MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Florida has been named the shark bite capital of the world, according to a new study.
The Florida Museum of Natural History released its “International Shark Attack File” statistics for last year.
Shark Bites 2021 infographic. (Source: Florida Museum of Natural History)
It investigated 137 alleged shark-human interactions worldwide in 2021, and the majority were unprovoked.
Narrowing down the numbers, the United States had the most unprovoked shark bites a year ago with 47 confirmed cases. That’s almost two-thirds of the worldwide total. Of the 47 attacks, only one was fatal and it happened in California.
Florida had 28 cases in 2021. That’s a third of unprovoked bites worldwide.
Volusia County had the most shark bites by far with 17. Miami-Dade, Brevard and St. Lucie Counties each saw two bites. And one bite each in Broward, Palm Beach, St. Johns and Manatee Counties.
Over the last five years, Florida has been averaging 25 attacks.
For the full report, click here.