The bites have swimmers and surfers on edge and asking questions<\/a>. The beach is central to many people\u2019s lives, but some are choosing not to go in the water at all. Australia is home to the three species of sharks responsible for the worst bites \u2013 great whites, tigers and bulls.<\/p>\n Every shark bite prompts headlines calling for sharks to be culled, but the key role sharks play in the health of the ocean ecosystem is rarely mentioned. Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott, a keen Sydney surfer, can always be relied on to call for killing sharks after any serious bite, as he did last week.<\/p>\n Then there are people who say sharks should be left alone, and that anyone who goes into the water is entering a shark\u2019s home.<\/p>\n Between these two extremes is the question of why bites are going up \u2013 and whether anything can be done to reduce the risk.<\/p>\n Rob Harcourt, leader of the marine predator research group at Sydney\u2019s Macquarie University and a daily ocean swimmer and surfer, says there is no definitive answer but some things are clear. Population growth is likely a factor. Australia\u2019s population has grown by 7 million people in 20 years, although it is difficult to get data on how many people go in the water in places where sharks hang out. Warming waters are changing shark behaviour \u2013 tiger and bull sharks are known to be staying in the Sydney area a little longer each year.<\/p>\n And with more humpback whales, shark movements might also be changing, as the whales make an annual migration along Australia\u2019s east coast and are a food source for large sharks. The same applies with some seal species \u2013 their numbers are also thought to be recovering, and they attract sharks looking for a feed. Experts think sharks that bite people have often mistaken a human for a seal. Other times, a shark bite can be exploratory or even to ward off imagined competition for food, such as a school of fish.<\/p>\n But while some people \u2013 such as Abbott \u2013 claim there has been an \u201cexplosion\u201d in shark numbers, there is no evidence to back this up (experts say there\u2019s been little change in the number of sharks getting caught in shark nets, for example). And some ask if measures that try to lower the risk could be playing a role in the rate of bites.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Down to Earth<\/p>\n The planet’s most important stories. Get all the week’s environment news – the good, the bad and the essential<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n States in Australia have shark-management plans that are broadly similar. On busy beaches, volunteer surf lifesavers have begun using drones to monitor for sharks and alerts go out if a tagged shark is nearby.<\/p>\n Some beaches also have nets designed to keep sharks out, but these are controversial as many experts say they don\u2019t work, and instead trap hundreds of other marine species. Baited and hooked lines to catch and sometimes release big sharks, meanwhile,are also controversial \u2013 again, they catch many other marine species, and may not reduce risk.<\/p>\n Amid worries and these mitigations, the risk of being bitten remains incredibly small. There were five deaths from shark bites in Australia last year, but 82 from drowning at beaches. Humans naturally and understandably fear things they can\u2019t control: a shark bite is one of those things, and that translates to a reasonable but disproportionate fear of sharks.<\/p>\n Reporting on shark bites is challenging. The events can be deadly and life-changing. But the answer to why bites are rising in Australia is a question without a clear answer. There may never be one.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/p>\n Is there such a thing as a \u2018problem shark\u2019? Plan to catch repeat biters divides scientists<\/a><\/p>\n Blind, slow and 500 years old \u2013 or are they? How scientists are unravelling the secrets of Greenland sharks<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782339631_681_500.jpg\")
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