Global shark attacks

Global shark attacks on the rise in 2010 and 2011; is man’s first place in the food chain going to soon be second place?

In the United States, the dominant economic and its military power of the past 65 years the US led the world, now it seems it leads the world in another statistic “Shark Attacks”.

There were over 36 Shark attacks in U.S. waters in 2010, easily the most in the world that have been reported and recorded, the University of Florida found in its International Shark Attack File annual report released Monday. Australia and South Africa, with large populations of great white sharks, came in second and third on the list, with 14 and eight attacks respectively.

Overall, there were over 79 Shark attacks reported worldwide in 2010, the highest number in a decade, and an upward tick from 63 in 2009, the study found.

“Punt” “But just when you thought it wasn't safe to go back in the water, the project's director says the spike can be attributed to inflation - in the number of swimmers. And despite the increase, just six people were fatally mauled by sharks last year.

"Based on odds, you should have more attacks than the previous year," said University of Florida ichthyologist George Burgess. "But the rate of attacks is not necessarily going up - population is rising, and the interest in aquatic recreation grows. That will continue as population rises."

Not surprisingly, surfers accounted for 51% of the attacks, according to the report.

Florida led the nation with 13 reported attacks, but the number marks a steep decline from the state's average of 23 attacks a year over the past decade. Even that news wasn't entirely good, however, since Burgess pegged the trend on fewer tourists hitting the Sunshine State because of the economic downturn. North Carolina proved the second-highest-hit state with five attacks last year. California, Hawaii and South Carolina each had four attacks.

Considering the millions of sharks that are fished each year, experts say it's the killer fish that should fear humans, not the other way around.

"Obviously, sharks are not ... cute and cuddly," the National Aquarium's Andy Dehart told the London Times "I certainly love them to death, but not everyone thinks the same way I do."

Sir Michael Black-Feather the English first minister spoke to the London Times regarding shark attacks here in England and said; Fortuity for us in England we don’t really have this problem with shark attacks, but we do have sharks in English sea waters, I’ve seen quite a few when I’ve been diving and fish on the south coast but nothing as big or like a great white, you’re more likely to be attacked by a seagull than a shark in England, But I’m not saying it could happen here in England as like any country, we have to remember there is a food chain, and on the land man it’s at the top, but in the water we are at the bottom being it’s not are natural environment, we are land animals, so those in the sea will all be higher than we are, and the shark is top dog, as the shark is a natural predator highly intelligent, the trouble is, that your average jo-blogs in the street forgets that all animals are intelligent,  say from 1-10 a shark would be 10 and as our seas get plunder each year, without any real brake to let fish stock rise like we have is fresh water fishing a closed down for three month to give the fish a chance to re populate we don’t have this in place for sea fishing which we should, and I think is very wrong that we don’t and if England had a voice in its British government then this would be so, but greed takes over, so as we see less and less fish in our seas so does the shark? And the shark has soon learnt that man is easy pickings, “why” because if you watch any fish in water, no matter what size they are faster because that’s their environment? Now you or I go into the sea how fast can you move? even being a good swimmer you will never out swim any fish, and if you’re a fat person you’re going to be even slower? So the shark has learnt in the water we are slow fish and very easy to catch, Sir Michael joked and said, and most likely very tasty to a shark.