Monitoring of sharks in the Capricorn region has been increased after fatal attack

Monitoring of sharks in the Capricorn region has been increased by the Queensland Government after a man died in an attack on Saturday.

The 40-year-old Luke Walford had been on a camping holiday with family and friends, and was spear fishing when he was bitten near Humpy Island, in the Keppel Bay Islands National Park, about 18km off the central Queensland coast.

Despite desperate efforts by paramedics to save the Rockhampton pastor’s life, he succumbed to his injuries just before 6pm.

On Monday, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said the Government had increased monitoring in the area of the attack.

“The former government commissioned KPMG to produce a report on the shark control program,” Bleijie said.

“I’m advised that report is completed and with the department, but not with the new minister.

“I’ve asked the minister to get a copy of that report urgently, and if there are things and recommendations in that report we can fast track, we absolutely will do that.”

He said safety would be a priority for the Government.

“Human safety before sharks. That is the priority and that will be the policy position of this government.”

Queensland has a shark control program, however, Fisheries Queensland told 7NEWS it had no equipment in the area where Walford was bitten, given its remoteness.

Data shows in 2024, 290 sharks were captured in the Capricorn Coast region through the Queensland Shark Control Program.

A spokesperson for the Department said while there has been a trend of increasing catches of sharks recently, it was “impossible to definitively say why this is the case.”

“There are changes that have occurred in the Shark Control Program during that time that may have influenced catch numbers, such as modified fishing gear used in the Catch Alert Drumline trial and the circle hook trial.

“Any change cannot automatically be assumed to reflect changes in the abundance of sharks.”

Reef sharks are commonly found in the area, which are mostly harmless to humans, but experts say bigger species are also seen in the region at certain times of the year.

Experts warn cluster of attacks possible

The Central Queensland community has been urged to be cautious in the water around the Keppel group of islands, in the wake of Walford’s death.

Associate Professor Daryl McPhee, from Bond University, is an expert on sharks and researches unprovoked bites.

“From what we’ve seen, you do get clusters of shark bites in a location or a region,” he said.

“I’d certainly be very cautious, and caution against in-water activities around (Humpy Island), and perhaps in the Keppel group for a short period of time.”

McPhee said there are three species of bigger sharks seen in the Capricorn region at this time of year, which can be dangerous.

“The bull shark, the tiger shark and the lemon shark, and the lemon shark is a shark that does hang around the waters adjacent to campgrounds in the Great Barrier Reef,” he said.

“Several species of sharks can be dangerous when they interact with people.

“You’re at much greater chance of drowning in the water than you are of being killed by a shark.”

Queensland Police have said Walford was an experienced fisherman, who died in an unfortunate incident.

“The guys were doing everything right, they were using the buddy system, they had support on the nearby island, they were in a group, they had tender boats nearby,” said Sergeant Sean Halson from Yeppoon Water Police on Saturday.

McPhee said it would be possible to identify what type of shark attacked the 40-year-old, and the information could be useful to authorities to help mitigate further risk.

“If it is a lemon shark, if we are seeing increased bites around camping areas from lemon sharks, well we may need to think about slightly modifying our existing mitigation approaches.”

He warned culling sharks would largely be impractical and unlikely to significantly reduce any risk.

“There’s always calls for a cull after a fatal shark bite or a shark bite that results in serious injury,” McPhee said.

“The Queensland Government cannot legally implement a shark cull in the Great Barrier Reef, and I suspect the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority would not support a shark cull in the marine heritage area.

He said a shark attack should not be on the mind of people entering the water long term.

“The risk of a shark bite is, and remains, extremely low.”

Family friend’s shock at pastor’s death

A family friend who had known Walford since he was born told 7NEWS his family cried at hearing news of the pastor’s death.

Doug Webber said he saw the rescue helicopter go over his house, the afternoon of the attack.

“We were swimming in the pool, and I always have a little bit of a prayer for whoever they may be going to, not knowing it was Luke, and to find out it was Luke was just a shock to our family.

At the Cathedral of Praise Church, where Walford worked, he was known as ‘Chappy Luke’.

Webber said the 40-year-old was a giver and a lovely man.

“His calling was always to serve people in some capacity, and he always did that,” he said.

“When my boys were young, he’d ring me up and say, ‘Doug, can I take them up Mount Archer and can I do things with them?’ He was always looking to help people.”