A fisherman was killed by a shark while fishing for scallops, according to Mexican officials who reported the incident on December 29.
Víctor Alejandro Soto García (22) was fatally wounded when a great white shark severely tore his left leg, according to a Mexican outlet. Five fishermen in Sonora lost their lives to shark attacks in 2022 and 2023, according to the site.
The National Ocean Service reports that sharks attack people when perplexed or intrigued, despite sharks being opportunistic predators. The government body made the point that sharks typically do not consume humans.
Out of 108 reported incidents of shark attacks on people in 2022, 57 were determined to be unprovoked, according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
The young man’s comrades brought his lifeless body to the Yavaros port.
In a Spanish-language tweet, the State Coordination of Civil Protection in Sonora reminded fishermen that they must be appropriately registered and equipped with safety gear before they can go fishing.
As a free fisherman, Garcia ventured into the ocean without his anti-shark repellant wristband.
Shark repellant comes in various forms, including surfboard wax, wristbands, and anklets. Some of these devices generate an odor that sharks consider repulsive. Others try to impair a shark’s ability to zero in on prey by utilizing electrical pulses that are released underwater.
In an interview, experts on shark behavior emphasized that the deterrents aren’t 100% effective. According to Gavin Naylor, director of shark research at the Florida Museum of Natural History, the reason is that different shark species exhibit distinct behaviors and respond differently to different types of repellents.
This most recent incident occurred just weeks after a shark attacked and killed a 26-year-old woman in southern Jalisco while she was swimming.
Last month, a 76-year-old Belgian man perished at a beach in Ixtapa, Guerrero, after being bitten by possibly a shark or a crocodile.
Local authorities issued a crocodile warning last week after the viral footage of one swimming and wading in the sea near another Ixtapa beach.
