Tusi Tala, Staff Writer
A man has died after a shark attack near the small town of Koumac on Grande Terre, New Caledonia. While his family enjoyed a picnic at a nearby beach, the father of two went spear fishing on Thursday afternoon close to Kendek islet. According to witnesses, he was bitten on the arm, as stated by New Caledonia’s Public Prosecutor Yves Dupas in a release on Friday.
Emergency rescue efforts were initiated via plane, and attempts to revive him were made, but he was pronounced dead a few hours later, around 6:30 PM. Dupas noted that a post-mortem examination has been ordered as part of the investigation to determine the species of shark involved in the attack.
This incident on January 2 comes shortly after another man was believed to have been killed by a shark off the west coast of South Australia. Earlier in January and February 2023, three shark attacks occurred on the beaches of Nouméa, resulting in the death of an Australian tourist. In response, the Nouméa municipality and Southern Province authorities initiated a culling campaign that reportedly killed around 120 bulldog and tiger sharks. However, this culling was later deemed illegal by various court rulings.
The courts ruled that there wasn’t sufficient scientific evidence to justify the systematic culling, which also harmed non-shark species. In the aftermath, several anti-shark nets have been installed at Nouméa’s most frequented beaches.
