Florida Shark Attacks On Par Despite North Carolina Increase

WFSU | By Jim Ash

Published July 2, 2015 at 5:18 PM EDT

Florida Shark attacks aren't rising, despite record number in North Carolina

Shark attacks in Florida are on par with last year, despite an alarming increase off North Carolina, experts say. University of Florida researcher George Burgess says unusual conditions off the Carolina coast are to blame.

Burgess says Florida numbers aren’t rising because water conditions aren’t the same as North Carolina.

“We’ve had 11 attacks so far this year in Florida and we average about 25 or so a year.”

Burgess blames a quote “perfect storm,” of high salinity, murky water and increased beach activity due to spring break for the North Carolina attacks.

Jim Ash

Jim Ash is a reporter at WFSU-FM. A Miami native, he is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience, most of it in print. He has been a member of the Florida Capital Press Corps since 1992.

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