[CINC] Pacific Coast Shark Attacks During 2008

[Clare Fritzsche]

Ralph Collier spoke at one of our meetings last year and sends along 
this report for 2008:

  	 
*NEWS RELEASE *
For information contact:
Ralph S. Collier (818) 998-5818
Email: SharkResearch at aol.com <mailto:SharkResearch at aol.com%20> 
<SharkResearch at aol.com%20>
	

*For Immediate Release*
January 12, 2009

*Pacific Coast Shark Attacks During 2008*
** 

There were 5 unprovoked shark attacks confirmed from the Pacific Coast 
of North America during 2008, which is slightly more than half of the 
total number of authenticated shark attacks reported during 2007. The 
victims were engaged in surfing (2), kayaking (2), and swimming (1). The 
fatal attack on swimmer David Martin at Solana Beach in April was the 
third fatality confirmed for the 21st Century with the prior two 
occurring in the month of August in 2003 and 2004. The Great White 
Shark, /Carcharodon carcharias/, was positively identified as the causal 
species in all five of the attacks verified in 2008. This brings the 
total number of authenticated shark attacks along the West Coast during 
the first 8 years of the 21st Century to 42, /?more than five times?/ 
the Twentieth Century annual average.

/?Shark Attacks of the Twentieth Century?/ authenticated 108 unprovoked 
shark attacks from the Pacific Coast between 1900 and 1999. The Great 
White Shark, was implicated in 94 (87%) of the attacks with an annual 
average of slightly more than one shark attack per year. It is 
compelling that since the year 2000 there have been 42 unprovoked shark 
attacks reported from the Pacific Coast. This is nearly 40% of the total 
number of attacks reported for the entire Twentieth Century and all in 
less than a decade.

The most recent victim was Tony Johnson kayaking near Tomales Head and 
Dillon Beach, California on December 20th. He was the eighth kayaker to 
be attacked off the Pacific Coast since the first reported incident in 
1989 and the 150th shark attack victim since 1900. The Great White Shark 
has been implicated in 130 (87%) of the 150 confirmed unprovoked shark 
attacks reported from the Pacific Coast of North America.

There were 36 shark attacks confirmed from California, which includes 3 
fatalities, and 6 unprovoked attacks reported from Oregon during the 
first eight years of the 21st Century. Surfers accounted for 32 (76%) of 
the shark attacks documented since 2000 with 4 (10%) swimmers, 3 (7%) 
kayakers, 2 (5%) divers and 1 (2%) paddle boarder. The number of 
juvenile and adult Great White Sharks observed in the Southern 
California area during 2008 suggests a possible change in their 
population dynamics and seasonal site preferences. The number of 
stranded marine mammal carcasses reported, specifically their location 
and time of year, would seem to support this observation. The Shark 
Research Committee will closely monitor this activity in the coming year.

Additional information regarding the Shark Research 
Committee's conservation, education, and research programs and how you 
can participate are available at: 

www.sharkresearchcommittee.com <http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com>

 

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