The ''International Shark Attack File'' is a global database of

shark attack A shark attack is an attack on a human by a shark. Every year, around 80 unprovoked attacks are reported worldwide. Despite their rarity, many people fear shark attacks after occasional serial attacks, such as the Jersey Shore shark attacks of ...

s. The file reportedly contains information on over 6,800 shark attacks spanning from the early 1500s to the present day, and includes detailed, often privileged, information including

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

reports and photos. It is accessible only to scientists whose access is permitted by a review board.

History

The database originated when the Office of Naval Research formed the Shark Research Panel in June 1958, which funded it until 1967. This group comprised 34 renowned scientists with expertise in sharks, tasked with exploring research strategies to enhance protection for Navy personnel against shark attacks. The file was temporarily housed at the Mote Marine Laboratory in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

. In the 1980s, it was transferred to the National Underwater Accident Data Center at the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The univer ...

before it was transferred to the

Florida Museum of Natural History The Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) is Florida's official state-sponsored and chartered natural history museum. Its main facilities are located at 3215 Hull Road on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, Gaine ...

at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

under the direction of George H. Burgess. It is currently under the direction of Dr. Gavin Naylor and members of the

American Elasmobranch Society The American Elasmobranch Society (AES) is an international learned society devoted to the scientific study of chondrichthyans (shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal den ...

, which has assumed the task of preserving, expanding, and analyzing shark attack data.

References

External links

International Shark Attack File
Online databases Databases in the United States Sharks Shark attacks {{Shark-stub