunshinegirl

I'd be interested to know the current stats! The last I read shark attack odds were 1 in 3 million and lightning strike 1 in 300,000. Do you think it's because the shark population is decreasing?

This might bring some inside:

Each year there are about 50 to 70 confirmed shark attacks and 5 to 15 shark-attack fatalities around the world. The numbers have risen over the past several decades but not because sharks are more aggressive: Humans have simply taken to coastal waters in increasing numbers.

•Over 375 shark species have been identified, but only about a dozen are considered particularly dangerous. Three species are responsible for most human attacks: great white (Carcharodon carcharias), tiger (Galeocerdo cuvier), and bull (Carcharhinus leucas) sharks.

• While sharks kill fewer than 20 people a year, their own numbers suffer greatly at human hands. Between 20 and 100 million sharks die each year due to fishing activity, according to data from the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File. The organization estimates that some shark populations have plummeted 30 to 50 percent.

[scottiej]

Comparing being struck by lightning to shark attacks results in a skewed statisitc. You can't compare shark attacks to lightning strikes because not everyone goes swimming in the ocean. I think you would be suprised at what percentage of the us population goes more than knee deep in the ocean. I think a scary statisitc is the odds of being attacked by a shark in northern Florida if you go more than waste deep in the water. (There are more shark attacks in Florida than anywhere in the world. Scary thought, although it's never stopped me from swimming in the ocean.

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by scottiej

Comparing being struck by lightning to shark attacks results in a skewed statisitc. You can't compare shark attacks to lightning strikes because not everyone goes swimming in the ocean. I think you would be suprised at what percentage of the us population goes more than knee deep in the ocean. I think a scary statisitc is the odds of being attacked by a shark in northern Florida if you go more than waste deep in the water. (There are more shark attacks in Florida than anywhere in the world. Scary thought, although it's never stopped me from swimming in the ocean.

Check the following site for a comparison with all 50 states (1994)
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks...klightning.htm

[sunrico90]

WOW, lots of sharks in South Africa....

At least 7.8 million sharks are killed off southern Africa each year by hooks intended for other animals, a new study says.

Accidentally caught animals, or bycatch, also include some 34,000 seabirds and 4,200 sea turtles every year off the west coasts of South Africa, Namibia, and Angola, according to the report, released last week by the conservation organizations WWF South Africa and BirdLife South Africa.

The animals get caught on baited hooks on longlines used by fishing boats targeting tuna and hake. The heavy fishing lines can trail for several miles behind a ship.