Randy Peck found this “silver lining” to recession

and you thought he was a pessimist . . . he passed on this Miami Herald story

Fewer vacationers could add up to fewer shark attacks, expert says

BY EVAN S. BENN

ebenn@MiamiHerald.com 

The bear market may be taking a bite out of the number of shark attacks on humans, according to a University of Florida researcher.

Shark attacks worldwide in 2008 sank to their lowest level in five years, and shark expert George Burgess says it’s because fewer people are spending money on beach vacations.

”I can’t help but think that contributing to that may have been the reticence of some people to take holidays and go to the beach for economic reasons,” said Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at UF. “We noticed similar declines during the recession that followed the events of 2001, despite the fact that human populations continued to rise.” 

There were 59 reported shark attacks in 2008, down from 71 in 2007, Burgess said. Four of the attacks were fatal.

Florida had the most shark attacks off its waters last year — 32, the same number of attacks in 2007.

The Sunshine State, because of its warm waters, has more sharks, including black tip sharks and spinner sharks, species not found in lower temperatures, Burgess said.

Within Florida, Volusia County continued its distinction as the world’s shark-bite capital with 22 incidents, its highest yearly total since 2001, Burgess said. Big waves off New Smyrna Beach are popular surfing spots, he said