Good Recession News: Shark Attacks Down

In the category that every dark cloud does sport a silver lining, sort of, Reuters is reporting the good news that shark attacks are way down this year. The bad news is that is because fewer people can afford to take beach vacations.

Shark attacks on humans dropped worldwide in 2008 to their lowest level in five years, apparently because the recession has curtailed seaside vacations, University of Florida researchers who compile the annual tally said on Thursday.

They confirmed 59 shark attacks on humans in 2008, down from 71 the previous year and the fewest since 2003.

"I can't help but think that contributing to that reduction may have been the reticence of some people to take holidays and go to the beach for economic reasons," said George Burgess, who directs the International Shark Attack File at the university.

"We noticed similar declines during the recession that followed the events of 2001, despite the fact that human populations continued to rise," he said in a reference to the Sept. 11 attacks.

The report notes that only four of the attacks last year were fatal and that sharks snack most often on surfers. 

Whole story here.