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Drought, warmer water may be factors in increase in shark attacks, shark expert says

11 people have been bitten this year off the coasts of North and South Carolina

(CNN) Sharks have attacked 11 people off the coast of North and South Carolina this year, according to the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida, including a man bitten Wednesday on the Outer Banks' Ocracoke Island.

That's higher than the average of six attacks a year off the coasts of those two states.

What's behind the increase?

A number of factors could be contributing to the apparent rash of attacks, such as warmer water and drought conditions, said George H. Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Drought conditions reduce the amount of freshwater making it to the sea, which creates an environment along the shore where higher salt levels attract more fish and sharks, Burgess said.

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