Shark bites drop due to Florida hurricanes

Sharks and humans both fled the coast as hurricanes battered Florida last year, causing a dramatic drop in shark attacks in the state that usually has a third of the world's annual total, scientists said on Tuesday.

Shark attacks occur most often in North American waters, and Florida normally has more than any other state or country because its long coastlines, dense population and year-round swimming weather often bring sharks and people together.

But Florida had only 12 shark attacks last year, compared with 30 a year earlier and down from an average of 33.5 in the previous four years, according to the annual tally from the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History. It was the lowest number of shark attacks in a decade that peaked with 52 US attacks in 2000.

Researchers attributed the drop in Florida to the unusually vicious hurricane season. Four hurricanes and a tropical storm hit Florida last year. They crisscrossed the state, forcing evacuations and causing wide destruction that kept people away from both the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts for long periods.

"The sharks also left the coast, said George Burgess, the shark file's director. Like many fish, they can sense an approaching storm a day or two before its arrival, probably through pressure changes.

"They know they're coming and they boogie off shore in anticipation. They're quite good at it," Burgess said.

The number of shark attacks rose steadily over the past century as the human population grew and aquatic recreation became more popular. Swimmers and waders are attacked most often, followed by surfers.

Seven of last year's attacks were fatal -- two in Australia and one each in Brazil, California, Egypt, Hawaii, and South Africa.