Number of US Shark attacks drops in 2009

Written by University of Florida Monday, 01 March 2010 20:27

Shark attacks in the US dropped in 2009Despite last month’s fatality off the Florida coast, the number of shark attacks in the United States continued its downward trend by taking a plunge in the latest recorded year, according to a new report from the University of Florida released earlier today. There might not be a sea change in the violent encounters because attacks worldwide edged up from 60 in 2008 to 61 in 2009, said George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at UF. “The big story is that the number of attacks in the United States dropped dramatically from 41 in 2008 to 28 in 2009,” he said. “Considering there were 50 attacks in 2007, we may have a bit of a trend, but only time will tell.” Florida led the way in the decline in attacks, which fell from 32 in both 2007 and 2008 to 19 in 2009, said Burgess, who released the latest annual shark attack figures today.

The file is housed in the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus. Burgess said the rate of attacks is dictated by the number of sharks and people in the same waters, and yearly variations are common. A possibility for the decline of assaults in American waters might be the influence of the recession reducing the number of beach-going bathers, Burgess said. “Florida’s population hasn’t gone down, so I suppose the economy could have had an effect on how many times people can afford to put gas in their cars and go to the beach.” Worldwide, victims died in five attacks, compared with four the previous year.

Except for a death in New Caledonia, the fatalities occurred in South Africa, where white sharks congregate in cooler waters, Burgess said. One of the victims was body surfing, another paddle boarding and the other three were surfing, he said. The United States led the world with 28 attacks, followed by Australia, 20, and South Africa, six. There were two attacks in Egypt and one each in Ecuador, Indonesia, Mozambique, New Caledonia and Viet Nam. Perhaps more telling than the annual figures is the number of shark attacks in a 10-year period, which rose to unprecedented levels between 2000 and 2010, Burgess said. “As scientists we don’t get so excited about individual years and tend to look at things in terms of decades,” he said. “The first decade of the 21st century continues a 100-year trend of each decade having more attacks than the previous one, the result of increases in human population and the amount of time spent in recreational activity.” Conversely, fatality rates have sharply declined. “These first 10 years of the new century have the all-time lowest fatality rate for any decade,” Burgess said. At the beginning of the 20th century, 60 percent of all shark attacks were fatal, compared with only 7 percent between 2000 and 2010, he said. “The number of people who died relative to the number of attacks was so high at the beginning of the 20th century in large part because of poor at-the-scene care, no lifeguards and obviously a much more rudimentary ability of medical science to save severe trauma victims,” he said. In the United States last year, there were 19 attacks in Florida, four in California, three in Hawaii and one each in Texas and Georgia. “More than half the attacks — 33 out of 61 — were surfers and this continues a trend that we’ve been seeing for quite awhile,” Burgess said.

Swimmers were the second largest group of victims, accounting for 10 of the attacks. The remaining incidents involved scuba diving, swimming, paddle boarding, body surfing, boogie boarding, kite surfing, snorkeling, spear fishing, wading, floating and entering the water, he said.

VIDEO AND PHOTOS: Within Florida, the county with the largest number of attacks was Volusia, 8, followed by Brevard, 4, Palm Beach, 3, Pinellas 2, and Lee and Monroe, one each. Volusia County has the dubious distinction of being the world’s shark bite capital as a result of attractive waves off New Smyrna Beach on the central Atlantic coast that are popular with surfers, he said. “As always, Volusia County was the bell winner,” Burgess said. “Year in and year out there have been more attacks there than anywhere else in Florida. This turned out to be a low year for Volusia County and I’m sure the chamber of commerce was very happy about that.” In 2009 there were 14 fewer attacks in Volusia County than the previous year, he said. If the recession contributed to a decline in shark attacks, that would likely show up in Volusia County’s visitor statistics, which draws surfers to its beaches and tourists to Daytona Beach, he said. 

Nintendo Announces Scuba Diving Adventure for Wii Users

Written by Nintendo Marketing Tuesday, 16 February 2010

The words “professional scuba diver” and “marine biologist” might not appear anywhere on your résumé, but thanks to an extraordinary new software title from Nintendo, people from all walks of life can enjoy an exhilarating undersea adventure without so much as a swimming lesson.

Launching Feb. 22 exclusively for the Wii™ system, the game Endless Ocean™: Blue World takes Nintendo’s unique ocean simulation series to the next level, with new features and story elements that create a mesmerizing aquatic odyssey for players of any age or experience level. “Endless Ocean: Blue World gives Wii owners the chance to take a round-the-world vacation from the comfort of their living rooms” Endless Ocean: Blue World features an original story that players can follow as they choose.

The plot involves Oceana, a girl who investigates the “Song of Dragons,” which her father, a prominent ocean explorer, sought before his death. Players can advance the story by exploring the game’s stunning underwater environments at their own pace. “Endless Ocean: Blue World gives Wii owners the chance to take a round-the-world vacation from the comfort of their living rooms,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “With exotic locations and hundreds of new marine animals to encounter, the game’s adventures are as vast as the ocean itself.” Two years ago, the original Endless Ocean invited Wii owners to embark on a relaxing, richly immersive dive through undersea environments filled with fascinating marine animals and plant species.

Endless Ocean: Blue World dives even deeper with more captivating creatures, enhanced graphics, an engaging new story and support for the optional Wii Speak™ microphone, which allows players with a broadband Internet connection to chat with friends near and far who also have the Wii Speak accessory/microphone while they play and explore the ocean depths. As they investigate marine environments in regions around the globe, players can access information about the habits and behaviors of hundreds of sea creatures, from tiny seahorses to tanker-sized whales. They can also interact with creatures in interesting ways, such as viewing the health status of local fish.

A new Pulsar tool sends waves of healing energy to ailing animals or calms aggressive sharks and crocodiles. Players also can train dolphins at the scenic Nineball Island and even grab onto them for a speedy undersea dive. For deeper interactive kicks, divers can sell salvaged items and use the dividends to buy coral that will attract new species to their own customized reefs.

With a broadband Internet connection, Endless Ocean: Blue World becomes a one-of-a-kind social experience. Using Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, two players with their own individual game discs can connect wirelessly and join up for a cooperative dive. Players with Wii Speak microphones can talk to each other in real-time as they navigate the watery depths in search of rare species or hidden treasure.

To facilitate this undersea chatter, Endless Ocean: Blue World is available bundled with the Wii Speak microphone at a suggested retail price of just $29.99, a great value that’s sure to set explorers of all ages off on new adventures. Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

For more information about Endless Ocean: Blue World, visit www.endlessocean.com.

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