Around 100 million sharks are killed each year worldwide, according to a paper published in Marine Policy in 2013. In the study, researchers calculated that between 6.4 and 7.9 percent of all sharks are killed annually.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare reports that every year, humans kill around 100 million sharks. It's a devastating amount, especially considering that sharks are incredibly important for the overall health of the ocean.
How many sharks are killed each year? Humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks every year. That's an average of almost 274,000 sharks every day, over 11,000 sharks every hour, and around three sharks every second!
Millions of sharks are being slaughtered every year to meet the demand of shark fins and shark meat. About 11,000 sharks per hour, 250,000 sharks per week, 73 to 100 million sharks per year are killed by humans either through targeted fishing for fins, meat and other products, or through by catch of other fisheries.
Once a delicacy, the dish is increasingly popular with China's growing middle class. The statistics are grim: up to 100 million sharks are killed each year, 73 million for their fins to service this demand, taking one in three shark species to the brink of extinction.
In 2018, humans killed approximately 100 million sharks worldwide. That's 11,415 sharks killed per hour.
The Australian Shark-Incident Database has recorded that between 1791 and April 2018 there were 237 fatal shark attacks in Australia. In the two years of 2020 and 2021 there were 11 fatal shark attacks in Australia.
Made of very strong and thick bone, dolphin snouts are biological battering rams. Dolphins will position themselves several yards under a shark and burst upwards jabbing their snout into the soft underbelly of the shark causing serious internal injuries. More than Peas in a Pod.
Which shark has killed the most humans? As of April 2021, the great white shark - the species portrayed in the film “Jaws” - is responsible for the highest number of unprovoked attacks with 333 total events including 52 fatalities.
They eat a wide variety of food, such as plankton, fish, crabs, seals and whales. This diversity means that sharks as a group are more likely to survive if things in the oceans change. ' Rather than sharks simply being incredibly hardy, it is more likely that their amazing diversity is the key to their success.
Some megalodons are estimated to have been much larger―as long as 50 feet. Using the data from this study, together with previous research, the researchers concluded that the potential lifespan of megalodons was 88-100 years. Megalodons were over six feet long when they were born.
Frank Mundus' Great White Shark – 3,427 lbs.
In 1986, this was the largest fish ever caught by rod and reel. The record Captain Mundus was aiming to beat was held by Alf Dean who reeled in a 2,664-pound killer white shark in 1959.
Sharks cannot swim or float without fins and most species cannot breathe while stationary. Fins will not grow back. Finning is an utterly cruel and wasteful practice, and it has been banned in most countries in recent years.
Shark conservation
A 2021 report showed over the last 50 years, global shark and ray populations have fallen more than 70%. Listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, oceanic whitetip shark numbers in the Pacific Ocean have fallen an estimated 80 to 95% within the last 30 years, according to NOAA.
There could be a billion or more sharks in all the oceans around the world. Up until the 16th century, mariners called sharks “sea dogs." Today, scientists believe there are more than 400 different species of sharks in the world. The smallest of these — the dwarf lanternshark — is less than seven inches long.
Sharks are therefore quite vulnerable to overfishing, being removed from the ocean faster than they can reproduce. In addition to being harvested for their fins, sharks are often taken as by-catch in other commercial fisheries, and some are popular targets for recreational fishing.
The great white shark, also known as the "white pointer," is the largest and deadliest predatory shark in the ocean.
Leopard sharks are harmless and small, measuring only 5 feet in length. The leopard shark is one of the friendliest shark species in the sea, and it can be found off the coast of California.
In 2021, the Australian Shark Incident Database reported a total of 24 human/shark incidents in Australia. This number is significantly higher than the 2022 number due to the incomplete records for 2022. 19 of these incidents were unprovoked, were at the time of the incident: 7 victims were swimming.
Some sharks such as the nurse shark have spiracles that force water across their gills allowing for stationary rest. Sharks do not sleep like humans do, but instead have active and restful periods.
On the morning of January 15, 1983, a body of a black man washed ashore. Most of the body had been devoured by sharks. It appeared a shark had bit his foot when he was alive. However, it is unknown if this is what caused his death, as he could have drowned before he was bitten.
Australia has the highest number of fatal shark attacks in the world, with Western Australia recently becoming the deadliest place in the world for shark attacks with total and fatal shark bites growing exponentially over the last 40 years.
Australia's oceans are also home to the three most deadly sharks responsible for almost all recorded shark attacks in Australia, namely the Great Whites, Tiger Sharks and Bull Sharks. That being said, despite the omnipresent fear of shark bite, 97% of all shark species are harmless.