Why are shark attacks on the rise in North Carolina?

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Man doesn't need to protect nature. Nature will defend itself. Sometimes by hurricane, sometimes earthquake and sometimes a really big fish with lots of teeth. Of course you can avoid shark attacks by not swimming in the ocean.

When one decides to swim in shark infested waters......

I think this article and others overlook the obvious reason why there are more attacks. One of the main preys for a couple of the more dangerous sharks are marine mammals, seals and sea lions, and sea turtles, all which have made a major comeback on both coasts. More food, more predators, it's pretty simple. That and the fish population in US Coastal Waters are pretty healthy.
The other dirty little secret is that attacks incidental to fishing or spearfishing aren't recorded since they are "provoked" attacks.