Why is the United States the "shark attack capital of the world"?

The United States has reportedly become the "shark attack capital of the world" amid a spate of horrific cases in Florida, Texas, New York and California.

Last year, more than half of the 69 confirmed shark attacks worldwide occurred in the United States.

Experts have hypothesized that global warming and rising sea levels could change the behavior of predators.

But some experts told the Daily Mail they believe the cause is a combination of an overabundance of fish migrating to the coast and environmental conditions, while others say it's America's efforts to clean up the ocean.

Many experts believe that U.S. conservation efforts to reduce ocean pollution have changed shark hunting behavior, moving them closer to land.

In some states, such as New York, conservation efforts to clean up rivers that flow into the ocean have reduced the amount of polluted and dirty water reaching the sea, leading to a revival of marine life.

“Seeing sharks in our local ecosystem is very important, and it is a sign that our environment is healthy,” said Chris Paparo, a shark expert at Stony Brook University on Long Island.

But Professors Oliver Shipley and Michael Frisk, from the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook, told the Daily Mail that there is no single, definitive reason why sharks swim so close to shore.

"I don't think the number of incidents is higher in the United States because it's more about sharks being more aggressive here than other places," Shipley said. "I think there are other demographic factors that may play a role."

He explained that there is no conclusive evidence that pollution contributed to the sharks being closer to the shore.

Shark numbers have not increased significantly in the past 30 to 50 years, and shark attacks are more likely to occur where schools of fish congregate, Frisk and Shipley said.

Florida and California account for the most shark attacks in the United States each year, due to the increased number of people swimming in the waters there.

The International Shark Attack File found that great white sharks and tiger sharks killed the majority of victims in 2023, but the increase in deaths is due to more people in the ocean each year.