Fisherman, 22, killed by great white shark in Mexico while diving for scallops

Víctor Soto was killed by a great white shark in Sonora, Mexico on December 29The 22-year-old was diving for scallops when he was attacked by the sharkAt least 43 shark-related deaths have been registered in Mexico since 1907 

A man diving for scallops was killed by a 13-foot shark off Mexico’s Pacific coast, according to the Sonora state government.

The victim, identified Víctor Soto, was bitten by a great white shark at Tojahui beach in the port city of Huatabampo on December 29.

The 22-year-old fisherman’s body was recovered by other divers and taken to a dock in Yavaros.

Soto, at the time of the attack, was not wearing an anti-shark repellent bracelet, that use magnets or electrical pulses to drive sharks away from areas where they could kill human beings.

Huatabampo Mayor Juan Flores (right) talks to a family member of Alejandro Soto, a 22-year-old fisherman who was killed by a shark while diving for scallops off Mexico’s Pacific coast on December 29

Authorities said fisherman Víctor Soto was not wearing a shark repellent bracelet when he was attacked and killed at a beach in the Mexican Pacific coast state of Sonora

At least 43 people have been killed by sharks in Mexico since 1907. Four deaths were reported in the Pacific coast waters of the state of Sonora since 2022

The Sonora Civil Protection said in a statement that it was working with local authorities to urge fishermen to register themselves with the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry.

The agency called on fishermen to make sure that they are using preventive measures to carry out their jobs.

Shark attacks in Mexico, however, are rare – the first incident was reported in 1907 and there have been at least 43 since then.

At least five people have been killed by sharks while diving for scallops near the Yavaros and Puerto Peñasco ports and the Tóbari Bay in the city of Benito Juárez since 2022, according to Sonora state government data.

Mexican marine biologist María Martínez was killed by a shark at Quite Beach on December 2

A Belgium national was killed December 14 when she was bitten by a shark at Quite Beach in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Guerrero.

María Martínez, a Mexican national and marine biologist, died December 2 after she was attacked by a shark at in Melaque, Jalisco.

She was attempting to hand over her five-year-old son to staff to place him on a floating device when the shark bit her on the leg and took her underwater.

State authorities have reported five deadly shark attacks in 2022