A 28-year-old man surfing in an area of Reunion Island where surfing is prohibited was killed by a shark Thursday afternoon in what was the 24th shark attack and 11th mortality on the French Island since 2011. The death came on the same day authorities issued a call to “the greatest vigilance” in a warning about the presence of bull sharks with changing water temperatures, according to BRMTV. “Reunion is entering a transitional period between the summer and the austral winter, with southern swell fronts sought by water sports enthusiasts, and the use of the Reunionese coast by bulldog sharks, potentially dangerous, is more important as one enters the austral winter with a seasonal cooling of the temperature of the sea water,” warned the services of the State in a translated statement on BRMTV. Also on FTW Outdoors: Great white shark tearing into fish prompts water evacuation The man was surfing with three friends off the small fishing town of Saint-Leu where surfing is restricted because of the rising threat of shark attacks in recent years, according to the Mirror. The friends were wearing shark-repelling devices on their ankles but the unidentified victim was not, the Mirror reported. The shark bit off the victim’s leg. Efforts to save him by his friends proved futile. Authorities later recovered the body. “We will never reach zero risk,” Olivier Tainturier, sub-prefect of Saint-Paul, said in a press conference, according to the local news outlet Clicanoo. “The shark has always been present. “Currently we are deploying significant resources to ward off this risk [such as shark technology and prohibiting fishing]. But nature is often the strongest, that’s what the drama of today reminds us.” The last deadly shark attack on Reunion Island was on a fisherman on January 30 in Sainte-Rose. The sharp increase in shark attacks on Reunion Island since 2011 prompted locals to call it a “shark crisis,” France 24 reported. Photo showing French firefighters responding to the shark attack by Richard Bouhet/AFP/Getty Images. Photos taken March 1 showing signs warning of sharks and banning swimming at L’Etang-Sale on Reunion Island by Richard Bouhet/AFP/Getty Images. Follow David Strege and the outdoors on Facebook.<doc-sep>A man has been killed in a shark attack in waters close to the French Indian-Ocean island of Reunion. The surfer, believed to be in his late twenties, was surfing in a high-risk area where surfing is banned close to the small fishing town of Saint-Leu. The shark tore off one of his legs, according to French media. A witness noticed the victim completely disappeared from the surface of the water and just his surf board was left in view. The attack took place at about 4.30pm local time. Three other people who were surfing with him made it back to shore safely. Since the beginning of 2011 locals have spoken of a “shark crisis” on Reunion, as the number of shark attacks have sharply increased. Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Show all 15 1 /15 Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Campaigners in Australia have today released photographs showing sharks in snared in hooks placed as part of the Queensland government’s Shark Control Program HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Operating in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, the program is intended to reduce the threat of attacks in Queensland’s waters by capturing sharks with nets and drumlines, permanent fishing hooks buoyed off coast HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program A diagram showing the drumlines used by the Queensland government to catch sharks Queensland Government Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) and Humane Society International (HIS) are calling for the immediate removal of the drumlines HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Though Queensland has seen a decline in fatal attacks since the program launched in 1962, campaigners argue that control measures are not proportional to the threat posed by sharks and lament the program’s devastating effect on certain shark populations HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program For example, nearly 9000 tiger sharks have been caught since the program was launched HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program “Their numbers have dropped by up to three quarters” says Dr Leonardo Guida, senior shark campaigner at Australian Marine Conservation Society HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Citing the findings of the recent official Australian Shark Report Card, Dr Guida continues “numbers will keep dropping unless we make major improvements to the way they are managed” HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program “The government should not be sanctioning the culling of a species in such perilous decline” HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program The release of this footage comes weeks before the implementation of a law that would make its capture illegal HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program The Queensland Government’s Fisheries Amendment Bill 2018 outlaws being within 20 metres of shark control equipment on the grounds of public safety, but campaigners view it as a way to hide the impact of the Shark Control Program HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Nicola Beynon, head of campaigns at HIS says “not only does the Queensland Government insist on slaughtering sharks, but it has recently passed legislation making it illegal to document the horror. The public has a right to see true cost of its Shark Control Program” HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program A diagram showing the nets used by the Queensland government to catch sharks Queensland Government Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Tiger sharks are a particular concern for campaigners HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Tiger sharks are a particular concern for campaigners HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan In the last eight years 24 attacks have been reported and 11 of those have proved to be fatal. Half of those attacks involved surfers and bodyboarders. Recommended Shark attacks double in 20 years across densely populated coastlines Not long before the attack occurred local rescue officials had issued a warning for people to have the “utmost vigilance” because of sharks. The warning highlighted the need for people with surfboards and bodyboards to take particular caution. Bulldog sharks are likely to be in the waters at this time of year, officials said.<doc-sep>A surfer was killed on Thursday after he was attacked by a shark off the coast of the French island of Reunion officials said. The 28-year-old man was near Reunion in the Indian Ocean when the shark attacked, AFP reported. The man lost his leg and ultimately died. FLORIDA'S 'SHARK BITE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD' SEES FIRST ATTACK OF 2019, OFFICIALS SAY The surfer, according to local official Olivier Tainturier, "was accompanied by three friends who tried to take him back to land but did not manage." Reunion has seen a sharp increase in shark-related deaths each year. The surfer's death on Thursday was reportedly the 24th shark attack on the island since 2011. REAL-LIFE 'JAWS': TERRIFYING GREAT WHITE SHARK IMAGE MIRRORS 1975 CLASSIC FILM In 2018, one researcher at Florida International University, who studied changes dating back to the 1980s, described the increase of people and the increase of bull sharks as a "deadly equation." The study found that in the months of June, July and August between 2010 and 2016, shark bites were most prevalent. Around 90 percent of the shark bites took place along a 31-mile stretch of the coast. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "This is totally related to the sharks' behavior, and sharks preferentially attacked isolated swimmers and surfers," Jeremy Kiszka, a marine biologist at the university, said. "At dusk and dawn — especially at dusk — they tend to forage closer to shore." Reunion island officials warn swimmers and surfers online to use the "utmost vigilance" in the water because of possible shark attacks — particularly from bull sharks, which officials described as "potentially dangerous."<doc-sep>A witness alerted rescue officials, telling them a surfer had disappeared from the surface of the water and that only his board was visible from the shore, the local government said in a statement (in French).<doc-sep>
A surfer has been killed in a shark attack off France’s Reunion Island. The man, aged 28, had his leg bitten off yesterday as he surfed in the Indian Ocean, reports BFM TV. Following a spate of shark attacks in recent years, authorities prohibited surfing and other aquatic activities from large parts of the island’s waters. The victim was reportedly surfing in a banned area. Three other surfers in the water with him returned safely to shore. They were wearing shark-repelling devices on their ankles but the unidentified victim was not, the Mirror reports. The fatality came just hours after officials warned the seas off Reunion Island is attracting the aggressive bull sharks to its waters. (Getty) After a search by divers and a helicopter, the victim was pulled from the sea but was pronounced dead. It was the 24 th surf attack and the 11 th fatal one since 2011. In January, a fisherman was fatally attacked as he checked nets close to shore. The fatality came just hours after officials warned the seas off Reunion is attracting the aggressive bull sharks to its waters. Authorities urged beach goers to take the “greatest vigilance” as more people flock to the coast in the warmer weather, reports AFP. Warming weather is attracting more people to the beaches of Reunion Island. (Getty) According to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File, a rise in Reunion Island attacks was stemmed last year after “stringent attack mitigation strategies”. Between 2011 and 2015, there were 18 shark attacks, including seven fatalities. This led to a ban in 2013 on nearly all surfing. In 2016, the ban was eased but the shark attacks continued.