The third fatal shark attack in a month has sent shockwaves through Australia
Australia has recorded its third fatal shark attack on a person in the past month, a figure that stands out sharply against long-term statistics. Authorities and local fishermen report an increase in predator activity off the coast.
Australia is seeing an unusually high number of fatal shark attacks, and the latest incident—in which a 35-year-old spearfisherman was killed off the coast of Western Australia—is the third in the past four weeks, which, for a country where such incidents are usually rare, appears to be an alarming sign of a changing situation in the ocean.
The tragedy occurred near the town of Albany, where the man was spearfishing with his family and was suddenly attacked by a large shark, which, according to preliminary police reports, may have been identified as a 4.5-meter-long great white shark.
Rescuers attempted to save the victim—he was pulled from the water and transported by boat to Albany—but all resuscitation efforts proved unsuccessful, and medical personnel pronounced him dead. Police note that there has recently been increased shark activity in the region, with sharks moving along the coast following schools of sardines and salmon, which likely increases the risk of encounters with people in the water.
This incident is the latest in a series of fatal attacks: earlier, on May 24, 39-year-old spearfisherman Michael Jens died on the Great Barrier Reef, where, according to eyewitnesses, he was attacked by a shark, sustaining fatal head injuries.
A week earlier, on May 16, 38-year-old Steve Mattaboni died after being attacked by a great white shark near Rottnest Island, and his friends, who witnessed the tragedy, tried to help but were unable to save him. Separately, another fatal incident occurred this year in January, when a 12-year-old boy died in the hospital after being attacked by a bull shark in Sydney Harbor.
Australian scientists suggest that several factors are influencing changes in shark behavior, including rising ocean temperatures and shifts in fish migration routes, which bring predators closer to the coast and increase the likelihood of encounters with humans. “Increasing water density and rising ocean temperatures are altering shark migration routes,” the researchers note, emphasizing that these changes may continue to influence the frequency of such incidents. CBS News reports on this.
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