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Reports of a shark attack in Queensland have been dramatically downgraded, with the culprit now thought to be something a little less likely to strike terror among swimmers. A toadfish. Earlier on Thursday, paramedics reported they were called to a Catseye Beach, off Hamilton Island in Queensland's Whitsundays, after a shark bit a girl and her grandmother in shallow water. A nine-year-old girl was being treated for a bite on her right foot, while a 60-year-old woman had leg injuries and would need stitches. Since the incident, Hamilton Island staff have spoken to several people, including medical staff, professional fishermen and industry experts. They took into account the bite shape and size from a fish of about 50 centimetres in length and the fact an injury was reported under a foot. Hamilton Island Enterprises chief executive Glenn Bourke said toadfish, which were known to frequent the Whitsundays, could be quite aggressive. "They're sometimes called 'toe fish' because they sometimes attack feet and toes," he said. "While we can't be unequivocal and say it definitely wasn't a shark, it was only a fish that was 50 centimetres long and the kind of bite marks led us to probably believe it wasn't done by a shark and was probably done by a toadfish." It was understood the girl and her grandmother had received treatment and were responding well. Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind said reports of shark attacks could hurt the economy in the Whitsundays. "Unfortunately this kind of thing is doing massive damage to the regional industry again with stories going out around the world about what was called a shark attack, when it most likely wasn't," he said. Earlier, LNP deputy leader Tim Mander called for shark protection measures, such as drumlines and nets, to be installed in the Whitsundays. Three people were mauled last year at Cid Harbour, about 10 kilometres north of Catseye Beach. A woman and girl were seriously injured in two separate shark attacks at the same location in September, prompting authorities to install temporary drumlines, which were removed after six sharks were caught in a week. Victorian doctor Daniel Christidis, 33, died in November after being bitten while swimming off a chartered yacht.

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