In the past few days, there have been multiple instances of shark attacks, but it was during one of these incidents that a man was bitten on the foot by a shark in New Smyrna Beach on Monday morning. The individual who was attacked is reported to be in a stable condition.
“You assume that the simple tasks become difficult, and it’s challenging,” shared Kevin Blanco.
Approximately 2 and a half months ago, when we initially spoke to Blanco, he was spearfishing in the Florida Keys and encountered a bull shark that attacked him.
“I have recounted the tale countless times, yet I have reached a juncture where individuals are curious about my well-being.” As his scar is recovering, he has regained his strength and mobility, skipping ahead to the present moment.
And Blanco is fine. He is currently undergoing independent physical therapy.
However, he mentioned that he has heard about multiple attacks since his own, and he is worried.
Shark assault, shark assault, shark assault is all you witness in the media presently. Being struck by lightning provides you with twice the opportunity of winning the lottery, making it better odds to have, considering how infrequent a shark attack is.
And he’s not necessarily incorrect.
According to the Florida Museum, Florida had the highest number of shark attacks in the United States in 2022, with a total of 16 occurrences.
Now, as per Tracking Sharks, since Monday, there have been 14 instances of shark attacks documented in our state.
The most recent incident occurred in New Smyrna Beach, where a 22-year-old was bitten on the foot.
The previous day on Anna Maria Island, a shark attacked a young man in his twenties, biting his leg.
And just recently, there was a news story about a man being bitten by a shark in the Everglades.
“It’s extremely challenging to determine whether or not that’s a growing pattern,” elucidated Yannis Papastamatiou.
The Associate Professor at University of Florida would like to collect data over a longer period of time in order to determine the latest attacks in this new trend, according to experts.
We are still talking about how many sharks are in the water and how many people are going into the water, but you should keep in mind that the numbers are still very, very low. He doesn’t believe that there is a frenzy of shark attacks.
He continued, “This is typically what occurs in the majority of situations. However, we often overlook the instances when the bites do not occur.”
There were more sharks than there are now, possibly in the US. People are increasingly entering the water and it is suggested by Papastamatiou that there could be potential reasons for shark attacks.
We are witnessing a resurgence in some shark populations in the water, as a result of historical overfishing and the implementation of effective fishing regulations. Therefore, it can be said that the regulations have been quite successful in ensuring the pretty good state of fishing for us now, after a few decades of being in place.
Yannis suggests that those who want to explore Florida’s deep blue should remain watchful, avoid estuaries, stick with large groups, and exit the water immediately upon spotting a shark.