04 MAR 2019: Global data based on 55 years of research shows shark bites around the world are highly variable from year to year, but in some locations, the rates have increased in recent decades. Hawaii is one such location the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Friday.

The rate of shark bites in Hawaii has been increasing slightly in recent years, but the risk remains extremely low, at roughly 5-in-1 million, according to new research.

“In highly populated regions-like the Eastern USA and Southern Australia-shark attack rates have doubled in the last 20 years, and while the rates remain relatively low, they should continue to be monitored,” the report said.

Steve Midway, assistant professor in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University and co-author of the paper, said Hawaii’s bite rate was the highest of the seven global regions studied.

Midway said because the research was calculated using only resident populations and did not include tourists, the rates of shark bites in Hawaii is even lower than reported. The state had about 10 million visitors in 2018.

The study’s authors hope the information will temper the hysteria that often accompanies shark bites and “contribute to a more scientifically grounded discussion of sharks and their management and conservation,” Midway said.

Midway, who specializes in fish ecology said the study is “not meant to be predictive or to tell you how to reduce your chances of getting bitten by a shark. It was designed to provide context to what, relatively speaking, is really a trivial occurrence in just about any one of the regions.”

Burgess said the study, also co-authored by Tyler Wagner of the US Geological Survey said far more people are killed or injured by jellyfish, stingrays, sunburn, sand hole collapses, surf accidents and car crashes on the way to the beach.

The growing popularity of ocean recreation, especially surfing, is likely one reason for the increase in human-shark interactions and for more diverse areas not historically known for shark attacks emerging in the data.

It’s also no coincidence the same regions with increasing shark attack rates also have high rates of technology use, including smartphones, email and the internet, which makes it easier to document and share news of shark attacks, he said.

“I don’t believe the increases we’ve seen are because sharks are suddenly hungry for humans, but are due to changes in the behaviour patterns of humans, and the ability to report has increased,” Burgess said.