Research Description:

The Significance of Moon Phase and Tidal Stage on Shark Attack Frequencies in the World

Abiotic factors such as weather, water temperature and time of day are known to affect shark attack frequencies. However, not much research has been conducted to determine the significance of how moon phase and tidal stage can influence an attack. The University of Florida Museum of Natural History is home to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), which holds more than 700 individual attack cases from the mid-1500s to the present. However, information is often missing from these files, usually moon and tide data. It is essential to collect the missing data from the ISAF documents to fully understand what importance moon and tide phase has on influencing attacks. The ISAF holds documents for the entire world and I wish to seek out the missing data for all ISAF cases.

The “hot spots” for shark attacks are Florida, California, South Africa and Australia. Searching back through newspaper clippings, medical reports and victim questionnaires it is possible to fill in the missing data of time, date and locality that will help determine the tide stage by using special computer programs. After this data has been amassed, I will analyze the effects that tide and moon phases have on yielding an attack. My expectations are that most attacks should occur when tides are at their most extreme—when the moon is either waning or waxing (towards a new moon or full moon, respectively). The movement of sharks and prey should increase when tides are either coming in or going out. When tides are slack (not moving) they are at their most extreme height and sharks should spend more time foraging than traveling which should lead to more attacks. Because sharks often become trapped between sandbars and the shore at low tide, I expect low tides to yield the most attacks on humans.