Shark attacks in Australia

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Grey Nurse Shark in Fish Rock Cave, South West Rocks, New South Wales

The Australian Shark-Incident Database has recorded that between 1791 and April 2018 there were 1068 shark attacks in Australia with 237 of them being fatal.[1]

Four species of sharks account for the vast majority of fatal attacks on humans: the bull shark, tiger shark, oceanic whitetip shark and the great white shark.

In 2021 Australian authorities pushed to rebrand shark attacks as “negative encounters” or “interactions” to boost conservation efforts and alter perceptions of sharks as vicious.[2]

Shark netting[]

Example of a shark net

Since shark netting began in 1937, the number of deaths from sharks on beaches has been reduced in New South Wales, with only one fatal attack on a netted beach during that time. In Queensland there has not been a fatal attack on a netted beach since nets were introduced in the 1960s.[3]

Precautions against attacks[]

The Australian Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts states precautions which can be taken to reduce the risk of shark attacks.[4] These include avoiding swimming far from the shore, at the mouth of a river or on drop-offs to deeper water; avoiding swimming in dirty water, alone or with domestic animals, near people fishing, or at dusk or night; and to leave the water if schools of fish behave erratically or group in large numbers. The Australian Institute of Marine Science also states many of these and other precautions including not wearing jewelry or reflective clothing while swimming, and not swimming with any bleeding wounds.[5]

Non-fatal attacks[]

Name, age Date Species Location; Comments
Joe Hoffman, 25 July 5, 2021 Great white shark A surfer was mauled by a white shark while surfing at Crescent Head on the NSW Mid North Coast. He suffered severe injuries to his right arm but surgeons expected it would be saved.[6]
Unnamed, 25 June 23, 2021 A surfer was attacked by an unidentified species off the coast of Leeman.[7]
Jackson Bartlett, 10 June 11, 2021 Bronze whaler Snorkeling at Five Finger Reef near Coral Bay.[8]
Lucas Arnott, 10 July 17, 2020 Great white shark Five km offshore from Stanley, Tasmania A ten year old boy was grabbed by a shark and pulled into the water from a 6m fishing boat. The boy’s father jumped into the water and retrieved the child, who suffered lacerations to his arm and cuts to his head and chest.[9][10] Appears the child’s lifejacket protected the boy, which was shredded.[11]
Wil Schroeter, 59 January 17, 2020 Wil Schroeter, a 59-year-old father of 2, from Albion Park, bitten around the foot while surfing at Windang Beach.[12]
Chris Blowes, 26 April 25, 2015 Great white shark Blowes and friends were surfing at Fishery Bay, 35 km from Port Lincoln in South Australia when a 6m Great White attacked. Chris' life was saved when his friends wrapped a leg rope as a tourniquet until Blowes was air lifted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He lost his left leg and was clinically dead (his heart stopped for 90 minutes following the attack) but has made a remarkable recovery.
Paddy Trumbull, 60 February 13, 2010 Trumbull, a 60-year-old grandmother from Sydney, survived a shark attack off northeastern Australia. She suffered severe lacerations to her buttocks and lost several pints of blood in the attack, which took place on the afternoon of Saturday, February 13, 2010, while she and her husband were snorkeling off Dent Island in Queensland.[13]
Dirk Avery, 52, November 2000 Great white shark Dirk Avery, a friend of Ken Crew, was badly wounded by his legs when he tried to defend him from the shark. Ken Crew lost his leg and died.
Rodney Fox, 23 December 1963 Great white shark Attacked while spearfishing and badly bitten around the chest and arm and survived.
Albert Pride, 20 February 1951 Lake Illawarra, fought off an attacking shark with a penknife[14]
Oates, youth December 1929 Currumbin, punched and kicked shark and fought it off [15]

Fatal attacks[]

Main article: List of fatal shark attacks in Australia

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Australian Shark-Incident Database". Taronga Conservation Society. 18 April 2018. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Shark attacks rebranded as 'negative encounters'". NewsComAu. 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  3. ^ Sharks Rampage in Australia Time magazine Jan. 12, 2009
  4. ^ Sharks in Australian waters Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
  5. ^ Dangerous marine animals, Sharks Australian Institute of Marine Science
  6. ^ "'Wrong spot, wrong time': Friends, family rally as surfer recovers from shark attack". www.abc.net.au. 2021-07-06. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  7. ^ "Surfer attacked by shark north of Perth". The West Australian. 2021-06-23. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  8. ^ "'I thought I was going to die': Schoolboy describes surviving shark attack". www.9news.com.au. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  9. ^ "10yo in stable condition after shark 'grabbed him from boat'". Australian Broadcasting Commission. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Grandfather of 10yo shark victim says family is in 'shock' and coming to terms with the incident". Australian Broadcasting Commission. 19 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  11. ^ Lehman, Ros (18 July 2020). "Praise for father of young Tasmanian shark attack victim". Australian Broadcasting Commission. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Surfer's foot left 'pretty mangled' after being 'bitten to the bone' in shark attack". ABC News. 16 January 2020.
  13. ^ Grandmother, 60, Shares Shark Attack Story
  14. ^ Fought Off Shark with Penknife Canberra Times, 5 February 1951
  15. ^ Fight with shark, Youth beats off monster Canberra Times, Dec 1929

External links[]

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