How New England Compares to the Rest of the Country in the Official Shark Attack Report

We hear about shark sightings all the time in New England, mainly off the coast of Massachusetts and Cape Cod. However, Maine sees its fair share, and even the small coastline of New Hampshire isn't immune.

The number of fatal shark attacks around the world doubled for 2023 compared to 2022, according to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), which is a database of global shark attacks operated at the University of Florida.

According to CBS News, the number of deadly shark attacks doubled from five in 2022 to 10 in 2023. They are relatively rare overall, so that number is alarming, according to the ISAF.

Meanwhile, the numbers that can hit home are the non-fatal shark attacks, which are more common, reaching 120 both provoked and unprovoked. 69 were provoked (up several from 2022) and 22 were provoked, resulting in 10 deaths around the world.

While 40% of the deadly attacks happened in Australia, the rest of the international attacks were in the Bahamas, Mexico, Egypt, and New Caledonia.

Meanwhile, two of the deadly attacks were in the United States, but not in New England, and surprisingly not Florida, where nearly half of all attacks happen. One of the deadly 2023 attacks was in Hawaii, and the other in California, according to the ISAF.

So what are New England's numbers for 2023 (and overall) since the monitoring began back in 1837?

Nothing, just sightings for 2023. Meanwhile, since tracking began, according to the ISAF, Maine has had two unprovoked attacks, Massachusetts has had six, Rhode Island has had two, and Connecticut has had one. New Hampshire has never had an attack, and obviously, Vermont is in the clear while New York has seen 24 total.

For 2023, New Jersey had one and New York had four, according to the ISAF.