SYDNEY, June 6 (Reuters) – A man has died after being attacked by a shark while fishing off the coast of Western Australia state, police said on Saturday, the third fatal shark attack in Australia in three weeks.
The 35-year-old was attacked on Saturday morning while spearfishing with family off the state’s south coast at Michaelmas Island, close to the town of Albany, about 388 km (241 miles) south of state capital Perth, police said.
He was taken ashore where he was treated by paramedics but died of his injuries.
A 4.5 metre (14.8 feet) shark, of an unknown species, was spotted by a member of the public near Michaelmas Island, a nature reserve that receives few visitors, on Saturday, state authorities said.
On May 24, a 39-year-old man died after being attacked by a shark while fishing on the Great Barrier Reef. The death followed that of a 38-year-old mauled off an island near Perth 10 days earlier.
There are around 20 shark attacks in Australia every year but the vast majority are not fatal, according to data from conservation groups. Far more people drown on the country’s beaches.
(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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