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Sydney's Tragic Summer Shark Attacks Incite Unnecessary Hatred Towards Sharks

  • 4 hours ago
  • 4 min read

Editorial Assistant Alicja Krotofil unveils the reality of the recent shark attacks along the Australian coastline and questions whether animals should bear the blame for these events, or the humans


In the summer of 2026, New South Wales saw a shocking four shark attacks occur on its beaches within the span of 48 hours. All victims of the attacks suffered major injuries, and unfortunately, one of the victims—a twelve year old boy—suffered fatal wounds and did not survive [1]. With hot, sweltering days, it is not abnormal to see increased human activity at the beaches and to expect increased numbers in shark incidents. However, shark attacks are actually a rather rare event, and they only incite high levels of panic when the critical or fatal cases make the news. Unfortunately, such cases make for great headlines and attention grabbers, and a lot of news outlets profit off them. Recent spotlights of this sort led me to explore the annual statistics of shark incidents with an intent to discover if NSW and Australia do have increasing shark problems, just as some of the news articles have claimed. 


The statistics included in this article are mostly from the Florida Museum of Natural History, as they have one of the most comprehensive and detailed international shark attack files. 


In 2025, there were a total of 105 investigated cases of alleged shark-interactions. This includes provoked attacks, where a human initiated contact with the shark in some way, and unprovoked ones, where there seemed to be no provocation of the shark at all [2]. In all of 2025, globally, there were a total of sixty-five cases with unprovoked bites. From the collected data, 2025 did indeed have slightly higher activity than previous years, with 2020-2024 reporting an average of sixty-one cases. Last year there were twelve fatalities, and although three of those were Great  Whites’ attacking surfers in Australia, the U.S actually leads in highest unprovoked shark activity [2]. If we were to look at these numbers and compare them to the increasing human population, the percentage of attacks and fatalities reduces each year regardless, especially in the last 50 years, where shark safety measures have been implemented in order to increase awareness to beach goers, and also as a result of reducing shark populations. 


Australian Shark Attacks vs. Population Growth 

Graph sourced from the Florida Museum of Natural History [2]. 


There are a number of possible reasons responsible for increased shark activity in 2025 and other years, but with such small differences in numbers it is reasonable to assume that shark population and activity experience natural fluctuations from time to time. Not to mention that December and January across 2025-2026 saw multiple days of severe rainfall—conditions which are known to bring more sharks to the coast where run-off rain water carries nutrients and debris that attract prey fish.  


Unfortunately, there are other statistics that I feel it is necessary to shed a light on. Annually, humans kill roughly 100 million sharks [3]. That’s about three every second. Most of this is due to shark finning and bycatch, where sharks are caught in industrial fishing nets intended for mass-caught fish. As of 2025, more than a third of shark species face extinction, and since the 1970s the total shark populations have declined in the oceans by 71% [3]. While every shark attack that occurs on our coastline is dreadful and causes tremendous grief for the victims' families and local communities, we need to have a clear understanding of the imbalance that has always existed and continues to exist between human kills and shark kills. The fact is that humans relentlessly kill many species of animals in such high numbers that if the circumstances were to flip, we would be extinct already. For many animals that no longer exist, this is the reality. We often forget how much of an impact our actions have on the environment. Sharks have existed on this planet for so long that they outlive trees as a species—for 450 million years [4]. In less than 100 years we have reduced their pre-existing population by 71%. 


After the four attacks this summer, many individuals called for shark fishery to be reintroduced in Sydney in hopes to reduce shark numbers. Even former prime minister Tony Abbott got involved in the debate and stated that he doesn’t believe the weather affected shark activity at all [5]. These sorts of opinions are highly criticised by marine biologists and scientists who fight for the preservation of important shark habitats that lie on our coastlines. 


In high tension moments like this it is key to remember several things—mainly that sharks live in the ocean, and that every time you step into the water at the beach you are putting yourself at risk of being attacked. It is a harsh reality but one we have to live with if we wish to share this planet with other creatures. So I’ll leave you with some important shark safety tips for the next summer, so that both you and the sharks can enjoy the warm and salty waters. 


  • Avoid swimming at dawn and dusk, as sharks are usually more active during this time 

  • Avoid swimming at river mouths or murky waters where you have poor visibility

  • Avoid swimming in or around large schools of baitfish, this attracts sharks and many other creatures 

  • Look out for signs and beach closures! Lifeguards do their best to alert the public of any shark sightings 

  • Avoid swimming alone, having someone nearby reduces chances of an attack and can help accelerate raising an alarm and helping with rescue [6]. 


 

by Alicja Krotofil 





References 


[2] Naylor, G., & Bowling, T. (2024). Yearly Worldwide Shark Attack Summary. Florida Museum. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/yearly-worldwide-summary/



[4] News, O. H. 10am-5pm M.-S.-9. W. C. D. A. 1 W. S. N. 2010 A. P. +61 2 9320 6000 www australian museum C. © 2023 T. A. M. A. 85 407 224 698 V. M. (n.d.). The ancient ones. The Australian Museum. https://australian.museum/publications/sharks/ancient-ones/


[5] Glover, A. (2026, January 21). Marine biologist says calls for shark culling measures are “misinformed” following surge in attacks along NSW. @9News; 9News. https://www.9news.com.au/national/shark-attack-nsw-marine-biologist-responds-to-call-for-greater-shark-culling/23cb6ce9-67cd-43b2-95ed-3addea974d7a‌


[6] jurisdiction=Queensland; sector=government; corporateName. (2024). SharkSmart. Qld.gov.au. https://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/news-media/campaigns/sharksmart/education/tips

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