The International Shark Attack File is based out of the Florida Museum of Natural History and the University of Florida. We are the only global scientifically verified database of shark attacks. This page is set up for the media community to provide up to date information about investigations on major shark attacks. You are welcome to quote the information provided here or please contact us directly.
Incident Notes
Classification of the recent shark attack in Australia
Bahamas Fatality
Recent increase in New York shark bites
Quick links
- Quick Tips to reduce the odds of Shark Attack
- Annual ISAF Report
- Long term Shark Attack trends
- Maps
- Learn more about a specific shark species

ISAF in the news
- Sydney shark attack triggers calls for cull — here’s the scientific case against it – uptoday
- Researchers: Shark attacks increase after 3 years of decline -Washington Post
- 2020 was an ‘unusually deadly year’ for shark attacks, with the most deaths since 2013 -USA Today
- Dive In To The 2020 Global Shark Attack Summary – Forbes
- St. Martin reports fatal shark attack, 1st in recent history -Associated Press
- Great White Shark Kills Maine Swimmer in Rare Attack -New York Times
- Florida is the shark attack capital of the world, again -CNN
- Good news for beachgoers -USA Today
- Shark Attacks Tourist on Whale-Watching Trip -Newsweek
- Summer Of The Shark: The Truth About Shark Attacks -Forbes
- How to be shark smart at Cape Cod– CBS news
- Woman attacked by shark while swimming in Hawaii -USA Today
- The real reasons why sharks attack humans -BBC News
- Why shark attacks are more common in the Atlantic than the Pacific -National Geographic
- A shark attack while snorkeling is extremely rare. Tips on how to avoid it -USA Today
- Shark Attack in North Carolina, 3rd This Month -The New York Times.
Who to Contact
Gavin Naylor PhD
Program Director ISAF
Florida Museum of Natural History
University of Florida
1659 Museum Rd
Gainesville, FL 32611 U.S.A
TEL: (352)-273-1954
EMAIL: gnaylor@flmnh.ufl.edu.
Disclaimers
ISAF contains privileged information, such as medical reports, autopsies, and personal interviews, all of which are protected by HIPAA. Therefore access to this information is limited
Investigations are generally ongoing. Final classifications of type of attack and species involved are not determined for some time to allow for all information to be investigated. Therefore, ISAF does not release bite numbers for incidents in the current year.