Shark attacks rise in US but fall worldwide: study

Shark attacks in the U.S. increased last year even as the numbers trended down worldwide, according to NBC News.

The number of all unprovoked attacks that occurred in the U.S. increased in 2019, from 32 in 2018 to 41 last year, the network reported, citing researchers from the Florida Museum of Natural History and the American Elasmobranch Society.

The analysts added that annual fluctuations in shark-human interaction trends are common, according to NBC.

However, they said, attacks worldwide were down from the most recent five-year average of 82 unprovoked attacks, with only 64 in 2019.

Researchers said they are still analyzing whether another 41 attacks were provoked, that is, preceded by deliberate human contact such as a diver attempting to touch a shark or a fisherman reaching into a net. Only two of the five fatal attacks last year were unprovoked, according to researchers.