Shark Research

The male African Lion's thick mane makes it look bigger to rivals and protects its throat during a fight.

Shark Research

As part of a world wide study into shark behaviour, data from the ASA Files helps to identify the existence, or absence, of common factors relating to the cause of attacks on humans.

The research project is conducted in 3 stages:

Compile information on each recorded attack in Australian waters.
Assimilate, categorise and transcribe data to computer.
Analyse acquired data and publish results.

More Research Needed:

This project is aimed at understanding and documenting the behaviours of sharks when they interact with humans.

This information will contribute to conservation of the species and their environment through education and specific research projects. There is a need to learn more about the shark's normal behaviour as well as in circumstances of human interaction.

Emotional statements and media hype designed to sensationalise sharks and shark attacks tend to create public paranoia and do little to inform the public of the truth about shark behaviour. We must turn fear into respect for these much maligned animals.

Common Misconception :

All sharks are dangerous !
Sharks only attack when hungry !
There are a lot of deaths from shark attack !
Sharks lurk off the beaches only to attack, kill and maim humans !

Attack Theories:

There are over 482 species of shark world wide and 182 species occur in Australian waters but only a handful are known to be dangerous to humans. There are several theories as to why sharks attack humans. Some ‘attacks' may be purely an inquisitive testing of an object, some may be territorial, others may be related to the invasion of the shark's personal space by the human. Other theories include in-quisitiveness (i.e. just testing an object with their teeth to see if it is edible), or the shark may have been disrupted during its breeding behaviour. Some attacks may be directly associated with feeding behaviours. Some authors have suggested that only rogue sharks or injured sharks attack humans, however, there is no scientific evidence to support this theory.

Attacks On People:

The collective term "ATTACK" refers to all encounters recorded on the ASAF. The term includes provoked and unprovoked encounters with humans. The types of sharks implicated in the majority of attacks on humans in Australian waters include Tiger Sharks, White Sharks and Whalers (including the Bull Shark) which are capable of inflicting much more damage than they do. The majority of people are bitten and released, which may indicate the shark is not biting to procure food in the majority of cases.

Prevention Of Shark Attacks:

Shark attacks remain a genuine but unlikely danger for humans entering the water.

However, this does not mean that people should disregard the likelihood of an attack by swimming outside the protection of Life Saver patrolled beaches or protected swimming areas. People must use common sense as to where they swim and what they do in the water. There is a much higher risk of drowning than from being killed by an encounter with a shark. As more knowledge is acquired about the shark's normal behaviours and about the circumstances surrounding attacks, it may be possi-ble to develop an effective repellent (some electric impulse devices are currently being developed and tested).

The best prevention is common sense related to where you swim and what activities you undertake whilst in the water and awareness of what may invite or provoke an attack. The following points highlight some considerations to help minimise the risk.

Swim at beaches that are patrolled by Surf Life Savers.
Do not swim, dive or surf where dangerous sharks are known to congregate.
Always swim, dive or surf with other people.
Do not swim in dirty or turbid water.
Avoid swimming well offshore, near deep channels, at river mouths or along drop-offs to deeper water.
If schooling fish start to behave erratically or congregate in large numbers, leave the water.
Do not swim with pets and domestic animals.
Look carefully before jumping into the water from a boat or wharf.
Do not swim a dusk or at night.
Do not swim near people fishing or spear fishing.
If a shark is sighted in the area leave the water as quickly and calmly as possible.

If You See A Shark:

Stay calm! It must be remembered that some stated methods of repelling sharks could, given different conditions and different sized animals, result in an altering of the shark's initial response and may unintentionally provoke an attack response in the very animal that it was meant to deter. Leave the area as quickly and as quietly as possible. However, if an attack is imminent try to keep the shark in sight and if it gets too close then any action you take may disrupt the attack pattern, such as hitting the shark's nose, gouging at its eyes, making sudden body movements, blowing bubbles, etc.

If Someone Is Bitten By A Shark:

First aid:- once the patient is removed from the water:

Treat the patient immediately on site.
Stop the bleeding immediately by applying direct pressure above or on the wound, a tourniquet may be used if bleeding cannot be controlled by a pressure bandage.
Reassure the patient at all times.
Send for an ambulance and medical personnel (if possible do not move the patient if badly injured.
Cover the patient lightly with clothing or a towel.
Give nothing by mouth.

Known Dangerous Sharks:

The following animals have been identified in fatal unprovoked shark attacks on humans in Australia:

White Pointer Carcharodon carcharias.
Tiger Shark Galeocerdo cuvier.
Whaler Sharks Carcharhinus sp. (several species occur in Australia with one known as the Bull Shark).