reports, however, the actual number of fatal shark attacks worldwide remains uncertain. In most Third World coastal nations, no method of reporting suspected shark attacks exists. Therefore, losses and fatalities near-shore or at sea often remain unsolved or unpublicized.

Of these attacks, most occurred in the United States (53 in 2000, 40 in 2005, and 39 in 2006). On average, there are 16 shark attacks per year in the United States, with one fatality every two years. The US states in which the