ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. » Good news for beachgoers: The number of shark attacks in the United States has declined, according to a University of Florida report released yesterday.

The number of attacks reported in the U.S. dropped from 41 in 2008 to 28 in 2009, said George Burgess, curator of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida. Worldwide, the number of attacks stayed the about same, with 61 events in 2009 compared with 60 the prior year.

The number of attacks in the U.S. has declined in each of the past three years, though Burgess said it is too soon to tell whether that reflects a long-term trend.

More than half the attacks involved surfers, Burgess said.

In the United States last year, there were 19 attacks in Florida, four in California, three in Hawaii and one each in Texas and Georgia.