Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} California had significantly less shark attacks last year than Florida, but only slightly fewer than Hawaii, one center that compiles shark attack data found.
With four shark attacks last year, California was tied with North Carolina at No. 4 among the states with the most incidents. Edging out California was Florida at No. 1, with 28 bites, Hawaii at No. 2 (7 bites) and South Carolina with five attacks, according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of National History.
Florida has long been the state that sees the most shark attacks, as many people flocks to the state’s long and attractive beaches. The waters also have a rich marine fauna.
“As has been the norm for decades, Florida again had most (54 percent) of the unprovoked attacks in the United States,” the report read.
The report also stated that Florida’s number of bites last year was higher than 2013 and Hawaii’s total was lower than in recent years.
A pair of shark attacks on the North Carolina coast just an hour and a few miles apart over the weekend has sparked new fears as beaches prepare for the crush of summer visitors.
Unprovoked shark attacks on humans are extremely rare, but most of them happen in the United States — and more than half of those are in Florida waters, the center found.
Local
Last year, the United States saw 52 unprovoked shark attacks, out of 72 worldwide, according to the center. Of the 72, just three — all of them outside the U.S. — were deadly.
