Man bitten by shark – third incident of this kind in Florida within a month

(AP) – A man on Florida’s northeast coast was bitten by a shark this weekend but is now recovering, authorities said Sunday, the third shark incident in the state’s waters in the past month.

Officers with the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit responded to a 911 call Friday morning and found the victim in critical condition aboard a boat, losing blood due to a “severe” shark bite to his right forearm, according to a social media post from the sheriff’s office.

The incident occurred in the Amelia River near Fernandina Beach, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Jacksonville, after the victim caught the shark while fishing, according to Alicia Tarancon, sheriff’s office spokeswoman.

After officers applied a tourniquet, the victim was brought to shore and flown by helicopter to a local hospital, the Florida Times-Union reported.

On Sunday, Tarancon told the Associated Press that the victim was conscious and still recovering in the hospital.

This is the third shark bite incident in Florida in June. The other two incidents in the Florida Panhandle in early June injured three people and forced beaches in Walton County to be temporarily closed.

Three more shark bite incidents were reported in the United States – one in Southern California and two in Hawaii, one of which was fatal.

Stephen Kajiura, a professor of biological sciences at Florida Atlantic University who specializes in sharks, said the number of recent incidents was “a little high” but a natural consequence of more people in the water and warmer waters.

“The likelihood of something happening is higher because more people are coming to the beach,” he said. “It’s strange to get so many bites in quick succession, but considering how many people are in the water right now, it’s not that unusual.”

Another reason for the increase in shark activity is small baitfish that sharks feed on and that swim close to the shore, Kajiura said. He also said scientists have observed a resurgence of some shark species, which could mean there are more sharks in the water.

According to experts, shark activity is highest during the warmer months, but also during the sharks’ seasonal migration along the coast in fall and spring.

Still, Kajiura said, deaths are rare.

Kajiura pointed out that Florida has the highest number of shark bites in the world.

Although none were fatal, 16 unprovoked shark bites were reported in Florida last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s annual shark attack report. That represents 44% of the 36 unprovoked bites in the U.S. in 2023 and just under a quarter worldwide.

Kajiura urged swimmers not to avoid the water – they should just be alert.

Avoid flashy jewelry or watches that might look like fish scales in the water, he said, and swim in groups and in areas where lifeguards are present. Also, avoid swimming near schools of fish, where sharks might lurk.

“You’ve probably been in the water with sharks before and didn’t know it,” he said. “Just be careful.”

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