PERTH (AUSTRALIA)- A rare ocean heat wave may to be blame for the recent spike in shark attacks in western Australia. That’s what scientist of the West Australian Department of Fisheries claim.
The scientists suggest that a 5-degree rise in water temperature last summer may have sparked the increase in shark activity off the coast. When ocean temperatures rise, pockets of cold water form close to shore, attracting the feared underwater predators, Dr. Rick Fletcher, director of the West Australian Department of Fisheries, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Fletcher, however, warned that more research needs to be done to know how the heat wave will affect western Australia in the long term.
Five people have died in shark attacks in the region in the last year, a statistic The Australian called “unprecedented” back in July. A 24-year-old surfer was most recent victim.A shark attacked the unidentified man while he was surfing off Wedge Island, a well-known tourist destination that sits on the country’s Indian Ocean coast this July.