A 35-year-old man has died after being attacked by a shark while spearfishing with family near the town of Albany in southern Western Australia, according to local police.
Medical staff provided first aid, but the victim succumbed to severe injuries. Police said a witness spotted a shark about 4.5 meters (15 feet) long of an unidentified species near Michaelmas Island, a rarely visited area.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development in Western Australia urged the public to exercise extra caution in the area and report any shark sightings.
This is the fourth fatal shark attack in Australia this year. Last month, a man died after being attacked by a great white shark off Rottnest Island near Perth. In May, another man died from a shark bite off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia. In January, a 12-year-old boy was killed by a shark in Sydney Harbour.
Australian scientists suggest that increasingly crowded waters and rising ocean temperatures are altering shark migration patterns, which may be contributing to a rise in attacks. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, most shark attacks occur along the country's east and southeast coasts, with an average of about 20 incidents recorded each year.
