Shark Attacks in Canada

The Global Shark Attack File records 14 shark attacks in Canada between 1691 and 2021. Of those, 4 were fatal (28.6%). The species most often involved is the white shark.

Total recorded

Fatal

Fatality rate

28.6%

Global avg 21.1%

Years covered

1691–2021

Recorded incidents by year

Peak 1 (1691)Avg 1.0

169119252021

13 years of data, 1691–2021

Shark attacks in Canada per year, 1691–2021
Year	Attacks
1691	1
1860	1
1874	1
1888	1
1891	1
1920	1
1925	1
1932	1
1936	1
1953	1
2000	1
2012	1
2021	1

Species most often involved in Canada

Species	Recorded incidents
White shark	2
Salmon shark suspected, but unlikely	1
Porbeagle shark	1
15'	1
2.1 m [7'] shark	1

Counts based on the species field in the Global Shark Attack File. Species identification in incident reports is not always reliable.

Activities most associated with incidents

Fishing2
Swimming1
Surfing1
Diving for sea urchins1
Harpooned shark1

Recent recorded incidents in Canada

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many shark attacks have been recorded in Canada?

The Global Shark Attack File records 14 shark attacks in Canada, of which 4 were fatal.

What is the shark attack fatality rate in Canada?

28.6% of recorded shark attacks in Canada are fatal, compared with a global average of 21.1%.

Which shark species are most often involved in attacks in Canada?

Based on incident records, the species most frequently identified in Canada attacks are White shark, Salmon shark suspected, but unlikely, Porbeagle shark.

What activities are most associated with shark attacks in Canada?

Fishing accounts for the largest share of recorded incidents in Canada, with 2 cases logged.

Where does this shark attack data come from?

All figures are derived from the Global Shark Attack File (GSAF), a non-profit database of shark-human incident records. Shark Data Lab cleans, geocodes, and aggregates the GSAF dataset for analysis.