Over the years, there has been a steady decline in the great white shark population. New data, gathered and published in the PLOS ONE online journal, suggest that the population is now increasing.

Ocean swimmers may not be thrilled to hear this news, but for the overall ecosystem, it is positive for the health of the oceans. While the study could not actually count the number of great whites, it captured trends in shark abundance in the northwest Atlantic.

Great white sharks were hunted aggressively in the 1970s and 80s for their fins and jaws, used in foods and medicines. Many were caught in nets meant for the sea animals the great whites hunt. This reduced the population by approximately 70% from 1961. In the 1990s, conservation efforts began and 1997 was the year that federal law banned hunting great whites. In 2009, the population was 31% lower than the benchmark year of 1961.

Another PLOS ONE study indicated that great white shark abundance is probably growing in the Pacific Ocean as well. This is in direct opposition with the results of a 2011 Stanford University study. Obviously, researchers need more time and more accurate ways of tracking and studying the great white population.

One of the new ways that is being tried is labeled “Citizen Science” in which data collected by scuba divers and snorkelers. By taking photos to accurately identify species, divers can assist scientists with data on populations. It seems that the information is surprisingly accurate. A system called acoustic telemetry, used to track tagged sharks, has confirmed and supported the numbers reported by citizen science. Abundance estimates derived from the divers’ reports and the data from acoustic telemetry are remarkably close. No doubt, this practice will continue to assist researchers as they monitor the status of the great white shark.

In Australia, scientists tested the accuracy of aerial observation in the monitoring of shark population. In general, this was found to be less accurate than other measures. Air patrols in helicopters tended to undercount the number of sharks in any given area, mostly due to the difficulty in actually seeing the sharks from that vantage point. While they may be of use when there is some noted activity in an area by checking if there are a high number of sharks – enough to compromise the safety of beachgoers, this method is otherwise ineffective.

One question related to all of this is: How long do great white sharks live? This certainly affects numbers. Recent data suggests that females live to approximately age 40 and males to age 73. One must wonder if other studies took this data into account when discussing population. What is the female to male ratio? Is the population being affected by the number of female sharks and reproduction opportunities?

Regardless of how they are being counted and subsequently studied, great whites appear to be benefitting from the conservation measures and laws in place for their protection. Hopefully the positive trend will continue and great whites will once again be able to fully represent their part in the bigger ecological system in our oceans.

South of Key West Florida last week, a commercial fisherman found something unusual in his nets. Along with his haul of fish, a huge, unusual-looking sea creature with an odd, flat snout was among the royal red shrimp. He had caught strange animals before, but never anything like this.

The fisherman, Carl Moore, had no idea what he had caught, but he recognized that it must be something special and unusual. He photographed his catch and released it back into the sea, saving its life. It is his practice to return anything that’s alive and caught in his nets by mistake to the ocean. Only afterwards was the shark identified as a very rare deep-sea shark, the goblin shark or Mitsukurina owstoni. This is reportedly only the second goblin shark ever caught in the Gulf of Mexico.

Research biologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) were contacted by Moore after he released his amazing catch. His photos led to the identification of the rare species. John Carlson, a researcher for NOAA, would have been very interested to examine the shark, but was ultimately glad that Moore released it alive and well back into the ocean. The shark was reported as 15-18 feet long and based on the photographs; Carlson believes it was a female.

Very little is known about the goblin shark because they are so rare and live in the deepest, darkest parts of the sea. Scientists don’t even know their life spans, their reproductive spans, or how big they can get when they reproduce. It is often called a “living fossil” because the species is believed to be around 125 million years old.

This particular shark was caught at the shallower end of its usual range. They are normally found at 2,000-3,000 feet or 610-914 meters deep. The depth of its habitat may be the explanation for the adaptations in the creature’s snout. Sharks normally have sensors in their heads that help them to pick up signals from any animals around them. The flat, long snout of the goblin shark would presumably extend the range for detecting prey, similar to the adapted snout of the hammerhead shark. Once prey is found, the goblin shark uses it’s long, thin, sharp teeth to impale and hold its catch. The teeth are shaped like needles to hold and trap prey rather than slice it up. This extended range of sensors is necessary for the shark to find food in the darkness of the deepest waters.

80% of goblin sharks are found near Japan. They have been spotted in the waters of Brazil, Colombia, and other areas, but the first reported sighting in the Gulf of Mexico was in 2000. Prior to that, no reports of the sharks had been made in the North Atlantic since the 1970s.

Moore certainly has a great “fish story” to tell, even though this shark has been called ugly, alien, and hideous on websites and in publications. And Moore can thank his grandson for the pictures to go with his story. He only recently started to bring a camera on his boat so that he can show the three-year-old pictures of what he sees.

While shark attacks generally receive a lot of press and end up headlining newscasts when one occurs, are you aware of the actual numbers of attacks in any given year? Keep in mind that while any harm to a human is unfortunate and can be tragic, the global population is over 7 billion people. How many attacks would you estimate occur?

In 2013, 116 shark attacks were reported globally. 19 of these were questionable, meaning that either the shark may have been provoked or shark involvement was unconfirmed. The total attacks, confirmed as unprovoked shark attacks numbered 97, including 13 that proved to be fatal. An unprovoked attack, is an incident occurring in a shark’s natural habitat without the human instigating any aggression toward the shark or provoking it in any way.

In 2012, an annual total of unprovoked attacks numbered 80, quite a bit less than 2013. There were 78 2011 attacks and 82 2010 attacks. In general, the number of unprovoked attacks increases slightly from year to year. This is attributed to growing numbers of time spent vacationing and spending time in the ocean waters, increasing the likelihood of interactions between sharks and humans.

Interestingly, while the world population is rising and recreational swimming in the sea is more frequent, the shark population is decreasing. With this variable in play, it would seem that attacks would not continue to be as steady in number. Where variability is seen is in the increase in attacks in the United States. 2013 yielded 61 attacks in the US, 2012 saw 53, and 2011 reported a significantly lower total of 31. The total population of the US is over 314 million people. However, while the number of shark attacks is highest in the US, the rate of fatalities related to sharks is very low – only 2% in both 2012 and 2013. The International Shark Attack File explains the low death rate by indicating the highly developed medical facilities and increased safety personnel in the areas most prone to attacks.

These statistics are not meant to minimize the trauma of shark attack, but to give perspective to the media hype. Let’s just compare annual deaths of causes other than those due to sharks (and remember, most of the unprovoked attacks did not result in death). Death by shark attack happens to 1 in 3,748,067 according the International Shark Attack File. In comparison, 1 in 79,746 die of lightning strike. 1 in 4,919 die in bicycling accidents. 1 in 63 die of the flu. The chances of shark attack, in comparison to these other scenarios is startling. You are more likely to die in the car on the way to beach (1 in 84) than by encountering a shark when you get there.

Shark attacks continue to be media sensations. Survivors continue to be heroes. Fatalities are still tragedies. They may continue to rise slowly, but the risk is probably not as high as is commonly thought.

*Statistics provided by International Shark Attack File, Shark Research Committee, and Shark Attack File