Cairns father and spearfisher identified as victim of horror shark attack

A much-loved father, husband and spearfisher has been identified as the victim of a horror shark attack off the coast of Far North Queensland.

Michael Jensz, 39, was enjoying his lifelong passion of spearfishing with mates when he was mauled by a shark off the Cassowary Coast, about 160 kilometres south of Cairns, about 12pm yesterday.

Jensz's three friends watched on helplessly as he was attacked in the water.

The victim of a horror shark attack in Far North Queensland has been identified as Cairns father Michael Jensz.

The Cairns man was brought back to shore for treatment by paramedics waiting at the Hull River boat ramp but he died of his injuries on the jetty.

Jensz, who was a keen hunter, is survived by his children and wife Lisa.

The species of shark that killed Jensz is still yet to be identified.

Charter boat operator Gererd Pike claimed he saw several aggressive bull sharks earlier in the day in the area where the attack happened.

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".

The victim of a horror shark attack in Far North Queensland has been identified as Cairns father Michael Jensz.

"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.

In January, a 12-year-old Sydney boy Nico Antic died after an attack by a suspected bull shark near Shark Bay in Vaucluse.

And last week, a 38-year-old spearfisher Steve Mattabonni was killed off Rottnest Island in Western Australia after being attacked by a great white shark.

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