It is known that the federal wildlife protections are helping sharks rebound, but they aren't the sole reason for the uptick in encounters between sharks and humans. Scientists said higher use of beaches by humans also adds to the problem.

Recent shark attacks in North Carolina and Florida have made headlines as the summer beach-going season gets into gear.

The Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File said in a statement that the number of unprovoked shark attacks has grown in every decade since the 1970s.

Shark researcher George Burgess said this decade is almost certain to set a record for shark attacks.

"The fact of the matter is, while shark populations rebound and hopefully come to where they once were the human population is rising every year. We're not rebounding, we're just bounding", said Burgess.

According to a US Army Corps of Engineers estimate, almost 2.2 billion Americans visited beaches in 2010 up from 2 billion in 2001.

A spokesman for the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association said that the figures are likely still rising because of the improving economy.

It has been found that the populations of some shark species have grown due to conservation efforts, such as a 1997 US law that prevented the hunting of great white sharks.

Bob Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida, said preservation and management have also helped a lot to regain the populations of species like the sandbar shark and black tip shark.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 also has helped to increase the population of seals, which are a favorite prey of white sharks. Greg Skomal, senior scientist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, said encounters with marine animals such as sharks are inevitable as long people keep visiting their habitat.