Shark attacks: How common are they?

Blame it on Jaws.

The national fear of shark attacks got its start some 40 years ago with the release of Jaws, the movie blockbuster that unleashed the primal fear of being eaten alive while swimming.

Over the years since then, shark attacks continue to get plenty of media coverage. On Sunday afternoon, a man trying to get out of the ocean at Haulover Beach in Florida was bitten on both legs by a shark, according to local reports. Two days later, a great white shark attacked a kayak off the coast of Santa Cruz, prompting a four-day beach closure in the area near the attack.  While no one died in either case, the incidents beg the question: How common are shark attacks? 

In 2016, there were 154 incidents of alleged shark-human interaction worldwide, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File. Closer investigation found that of those 154 incidents, only 84 represented "unprovoked attacks," or attacks that occur without provocation from humans. There were 39 provoked attacks and 12 incidents involving a shark biting a boat or water vessel, according to the International Shark Attack File.

From 2005 to 2014, an average of six people per year died worldwide after being attacked by a shark. In the U.S., roughly one person per year is killed by a shark.

Some may say it's not really a fair fight, however, as about 100 million sharks are killed each year by humans around the world, according to the Shark Research Institute.

You're actually in more danger just walking on shore than in the water, according to the Shark Attack File: From 1990 to 2006 there were 16 U.S. deaths due to falling in a hole at the beach, vs. 11 shark attack deaths.

Bees, wasps and snakes are responsible for far more deaths each year in the U.S. than sharks, the Shark Attack File also says. 

Another comparison: From 1959 to 2010, about 2,000 people were struck and killed by lightning in U.S. coastal states vs 26 killed by sharks.

Note: This story has been updated from a 2015 piece.