Swimmers Worry about Shark Attacks, Experts Say They Are Rare

Recent shark bites in Florida and Hawaii and a suspected case in New Jersey have raised an age-old summer question for beachgoers — is it safe to go in the water?

最近在佛罗里达州和夏威夷发生的鲨鱼咬伤事件以及在新泽西州发生的一起疑似病例向海滩游客提出了一个由来已久的夏季问题——下水安全吗？

Scientists and researchers who study sharks said the answer to that question is yes, it is safe. 

Dangerous interactions between humans and sharks are uncommon, and serious injuries and deaths from the bites are rare and growing rarer, scientists said.

研究鲨鱼的科学家和研究人员表示，这个问题的答案是肯定的，它是安全的。 科学家说，人类和鲨鱼之间的危险互动并不常见，被咬伤造成的严重伤害和死亡很少见，而且越来越少。

Still, theextraordinary nature of shark bites and the stories of survivors capture the imagination. In April, the story of a Hawaii surfer fighting off a shark got widespread public attention, for example. But, it is a good idea to remember just how rare shark bites truly are, scientists said.

尽管如此，鲨鱼咬伤的非同寻常的性质和幸存者的故事仍然吸引着人们的想象力。 例如，4 月，一名夏威夷冲浪者与鲨鱼搏斗的故事引起了公众的广泛关注。 但是，科学家们说，记住鲨鱼咬伤是多么罕见是个好主意。

There have been around 70 to 80 unprovoked shark bites yearly, worldwide, over the past 10 years. And not only are shark bites rare, they have been especially rare recently.

在过去的 10 年里，全世界每年大约有 70 到 80 起无端鲨鱼咬伤事件。 鲨鱼咬伤不仅很少见，而且最近尤其罕见。

There were only 57 unprovoked bites last year, and just five of them were deadly, reports the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File. There had been nine such deaths in 2021.

据佛罗里达大学的国际鲨鱼袭击档案报道，去年只有 57 起无端咬伤事件，其中只有 5 起是致命的。 2021 年有 9 例此类死亡。

The shark attack file reported a year ago that one reason for the drop in bites might be the decrease of shark populations around the world.

一年前的鲨鱼袭击档案报告说，咬伤次数减少的一个原因可能是世界各地鲨鱼数量的减少。

It is too early in the warm season to get an idea of how active this year will be for interactions between humans and sharks, said Greg Skomal. He is a shark expert with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.

格雷格·斯科马尔 (Greg Skomal) 说，现在处于温暖季节还为时过早，无法了解今年人类与鲨鱼之间的互动有多活跃。 他是马萨诸塞州海洋渔业部的鲨鱼专家。

“If we get lots of bait fish and forage fish species close to shore, we have a super hot summer that draws people to beaches, more people in the water, then we can determine the risk,” Skomal said.

“如果我们在靠近海岸的地方发现了大量的饵料鱼和饲料鱼，我们会遇到一个超级炎热的夏天，吸引人们前往海滩，更多的人在水中，那么我们就可以确定风险，”Skomal 说。

The United States and Australia are the sites of the most reported shark bites. The state of Florida led the world last year with 16 unprovoked bites, the shark attack file said.

美国和澳大利亚是报告最多的鲨鱼咬伤地点。 鲨鱼袭击档案称，佛罗里达州去年发生了 16 起无端咬伤事件，居世界首位。

This month, two Florida fishermen were bitten by sharks in separate incidents less than 36 hours apart.

本月，两名佛罗里达渔民在相隔不到 36 小时的不同事件中被鲨鱼咬伤。

The rate of shark bites has stayed steady in recent years. But, people may think attacks are more common because of new technology to report shark sightings, said Nick Whitney, a lead scientist at the New England Aquarium in Boston. Recently developed smartphone apps permit users to report shark sightings in real time.

近年来，鲨鱼咬伤率一直保持稳定。 但是，波士顿新英格兰水族馆的首席科学家尼克·惠特尼 (Nick Whitney) 说，人们可能认为袭击事件更常见是因为报告鲨鱼目击事件的新技术。 最近开发的智能手机应用程序允许用户实时报告鲨鱼目击事件。

White sharks, bull sharks and tiger sharks are the sharks most cited by the International Shark Attack File for unprovoked bites. They are large sharks that also cause the most deaths.

白鲨、牛鲨和虎鲨是国际鲨鱼袭击档案中被无端咬伤次数最多的鲨鱼。 它们是造成最多死亡的大型鲨鱼。

However, remember that many interactions with sharks are with smaller species that are unlikely to cause serious injuries, said James Sulikowski, director of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station at Oregon State University. Those sharks might bite a human, realize we are not their desired prey and move on, he said.

然而，请记住，与鲨鱼的许多互动都是与不太可能造成严重伤害的较小物种发生的，俄勒冈州立大学沿海俄勒冈海洋实验站主任 James Sulikowski 说。 他说，那些鲨鱼可能会咬人，意识到我们不是他们想要的猎物并继续前进。

You are at much greater risk of getting hurt in a car accident on the way to the ocean than you are to get seriously injured by a shark bite when you are there.

在去海边的路上，你在车祸中受伤的风险比你在海边时被鲨鱼咬伤严重受伤的风险要大得多。

Millions of people go to the ocean in the summer as the weather heats up, and that raises the possibility of interacting with a shark. But by taking simple steps, visitors can reduce any chance of a dangerous interaction with a shark, Sulikowski said. Such steps include avoiding the water early and late in the day when most sharks hunt for food. You should also not carry anything shiny into the water.

随着天气变暖，数百万人在夏季前往海洋，这增加了与鲨鱼互动的可能性。 但通过采取简单的步骤，游客可以减少与鲨鱼发生危险互动的任何机会，Sulikowski 说。 这些措施包括在大多数鲨鱼觅食的一天早晚避开水域。 您也不应将任何闪亮的东西带入水中。

“We are intruders in their environment. What we can do is be logical and safe about that and avoid areas where sharks are going to be feeding,” Sulikowski said. “When an interaction occurs, it's mistaken identity — we are in an area where a shark is looking to eat.”

“我们是他们环境的入侵者。 我们能做的是合乎逻辑和安全的做法，并避开鲨鱼进食的区域，”Sulikowski 说。 “当发生互动时，这是错误的身份——我们正处于鲨鱼正在寻找食物的区域。”