Mexico: Great white shark bites man's head off

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Mexico's head of fisheries says shellfish divers in the Gulf of California are risking their lives after a man was decapitated in a horrific attack by a great white shark.

A man on January 5 named Manuel Niblas Lopez was diving for shellfish with colleagues in Tobari Bay, off the coast of Sonora, when he was attacked and killed by a great white shark, according to Tracking Sharks.

According to fishermen, the length of the shark that killed their partner, was estimated at about 19 feet. The largest great whites on record were about 20 feet long.

Local divers had previously been warned of great whites in the area days before the attack, and many avoided going out to sea.

Federal subsidies are available to fishermen in Mexico to increase their income but these sums are not enough to live on if they do not catch and sell enough products from the sea.

“What happened is unfortunate, but we have to work, because this is what we live for. Many colleagues avoid going to sea, but there are others who take risks”, — José Luis Reina, president of a local fishing cooperative in the area, told Mexican news outlet El Imparcial.

Some local fishing organizations have called on the Mexican government to provide divers with shark-repelling equipment. equipment emitting an electromagnetic field.

These animals use electroreception — biological ability to perceive natural electrical stimuli — for hunting and navigation. The idea behind repellent devices is that they disrupt this sensory system in sharks and rays without harming them, making the wearer an unattractive target.

Fearing more shark attacks and sightings, many fishermen in the area have decided to temporarily suspend diving for scallops, according to Red Noticias on 23.

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