Two fishermen bitten by sharks just hours apart in the Florida Keys

Florida has led the world in shark attacks for decades, say researchers

Two fishermen were bitten by sharks in separate incidents just hours apart in the Florida Keys, according to officials.

A 35-year-old man fishing from a dock in Summerland Key, was bitten on the foot by a shark on Friday night, stated the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials say that the shark had already been removed from the water and was on the dock when it bit the fisherman.

The man, who has not been named, was flown to hospital for treatment.

A 20-year-old man from Miami-Dade County was bitten on the leg by a shark while spearfishing on Thursday in Marathon in the Florida Keys, according to Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials say that the man was with two other people when he was attacked and was brought back to shore in a private boat.

The man, who identified himself to CBS Miami as Kevin Blanco, says he was bitten twice and was then transported by helicopter to a hospital in Miami for treatment.

Kevin Blanco (CBS Miami)

“I just see a big grey figure of him just there, and I see it every time I close my eyes,” Mr Blanco told the station.

“It was a bull shark, and it was probably around nine to ten feet, probably around 500 pounds.”

And he added: “I don’t really remember like the pain, but I remember the pressure and the force that he hit my leg with, it felt like I got hit by like an F-150 and the pressure of just like slowly closing on my leg, everything was going in slow motion.”

The University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File says that 2022 saw 108 shark-human interactions, with 57 being unprovoked bites and 32 being provoked bites.

There were nine fatalities globally with five being classified as unprovoked. The US led the world with 41 shark-human interactions, with one fatality.

The university says that Florida has topped their data “for decades” and in 2022 the state saw 16 shark bites, which represents 39 per cent of the US total and 28 per cent of the global number.