Marine animals

Injuries from marine animals have been described as seasonal but rarely serious, most frequently occurring in summer during leisure activities (Taylor, Ashby et al. 2002). During 2021-22, 525 cases were hospitalised due to contact with marine animals (in 302 of these cases or 58%, the animals were venomous), a crude rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people. 69% of these cases were male and 30% aged 24-44 years. For more information, please refer to supplementary data table 2.

Sharks

Increases in shark attacks reflect increased human population access to coastlines, including in previously isolated areas (West 2011), but relative to the human population the number of shark attacks remains extremely low (International Shark Attack File and Gavin Naylor 2022). Australia has the second highest number of recorded shark bites globally, with an average of 22 bites a year from 2010-22 (Riley, Meagher et al. 2022).

Between 2000 and 2022, 466 shark attacks occurred across Australian waters, with 372 of these happening in coastal areas.

Figure 20: Shark attacks on humans across Australia between 2000 and 2022

a clip art style shark

  • Boarding, swimming and spearfishing were the three most common activities undertaken during attacks (42%,12% and 9% respectively)

  • Most attacks occurred in coastal areas along Australia’s east and south-eastern seaboard, which is where the largest populations live

  • Tiger, bull and white sharks were the most frequently identified species

  • 38% of all tiger shark bites result in fatality, followed by 32% of all bull shark and 25% of all white shark bites

  • 12% of attacks were preceded by people enticing, touching or hurting sharks

Source: The Australian Shark-Incident Database for quantifying temporal and spatial patterns of shark-human conflict (Riley, Meagher et al. 2022)

Relatively few injuries result in death. Of 1,196 attacks recorded in the Australian Shark-Incident Database, 250 (21%) resulted in fatalities and 723(60%) in non-fatal injuries. The highest proportion of fatalities were recorded for bites involving the torso  (Riley, Meagher et al. 2022). 

Jellyfish

Irukandji jellyfish stings can cause a syndrome involving intense pain, and in severe cases, death. Research indicates a lengthening Irukandji season in northern Queensland (Carrette and Seymour 2013). 91 hospitalisations during 2021-22 were due to Irukandji (0.4 per 100,000 persons) and there has been a 34% average annual increase in these hospitalisations since 2017-18 (Figure 16, Figure 21).

Figure 21: 2021-22 summary of Irukandji related hospitalisations

  • Irukandji jellyfish caused the majority of jellyfish-related hospitalisations in 2021–22

  • 3 in 4 hospitalisations due to jellyfish were caused by Irukandji

  • 53% of hospitalisations occurred in the under 15 age group

  • 76%

    of hospitalisations occurred in summer

  • Hospitalisations occured in QLD, WA and NT

  • 34% average annual increase in hospitalisations from 2017–18

Source: National Hospital Morbidity Database

For more information, please refer to supplementary data table 2.

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