The number of man-eating sharks in Australian waters isn't increasing despite three "coincidental" attacks on swimmers in recent days, a leading marine biologist says.
News reports today claim "experts" are tracking record numbers of great whites, bull sharks and bronze whalers along city beaches and the coast of NSW.
But the numbers don't add up.
"Shark fishing has increased threefold off the NSW coast over the last couple of years and shark numbers are plummeting all over the globe," said marine biologist Vic Peddemors from the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
"It's rather odd global populations are decreasing yet we're seeing a supposed 'spike' here, despite an increase in shark fishing."
Director of SurfWatch Australia Michael Brown was quoted in the Daily Telegraph as saying that aerial patrols were spotting the same sharks "over and over again".
But great whites never linger in the same area for more than two days, according to Mr Peddemors, who has been researching sharks for 25 years.
"We know that white pointers move up and down the coast extensively and will visit the same hot spots of prey abundance year in and year out," he said.
"But actually staying there for any length of time, more than 48 hours, I would be very surprised."
A snorkeller was left with 40 puncture wounds yesterday after being attacked by a bull shark in Lake Illawarra at Windang on the NSW south coast.
On Sunday, a 13-year-old girl was lucky to escape the jaws of a great white after it latched onto her thigh and pulled her beneath the water while she surfed with her cousin in Tasmania.
And a 31-year-old surfer had a 40cm chunk of his leg ripped off on Sunday by what is believed to have been a bull shark while swimming near Fingal Beach in NSW.
Mr Peddemors described the attacks as just a coincidence.
"Yeah, sure, there are three shark attacks within a couple of days however how many kilometres are they apart?" he said.
"There was a similar situation back in South Africa in the late '90s: suddenly there were over 20 shark attacks and all hell broke loose.
"We had to calm things down … it was just one of those years and the next year attacks decreased.
"These things happen from time to time — something happens in the water — it's just a coincidence."
The Telegraph reported that an upwelling of nutrient rich water three years ago had lured baitfish into the open which in turn attracted sharks.
Mr Peddemors said the sharks were attracted to the fish but that nutrients from years ago wouldn’t have any impact today.
"If it was nutrient rich two months then you might have the fish around but three years ago? Forget it,” he said.
"These fish are moving large distances — it's a seasonal variation — if something happens three years ago it has no relevance to what happens today."
Last week ninemsn reported that beachgoers were more likely to encounter a hammerhead shark while swimming rather than a great white.
Mr Peddemors said hammerheads weren't a threat to humans because they weren't built to eat people.
"[Their] teeth aren't built for taking large chunks out of things — they're meant for holding onto fish, squid and other creatures," he said.
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