Mexican authorities announced on Dec. 29 that a fisherman had died of a shark attack while fishing for scallops.
“The young man’s body was taken by his fellow fishermen to the Yavaros dock. The young man was a free fisherman and did not have an anti-shark repellent bracelet. Civil Protection, together with municipal authorities, has insisted on calling on fishermen to … be duly registered and have the necessary preventive measures to carry out their activities,” the State Coordination of Civil Protection in the Mexican state of Sonora tweeted in Spanish.
El cuerpo del joven fue llevado por sus compañeros pescadores al muelle de Yavaros.
El joven era pescador libre y no contaba con brazalete repelente antitiburones.
— Protección Civil Sonora (@cepcsonora) December 30, 2023
The 22-year-old victim, identified as Víctor Alejandro Soto García, was reportedly killed after a great white shark seriously injured his left leg, Mexico News Daily reported. In 2022 and 2023, five fishermen died of shark attacks in Sonora, the outlet noted. (Teen Surfer Dies After Shark Bites Off His Leg In Front Of His Dad: REPORT)
Fisherman dies after having leg bitten off by great white shark while diving for scallops https://t.co/mUm15msk0U pic.twitter.com/zAvr1ZfZaa
— New York Post (@nypost) January 8, 2024
Sharks are opportunistic hunters and typically attack humans only “when they are confused or curious,” according to the National Ocean Service. Human beings are not part of the typical shark diet, the governmental agency noted.
The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File investigated 108 alleged shark attacks on humans from around the world in 2022, classifying 57 as unprovoked.
Shark repellents come in various forms. Some emit electrical pulses under the water that disrupts sharks’ ability to hone in on prey, while others simply emit an odor that sharks find unappetizing, CBS News reported.