Election ’12 fact-finding:
Has Obama Increased or Decreased Shark Attacks in the US?

Election ’12 fact-finding: Has Obama Increased or Decreased Shark Attacks in the US?

Originally published on MisinformationVisualization.com on Aug 18, 2012

Here’s something Romney’s attack ads refuse to discuss. According to figures from the nonpartisan American Elasmobranch Society and the Florida Museum of Natural History, under the policies of George W. Bush, the US had an average of 65% of the world’s shark attacks, dipping below 60% only in 2004, when John Kerry was running. For the first three years of Barack Obama’s presidency, the US average dropped to only 43% of the world’s shark attacks. (Paul Ryan has a plan to end shark attacks by chumming the swimming waters with meat and fresh blood, but Romney has been distancing himself from it.)

Percentage of Worldwide Shark Attacks Occurring in the US, 2000-2011.
Percentage of Worldwide Shark Attacks Occurring in the US, 2000-2011. Source: International Shark Attack File

Please come back, as we will be exploring this data in greater detail in upcoming posts.