There are several factors that explain these attacks, but experts believe that perhaps the main one was the construction of the port of Suape, south of Recife. It was inaugurated in the mid-1980s, but started to operate at full speed from the 1990s onwards. And it was exactly in this last decade that shark attacks began to explode on the metropolitan beaches of Recife – 77 incidents have already occurred since 1992, when counting started.
Before that period, almost no cases had been registered in the region. “There appears to be a significant correlation between the number of ships in port and the occurrence of attacks. Sharks are known to follow large vessels”, says biologist Fábio Hazin, from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE).
But there are also other factors that explain the problem, such as the increase in the number of surfers and bathers at sea, the growing shrimp trawl fishery – with boats dumping fishing waste into the sea, which attracts sharks -, the topography of the submarine relief of the region and even some climatic conditions, such as the influence of winds on sea currents.
According to Fábio, the main species responsible for the attacks are the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) and the flathead shark (Carcharhinus leucas). Both species are known for the ferocity of their attacks and large appetites. A proof of this predatory power is that the most varied objects have already been found in the stomach of captured sharks, such as license plates, bottles, plastic bags and even beer cans.
run away from them
Two species are responsible for most incidents
Up to 3.5 meters
Flathead (Carcharhinus leucas)
Extremely adaptable to fresh water, it has already been found in the Amazon River, 4 kilometers from the coast. It has a wide, flat nose, small eyes, a white belly and a grayish body. Females are usually larger than males
Up to 6 meters
TIGER SHARK (Galeocerdo cuvier)
It is one of the most feared species due to the violence of its attack. It eats a wide variety of animals (turtles, rays, molluscs), including members of the same species. It is named after the black spots on the body.
Fatal Attraction
Natural conditions and modernization of the region made the beasts approach the bathers
worrying winds
Most attacks occur when the wind blows strongly from the south and southeast. On these days, ocean currents from south to north intensify, bringing the sharks that follow the tracks of ships in the port of Suape closer to the beaches of Recife.
preferred victim
Surfers are the ones who suffer the most, as they spend a lot of time in the water. In addition, the waves form far from the beach, close to the sandbar, bringing surfers and sharks even closer, which can mistake the legs floating in the water for fish struggling.
controversial port
The growth of activities at the port of Suape, south of Recife, increased ship traffic in the region. Attracted by the remains of food and waste thrown into the sea, sharks follow the boats, approaching the shore
new maternity
The destruction of the mangroves where the port of Suape was built caused the female bull sharks that used the place to give birth to migrate to the estuary of the Jaboatão River, to the north. This river ends exactly on the beaches of Recife
tempting channel
A sandbank extends into the sea about a thousand meters from the beaches of Recife. Between this long strip, with a depth of between 1 and 3 meters, and the beach, a deep channel (between 5 and 8 meters) is formed, which becomes a kind of dining hall for sharks.
easy food
The problem with the existence of a channel between the beaches and the sandbar is that it attracts several species of rays, precisely one of the “favorite dishes” of sharks. The presence of so many prey in this area makes sharks spend more time near the beaches
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