Shark Attacks Australian Fisherman Inside Boat
An Australian fisherman was attacked by a shark in an unusual incident, as the predator lashed out at him after it had already been caught and pulled from the water, badly injuring his leg.
The fisherman, who is in his 40s and was not identified, caught the shark off Victoria’s Paradise Beach and brought the 1.5 meter-long fish into his boat, according to the ABC. After it was aboard, he tripped and fell atop the shark, which bit into his leg, causing a severe laceration.
“As the shark has been pulled into the boat, he’s either fallen on it, or it’s lunged at him and taken a piece out of his lower leg, and it’s caused quite a serious laceration to his calf,” John Mullen of Ambulance Victoria said.
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Mullen noted that once the vessel reached shore, the angler had to be transported along the local beach to reach medical facilities, as snakes that populate the region made travel over sand dunes dangerous.
“Getting access to him has been a problem because sand dunes all along that area are apparently renowned of brown snakes, so there had to be a bit of care.”
It is unclear what species of shark was responsible for biting the fisherman, or what became of the predator. Though the circumstances of the incident are unique, shark attacks are relatively rare in Victoria. According to the Australian Shark Attack File, 32 unprovoked incidents have occurred there in the last 100 years, compared to 202 in New South Wales and 159 in Queensland. Only 18 of those interactions resulted in injury, while four proved fatal.
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Just over a quarter of all shark attacks in Australia result in fatalities, according to Australian Geographic. In April of this year, 63-year-old Christine Armstrong was attacked and killed by a bronze whaler shark while swimming off Tathra Beach, NSW. Several months later, in early September, 50-year-old Paul Wilcox was pulled from the water off Clarkes Beach at Byron Bay. A great white shark was spotted in the area immediately following the fatal attack.
Most recently, 18-year-old Daniel Smith was struck by a shark and killed while spearfishing at Rudder Reef, off the coast of Port Douglas. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Smith died before reaching shore, which was a two-hour journey from the reef by boat.
Mullen noted that the fisherman had received treatment following the unusual shark attack, and was transported to Sale Hospital in serious but stable condition.
[Image via Carfaq.org]
