Final 2023 Shark Attack Report is Out for New England, New York, and the World with Fatalities Doubling

We hear about shark sightings all the time in New England and the Northeast with more beaches than we know what to do with surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. From the shoreline of Cape Cod and Connecticut to Long Island the Jersey Shore, it's just beach life.

So what happened in 2023? The number of fatal shark attacks around the world doubled compared to 2022 according to the International Shark Attack File or ISAF which is a database of global shark attacks operated at the University of Florida.

According to CBS News, the number of deadly shark attacks doubled from 5 in 2022 to 10 in 2023. They are relatively rare overall so that number is alarming according to the  ISAF

Meanwhile, the numbers that can hit home a bit more are the non-fatal shark attacks which are more common reaching 120 both provoked and unprovoked. 69 were provoked up several from 2022 and 22 were provoked resulting in 10 deaths around the world with two in the United States.

While 40% of the deadly attacks happened in Australia, the rest of the international attacks were in the Bahamas, Mexico, Egypt, and New Caledonia.

Meanwhile, two of the deadly attacks were in the United States but not in New England or New York and surprisingly not in Florida where nearly half of all attacks happen. One of the deadly attacks was in Hawaii and the other in California in 2023 according to the ISAF.

So what are our numbers here in the Northeast for 2023 and overall since the monitoring began back in 1837?

New York had four and New Jersey had one.

Meanwhile, since tracking began, according to the ISAF, Connecticut has had one, Massachusetts has had six, Rhode Island has had two, and Maine has had two attacks. New Hampshire has never had an attack and obviously, Vermont is in the clear while New York has seen 24 total.