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Three friends could only watch in horror as their companion, Jensz, was attacked while in the water.
Although paramedics were ready at the Hull River boat ramp to provide medical assistance, the Cairns resident succumbed to his injuries on the jetty.
A passionate hunter, Jensz leaves behind his wife, Lisa, and their children.
The specific type of shark responsible for Jensz’s tragic death has yet to be determined.
Charter boat operator Gererd Pike reported witnessing several aggressive bull sharks in the vicinity earlier that day, where the unfortunate incident took place.
Kennedy Shoal, where the attack took place, is popular with spearfishers.
The deadly attack has renewed a debate over whether culling should be used to curb the population growth.
Kennedy MP Bob Katter joined the chorus and said he would urgently advocate in parliament for changes to controlled culling in Queensland in the wake of the “heartbreaking tragedy”.
“Human beings are being sacrificed for ideology. There’s no other way you can interpret what is going on,” Katter told 9News.
“But every time we raise safer waterways, we are lectured by public servants and activists who have never spent five minutes in the water north of Mackay,” he said in an earlier statement on Facebook.
The Queensland government uses nets and drumlines to manage the shark population in the state.
Conservation groups and environmentalists have argued against expanding this to active culling and have campaigned for modern, non-lethal measures instead.
Jensz’s death marks Australia’s third fatal shark attack this year.
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