Unprovoked vs. Provoked - GSAF defines a provoked incident as one in which the shark was speared, hooked, captured or in which a human drew "first blood". Although such incidents are of little interest to shark behaviorists, when the species of shark involved is known and pre-op photos of the wounds are available, the bite patterns are of value in determining species of shark involved in other cases when the species could not identified by the patient or witnesses. We know that a live human is rarely perceived as prey by a shark. Many incidents are motivated by curiosity, others may result when a shark perceives a human as a threat or competitor for a food source, and could be classed as "provoked" when examined from the shark's perspective.Incidents involving Boats – Incidents in which a boat was bitten or rammed by a shark are in green. However, in cases in which the shark was hooked, netted or gaffed, the entry is orange because they are classed as provoked incidents.Casualties of War & Air/Sea Disasters - Sharks maintain the health of the marine ecosystem by removing the dead or injured animals. Many incidents result because, like other animals that don't rely on instinct alone, sharks explore their environment. Lacking hands, they may investigate an unfamiliar object with their mouths. Unlike humans, there is no malice in sharks; they simply do what nature designed them to do. Air/Sea Disasters are accidents that place people into the day-to-day business of sharks. The wartime losses due to sharks result from mans' cruelty to man. Air/Sea Disasters are in yellow.Questionable incidents - Incidents in which there are insufficient data to determine if the injury was caused by a shark or the person drowned and the body was later scavenged by sharks. In a few cases, despite media reports to the contrary, evidence indicated there was no shark involvement whatsoever. Such incidents are in blue.All of the data on this site comes from the Global Shark Attack File (GSAF), a spreadsheet of human/shark interactions, compiled by the Shark Research Institute. It is hoped that this site makes it apparent that shark attacks are extremely rare occurrences, while providing an easily accessible resource for those wishing to know more about the subject.

The shark control program (SCP) relies on nets or drumlines, or a combination of both, to minimise the threat of shark attack on humans in particular locations. Following is information on numbers and locations of sharks that have been caught by the SCP.

This dataset contains details of non-target numbers in the Shark Control program by species, date of capture, and location from 2001.

It is important to reduce the inadvertent impacts of the SCP on other marine animals (bycatch) without compromising human safety. Bycatch levels are carefully monitored and research is focused on minimising impacts on non-target species.

The shark control program (SCP) relies on nets or drumlines, or a combination of both, to minimise the threat of shark attack on humans in particular locations. Following is information on numbers and locations of sharks that have been caught by the SCP.

It is important to reduce the inadvertent impacts of the SCP on other marine animals (bycatch) without compromising human safety. Bycatch levels are carefully monitored and research is focused on minimising impacts on non-target species.

The shark control program (SCP) relies on nets or drumlines, or a combination of both, to minimise the threat of shark attack on humans in particular locations. Following is information on numbers …Show full descriptionThe shark control program (SCP) relies on nets or drumlines, or a combination of both, to minimise the threat of shark attack on humans in particular locations. Following is information on numbers and locations of sharks that have been caught by the SCP. It is important to reduce the inadvertent impacts of the SCP on other marine animals (bycatch) without compromising human safety. Bycatch levels are carefully monitored and research is focused on minimising impacts on non-target species. This dataset contains details of non-target numbers in the Shark Control program by species, date of capture, and location from 2001

This dataset encompasses detailed records of human-shark interactions incidents in New Caledonia and Reunion Island from 1980 to 2022. It is designed to support a multi-criteria analysis of these incidents, providing insights into the conditions and characteristics surrounding each event.

Attributes
1. SITE Geographic location of the human-shark interactions (New Caledonia or Reunion Island).
2. N: Sequential number of the incident.
3. DATE: Date of the human-shark interactions (YYYY-MM-DD format).
4. YEAR: Year of the incident.
5. MONTH: Month of the incident.
6. DAY: Day of the week when the incident occurred.
7. HOUR: Time of the incident (24-hour format).
8. HOURTYPO: Time range category (e.g., 13-15 for 1 PM to 3 PM).
9. SEASON: Season during which the human-shark interactions occurred (Summer, Winter, etc.).
10. WEEKEND: Indicates whether the incident occurred on a weekend (Weekend or Week).
11. MORNING: Time of day (Morning, Afternoon, etc.).
12. ZONE: Specific zone or region within the site (e.g., Noumea, East, Loyalty).
13. WIND: Windward or leeward side.
14. RAINJ: Rainfall on the day of the incident (in millimeters).
15. RAINJ3: Cumulative rainfall over the past three days (in millimeters).
16. SWELL: Swell height (in meters).
17. CLOUD: Cloud cover percentage.
18. TURB: Water turbidity (e.g., Slightly turbid).
19. SCOREMOON: Lunar phase during the incident (e.g., Full or new moon).
20. GENDER: Gender of the victim (Male or Female).
21. AGE: Age of the victim.
22. ACTIVITY: Activity the victim was engaged in during the attack (e.g., Spearfisher, Swimmer).
23. GRAV: Severity of the injury (e.g., Significant bite, Minor bite).
24. INJURY: Outcome of the attack (e.g., Non-fatal).
25. SHARKTYPE: Type of shark involved (if identified).
26. SHARKCAT: Category of the shark (e.g., Great White, Tiger Shark).
27. SHARKSIZE: Estimated length of the shark (in meters).

Usage Notes
This dataset is intended for researchers and analysts studying shark attack patterns, environmental influences on shark behavior, and risk factors associated with human-shark interactions. It provides comprehensive details necessary for performing statistical analyses and comparative studies between New Caledonia and Reunion Island.

Data Sources
The data has been compiled from various local and international databases, publications, and eyewitness accounts to ensure accuracy and completeness.

Many reports have categorized the frequency, circumstances, and causes for interactions between sharks and humans, often using the behaviorally inaccurate term “attack.” The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Department) instead uses the term “incident,” defined as interactions where a shark touches a person, their board, or kayak, without provocation and with or without causing injury. We created a comprehensive database of California shark incidents by reviewing, verifying, and updating past records, and examined the frequency of confirmed incidents, updated reports with new information, and examined similarities and differences in incident circumstances. Two hundred and one incidents were verified in California waters between 1950 and 2021, with 107 causing injury and 15 resulting in fatalities. The vast majority (178) involved White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). Contrary to past reports of White Shark incidents being concentrated in a portion of northern California, incidents have occurred statewide, with some of the highest numbers in Southern California. While total reported incidents are increasing, the annual number of incidents resulting in injuries or fatalities remains low. Frequency of incidents was not found to be greater around the full moon, dawn, or dusk but was greater during summer and fall months, as expected.

Representative example dialogue and narration showing sharks in a negative light.

Spreadsheet of non-target species (bycatch) numbers in the Shark Control Program by species, date of capture, location, size and sex from 2001 onwards

The shark control program (SCP) relies on nets or drumlines, or a combination of both, to minimise the threat of shark attack on humans in particular locations. Following is information on numbers and locations of sharks that have been caught by the SCP.

It is important to reduce the inadvertent impacts of the SCP on other marine animals (bycatch) without compromising human safety. Bycatch levels are carefully monitored and research is focused on minimising impacts on non-target species.

This dataset contains details of non-target numbers in the Shark Control program by species, date of capture, and location from 2001

The nocturnal feeding behavior and zoogeographical habitat of cookiecutter sharks Isistius brasiliensis and Isistius plutodus (Isistius spp.) greatly reduces interaction of this species with live humans. Attacks on live humans are exceedingly rare with 7 cases reported worldwide, 6 of them in Hawaiʻi, and 5 of these occuring among channel swimmers. Published research suggests that periods of bright moonlight may increase Isistius spp. contact with live humans and does not otherwise identify significant trends or risk factors. Yet 5 of the 6 Isistius spp. bites on live humans in Hawaiʻian waters occurred with the moon set and after nautical twilight end and before nautical twilight start. From 1961–2023 in Hawaiʻi, 129 successful solo channel crosses and 5 Isistius spp. related injuries in the habitat of cookiecutter sharks were analyzed across two groups: one where both the moon and sun were set (dark group) and one where the moon and/or sun was in the sky (light group). There was a significant difference for swimmers bitten by Isistius spp. in the dark 4 (12%) versus light groups 1 (1%), p = 0.012, RR 12.6 (95% confidence interval: 1.5–108.9). Swim start time and year was also significant (Pearson correlation 0.566, p