By Lauren Burgess

With movies like Jaws and its many sequels, it’s not hard to see why almost half of Americans have a fear of sharks or selachophobia. But when compared to the fear of these creatures, the odds of actually being attacked by a shark are infinitesimal.

According to data from the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), the odds of being attacked by an unprovoked shark are about 1 in 11.5 million. To put that into perspective, the odds of drowning in your own bathtub are 1 in 685,000. 

So why are people so afraid of sharks? Part of the reason can be traced to the Hollywood treatment.

When Jaws was released in the summer of 1975, it sparked mass panic and hysteria across the country. More and more people became concerned about the possibility of shark attacks, thinking twice before taking a vacation to the beach. Yet, according to the ISAF, 1975 only saw 16 shark attacks, the standard yearly average, all of which were non-fatal. 

But what are the risks today, over 40 years later?

In 2018, the United States led the world in the highest number of shark attacks, with 32 attacks, one of which was fatal. Scientists say much of the reason that the number of unprovoked attacks is rising can be attributed to tourism. As the human population continues to increase, more and more are visiting beaches, increasing the chances of encountering sharks.

“You put more people in the water and you are going to get more bites,” said Director of ISAF Gavin Naylor. 
However, while the number of attacks may be increasing, the rise in the human population means that an individual’s risk of being attacked is decreasing.

“The year’s not through, but we are half-way and it doesn’t seem to be the ‘Year of the Shark’,” says Tyler Bowling, ISAF program manager. So far in 2019, 49 shark attacks have been reported worldwide- a pretty standard year, according to Naylor.

Despite the news reports you may hear, you shouldn’t avoid going into the water because of the fear you may be attacked by a shark. “People go in the water every day and they don’t get bit,” Bowling said.

While some tourist-heavy locations such as Australia have taken matters into their own hands with shark culling, experts say that this could have some detrimental effects on the ocean’s ecosystem.

In a 2013 Nature magazine interview with George Burgess, a leading expert in shark research and the former director of the International Shark Attack File, he expressed his digust with such plans of action, saying, “We need to consider that we’re visitors to that marine environment. The question it comes down to is more of a moral choice: are we willing to alter the natural system to the point of breakage, at least in terms of particular species, for the safety of a human who is invading that foreign world?”