Shark Attack In Florida Feared For 2014 As Hundreds Gather Off Shore [Video]

A rise in shark attacks in Florida for 2014 is feared as hundreds of sharks were spotted gathering off shore. But is this sighting actually good news for the ocean?

In a related report by The Inquisitr, a shark attack prevention program in Australia has critics calling foul because the $20 million program resulted in the deaths of many of these apex predators and “70 percent of the creatures caught were not large enough to be a threat” to humans. “Scientists say these apex predators are necessary for the ocean’s ecology and conservation programs, not killing programs, are necessary” instead. In fact, some reports even claim that great white shark attacks should not surge with the increase in their population.

Hundreds of sharks in Florida were caught on video near the Pensacola Bay, with some of them apparently being larger variants. Steve Olive, of Orange Beach Helicopter Tours, talked about the phenomenon:

“I fish in and out of here and sure, we’ll see shark periodically, but I don’t ever remember seeing anything like that. There’s some significantly large sharks right there, too. You know, you can tell people about this, they won’t believe it. It’s a nature lover’s dream out here. It’s really impressive to watch that school of dolphins go through there and the sharks just give them their space. Everybody does there thing. My guess is they’ve been doing that a lot longer than we’ve been hanging out at the beach. But it’s just very impressive to see.”

Unfortunately, George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, claims that in 2014 shark attacks will see a rise for three reasons. The first is that more people are swimming at beaches ever year, with the second reason being the cause. Burgess says “global climate change has resulted in warmer waters to the north, prompting humans to enter waters earlier in the season, staying in them later.” They’ve also noted a rise in shark numbers along both coasts of the United States.

The last part is actually good news since a rise in the population of great white sharks and other apex predators indicates the ocean ecosystem is doing well:

“If something is wrong with the largest, most powerful group in the sea, then something is wrong with the sea, so it’s a relief to find they’re in good shape…. We determined there were enough animals that there was a low to very low risk of extinction and, in fact, most developments suggest an increasing population.”

According to the International Shark Attack File, there were 47 shark attacks in 2013, with two of them being fatal. Florida shark attacks accounted for 23 out of 47, with Hawaii being the second most dangerous state based upon 13 shark attacks.