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Ralph Collier spoke at one of our meetings last year and sends along
this report for 2008:<br>
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<title>Shark Research Committee Press Release</title>
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<td width="67%"><strong>NEWS RELEASE </strong><br>
For information contact:<br>
Ralph S. Collier (818) 998-5818 <br>
Email:<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:SharkResearch@aol.com%20">
SharkResearch@aol.com</a><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="SharkResearch@aol.com%20"> </a><br>
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<p><strong><font size="4">For Immediate Release</font></strong><br>
January 12, 2009</p>
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<div align="center"><font size="5"><strong>Pacific Coast Shark
Attacks During 2008</strong></font></div>
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<p>There were 5 unprovoked shark attacks confirmed from the
Pacific Coast of North America during 2008, <span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">which is
slightly more than half of the total number of authenticated shark
attacks reported during 2007</span>. 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, <em>Carcharodon
carcharias</em>, 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, <em>‘more than five times’</em> the
Twentieth Century annual average. </p>
<p><em>“Shark Attacks of the Twentieth Century”</em>
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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Additional information regarding the Shark Research
Committee's conservation, education, and research programs and how you
can participate are available at: <br>
</p>
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<p><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com">www.sharkresearchcommittee.com</a></p>
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