A man on Florida’s northeast coast was bitten by a shark over the weekend but is now recovering, authorities said Sunday. It is the third shark attack in state waters in the past month.
Officials 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 from a “severe” shark bite on his right forearm, according to a social media post from the sheriff’s office.
The attack 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 sheriff’s public affairs officer Alicia Tarancon.
After officers applied a tourniquet, the victim was taken to shore, where he was airlifted to a local hospital, The Florida Times-Union. reported.
Tarancon told the Associated Press news agency on Sunday that the victim is conscious and still recovering in hospital.
It is the third shark attack in Florida in June. other two attacks Three people were injured in the Florida panhandle in early June, leading to the temporary closure of beaches in Walton County.
Another three attacks were reported in the US, one of which was in Southern California and two in HawaiiAn resulting in death.
Stephen Kajiura, a professor of biological sciences at Florida Atlantic University who specializes in sharks, said the number of recent attacks is “a little too high” but that this is a natural consequence of more people in the water in the summer and that the water is warmer.
“There’s a greater chance of something happening because there are more people coming to the beach,” he said. “It’s strange to get so many bites in such a short period of time, but when you look at the number of people in the water right now, it’s not that unusual.”
Another reason for the increased shark activity is that small baitfish, which sharks feed on, swim close to the beach, Kajiura said. He also said scientists are seeing a revival of some shark species, which could mean there are more sharks in the water.
According to experts, shark activity is at its peak during the warmer months, but also during the seasonal shark migration along the coast in the fall and spring.
Still, Kajiura said, fatalities are rare.
Kajiura noted that Florida is leading the way the world in shark bites.
Although none were fatal, Florida reported 16 unprovoked shark bite incidents last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s annual shark attack report. reportThat represents 44% of the 36 total unprovoked bites in the US in 2023, and just under a quarter globally.
Kajiura urged swimmers not to avoid the water, but simply to be vigilant.
Avoid flashy jewelry or watches, which can look like fish scales in the water, he said, and swim in groups and where there are lifeguards. Also avoid swimming near schools of fish, where sharks may lurk.
“You’ve probably been in the water with sharks before, and you didn’t know it,” he said. “Just be careful.”