Boy Bitten in Fla. 'Shark Bite Capital'

NC town eyes shark fishing ban to protect swimmers
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 18, 2015 12:11 AM CDT
Boy Bitten in Fla. 'Shark Bite Capital'
A boat patrols the coastline near Ocean Crest Pier in Oak Island, NC earlier this week.   (Mike Spencer/The Star-News via AP)

Volusia County, Fla., was declared the "shark bite capital of the world" this year by the International Shark Attack File, according to NBC, and it doesn't seem to be in danger of losing the title. A 10-year-old boy was in chest-deep water at Daytona Beach Shores yesterday when he was bitten on the calf by a shark, WESH reports. Officials say the boy was treated for lacerations at the scene and didn't need to go to a hospital. He was the county's fourth shark victim of the year and the second in the space of a week: Another 10-year-old boy was severely injured last week in a shark attack at Cocoa Beach, around 60 miles south of the latest attack, NBC reports.

This is the 11th attack in the state so far this year, which isn't an exceptionally high number, shark expert Dr. George Burgess tells WESH, noting that "the number of humans that are killed by sharks versus the number of sharks killed by human beings is 10 million to one." He advises swimmers worried about sharks to stay in groups and avoid areas where fishermen put out bait. Two young people lost limbs in shark attacks in Oak Island, NC, on Sunday and the town is considering banning shark fishing to protect swimmers from sharks attracted by the bait, the AP reports. (A 16-year-old boy who lost his left arm in Sunday's attack says he won't let it ruin his life.)

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