Great White Blamed For Teen Fisherman's Death

Boy Killed By Great White Shark

The 17-year-old was spear fishing when he was bitten in the leg - experts believe a great white may have been responsible.

A teenager has been killed in a suspected attack by a great white shark while spear fishing in southwest Australia.

The 17-year-old boy, who has not been named, was was bitten on the leg while fishing with a friend at Cheynes Beach, near the town of Albany in Western Australia.
The friend, also a teenager, reportedly fired at the shark with a spear gun and may have wounded it.
Rick Fletcher, Western Australia's department of fisheries director, was quoted by the Perth Now website as saying the wound suffered by the teenager suggested a great white was responsible.

Cheynes Beach, where the attack took place

He said: "Based on the reports and the advice we had about the injury it appears that it was a very large shark, probably four to five metres and probably a white shark.
"It appears that the shark swam past one diver and bit the other on the leg which resulted in fatal injuries to the diver.

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"It is possible that the shark was injured during the attack, therefore what we're going to do is do patrols on the beach as well."
Mr Fletcher said the two boys had been fishing for a while and had caught a number of fish, which may have attracted the shark.
In a statement, Western Australia Police said: "The man appears to have an injury to his body.
"Based on an initial assessment it appears the injury is consistent with a shark bite.
"However, further assessment will need to be made to confirm this."

Great White Shark Caught Off Beach

Perth Now said a 13-and-a-half-foot (4.1m) great white shark was caught and killed at the same beach in April 2013.
If a shark was responsible for the fisherman's death, it would be the second fatal shark attack in Australia this month.
On 15 December, 18-year-old Daniel Smith was killed after being bitten in the thigh by a shark while swimming near Rudder Reef off Port Douglas, Queensland.
A surfer lost part of both arms in an attack by two great whites in Western Australia in November, while in September a man was killed swimming at Byron Bay, also in Queensland.
Experts say shark attacks are becoming increasingly common in Australia because of the growing popularity of water sports.