A fisherman died on Monday after a shark attack on the south shoreline of Maui. Patrick Briney, a 57 year-old from Stevenson, Washington, was reportedly fishing with artificial lures when a shark bit his leg, which was hanging over the edge of his kayak, according to reports from . The type of shark involved in still undetermined.
Briney’s partner, who was fishing in another kayak, used a tourniquet to stop the bleeding and called for help from nearby boats. Despite his partner’s efforts, Briney died prior to reaching the shore, according to .
This attack comes just three days after along the same coastline, prompting officials to close the area until sometime later today.
Shark bite incidents are appearing at a higher frequency this year in Maui; eight attacks have been reported, contributing to 13 total incidents statewide. In August, a German woman lost her arm in a shark attack near southern Maui and died a week later, reports .
Authorities can’t explain the rise in shark incidents during the last 12 months but are conducting a two-year study in an effort to understand the movement of tiger sharks around Maui.