Risk of Great White Shark Attack Falls by Staggering 91 Percent

The great white shark is the largest shark in the sea, which may possibly explain its fearsome reputation. Now, though, scientists have found that the risk of a shark white attack for individual ocean users in California has fallen by a staggering 91 percent since 1950. Now, researchers may have found out why that is.

"Just like we check the weather before going boating or the surf forecast before surfing, information about the risk of encountering large predators can become a normal precaution we take before going into the ocean," said Francesco Ferretti, first author of the new study, in a news release.

In this case, the researchers looked at the number of reported white shark attacks that caused injuries on the California coast from 1950 to 2013, as recorded by the Global Shark Attack File. In all, there were just 86 injurious attacks, of which 13 were fatal.

So what did the scientists find? While more people are enjoying the ocean each year, there's a reduced risk of an attack. Three times as many people live in coastal California now as did in 1950, but the popularity of ocean sports has expanded more dramatically. Yet the number of shark attacks has actually gone down when taking the increased numbers into account.

"You have a higher chance to win the lottery, a much higher chance to drown in the ocean, than to be attacked by a shark," said Ferretti. "At the same time, people need to approach the ocean with precaution and respect. We are entering the realm of predators and they are fulfilling their ecological role."

More information about these sharks and what needs to be done in order to avoid them may have contributed to the lower numbers of attacks. Information is certainly key when it comes to dealing with these amazing predators.

The findings are published in the journal Ecology.

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