Worldwide estimates state that 30 to 100 people a year are attacked. Analysis of over 1,000 case histories world wide, from the International Shark Attack File suggests an average of 30% are fatal.

This is consistent with Australian figures.

Earliest Australian recorded attack was in 1791, an indigenous female on the North Coast of NSW (fatal).

The following statistics are the compilation of reported shark/human interactions over a 200 year period. Note: Last fatal attack in Sydney Harbour - Marcia Hathaway (1963).

State

Total Attacks

Fatal AttacksLast Fatal Attack
NSW 256 73 2008 Ballina, Lighthouse Beach
QLD 237 73 2006 North Stradbroke Island
VIC 36 7 1977 Mornington Peninsula
SA 49 19 2005 Glenelg Beach
WA 91
 14 2005 Houtman Abrolhos Is.
NT 12 3 1938 Bathurst Island
TAS 21 5 1993 Tenth Is, Georgetown
Total 702 194 (as of 4th July 2008)

As of January 2007 for all Australian States combined:

In the last 20 years, there have been 25 recorded fatalities due to shark attack = averages 1.25 per year. (SA = 9, QLD = 8, WA = 6, NSW = 1, TAS = 1, VIC = 0, NT = 0).

In the last 50 years, there have been 56 recorded fatalities due to shark attack = averages 1.12 per year. (QLD = 22, SA = 16, WA = 7, NSW = 5, TAS = 4, VIC = 2,  NT = 0).

Shark Attacks In Perspective:

There is an element of risk in any activity we undertake. To put the risk of being killed by a shark attack into perspective the following statistics illustrate the number of deaths associ-ated with water related activities in Australia.

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Total Accidental Drowning & Submersion Surfboard Riding Rock FishingSkin DivingDrowned while swimming at an ocean beach, a river, lake, & SCUBA harbour, estuary, bay, or lagoon.
1994 419 of which 3 14 27 79 were FATAL
1995 441 of which 2 13 14 68 were FATAL

There were no recorded fatalities from shark attack in Australia in 1994 and 1 in 1995.

Compared to fatalities from any other form of water related activity the number of fatal shark attacks, from all reported shark encounters in Australia, is extremely low.

During the period 1968-91, in NSW alone, 121 rock fishermen were swept off the rocks and drowned and 37 surfboard riders drowned. In that same period 32 shark encounters were recorded with only 1 fatality reported.

Diving related deaths in Australia 1945 - 1987 = 292 (quote from Diving Accident Management in Australia, 1988). "Eleven Australi-ans were killed by lightning in the years 1983 to 1986", (John Sedgwick, Lightning Natures Terrible Swift Sword, Readers Digest, January 1990).

On average there are 2-3 deaths per year from Bee stings in Australia (Dr van Nunen Royal North Shore Hospital Allergy Unit. Feb 3rd 1989. Manly Daily). Three people died from bee stings in 1995 (Aust. Bureau of Statistics). On average, there is less than one person per year killed by shark attack in Austra-lia over the last 200 years.

Any use of this information in any publication must be authorised by Taronga Zoo Public Relations Dept and contain appropriate accreditation to Taronga Zoo and the Australian Shark Attack File. This document is regularly updated and revised, therefore numbers of recorded attacks and their outcomes are subject to change reflecting the new information available.

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