Suspected 15-Foot White Shark Kills 35-Year-Old Spearfisher in Western Australia, Australia’s 3rd Fatal Attack in 4 Weeks
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Jun 6
Suspected 15-Foot White Shark Kills 35-Year-Old Spearfisher in Western Australia, Australia’s 3rd Fatal Attack in 4 Weeks
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jun 6
Summary
Michaelmas Island — a 35-year-old man spearfishing with family was attacked before noon and died after being brought by boat to Albany, where paramedics could not revive him.
Police suspect a 15-foot white shark was responsible, and local fishermen said larger sharks have been more active off Albany as they follow sardine and salmon runs and compete with fishers.
The death is Australia’s third fatal shark attack in four weeks — an unusual cluster in a country that has averaged about three shark deaths a year in recent decades.
The previous fatalities were a 39-year-old spearfisher killed on May 24 off the Great Barrier Reef and a man fatally mauled by a 13-foot white shark on May 16 near Rottnest Island.
Scientists say crowded waters and warmer oceans may be shifting shark migration, while murky conditions have also been linked to higher attack risk.