62 attacked by sharks in 2006

More humans in the water mean more shark attacks, experts say.
WASHINGTON POST
Shark!
Sharks attacked 62 people without provocation last year, killing four of them, scientists at the University of Florida said Tuesday.
That was one fewer than in 2005, although the number of fatalities was the same, according to an annual worldwide count by the International Shark Attack File, part of the Florida Museum of Natural History at the university in Gainesville.
Shark attacks in recent years peaked at 79 in 2000. But attacks in general have been on the rise in recent decades because the human population is growing and people are spending more time in the water, said George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research.
"It's a very obvious trend," Burgess said. "Shark attack is fundamentally a function of the number of humans in the water, more so than the number of sharks." In fact, the shark population has declined because of overfishing and habitat loss, Burgess said. But with more people diving, surfing and swimming, the chances of a shark encounter have increased, he said.
Where they occurred
Thirty-eight of the 62 attacks last year were in the United States, including 23 in Florida, four in South Carolina, three each in Hawaii and Oregon, two in California, and one each in New Jersey, North Carolina and Texas.
The four deaths in 2006 were in Australia, Brazil, Tonga and La Reunion island in the Indian Ocean.
Burgess said most of the attacks were cases where the shark confused a human with something it normally eats.
There are many ways to reduce the risk of attack. Experts advise swimmers to stay in groups, stick close to shore, remove shiny jewelry, and avoid the water at twilight and nighttime, when sharks are most active. It is also smart to stay out of the water if you are bleeding.