Three people have been bitten by sharks on the same beach in just 24 hours, with two attacks occurring within 30 minutes of each other.

Multiple separate attacks were recorded over the weekend at New Smyrna Beach in Florida, an area which has been called the “shark attack capital of the world”.

A 20-year-old surfer, Emily Comfort, was bitten on her left hand and wrist on Saturday, according to Volusia County Beach Safety, and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Approximately half an hour later, a 21-year-old surfer named Riley Petrovich was treated for a shark bite on his right foot.

He refused transport to a hospital, according to officials.

Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Show all 15 1 /15 Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Campaigners in Australia have today released photographs showing sharks in snared in hooks placed as part of the Queensland government’s Shark Control Program HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Operating in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, the program is intended to reduce the threat of attacks in Queensland’s waters by capturing sharks with nets and drumlines, permanent fishing hooks buoyed off coast HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program A diagram showing the drumlines used by the Queensland government to catch sharks Queensland Government Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) and Humane Society International (HIS) are calling for the immediate removal of the drumlines HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Though Queensland has seen a decline in fatal attacks since the program launched in 1962, campaigners argue that control measures are not proportional to the threat posed by sharks and lament the program’s devastating effect on certain shark populations HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program For example, nearly 9000 tiger sharks have been caught since the program was launched HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program “Their numbers have dropped by up to three quarters” says Dr Leonardo Guida, senior shark campaigner at Australian Marine Conservation Society HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Citing the findings of the recent official Australian Shark Report Card, Dr Guida continues “numbers will keep dropping unless we make major improvements to the way they are managed” HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program “The government should not be sanctioning the culling of a species in such perilous decline” HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program The release of this footage comes weeks before the implementation of a law that would make its capture illegal HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program The Queensland Government’s Fisheries Amendment Bill 2018 outlaws being within 20 metres of shark control equipment on the grounds of public safety, but campaigners view it as a way to hide the impact of the Shark Control Program HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Nicola Beynon, head of campaigns at HIS says “not only does the Queensland Government insist on slaughtering sharks, but it has recently passed legislation making it illegal to document the horror. The public has a right to see true cost of its Shark Control Program” HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program A diagram showing the nets used by the Queensland government to catch sharks Queensland Government Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Tiger sharks are a particular concern for campaigners HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan Sharks in Great Barrier Reef threatened by government program Tiger sharks are a particular concern for campaigners HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan

On Sunday, beach officials reported that 51-year-old Peter Bourbeau was bitten by what he described as a 4ft shark while standing in knee-deep water.

Mr Bourbeau said he kicked the shark and it swam away.

It is not known whether any of the attacks were committed by the same predator.

Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Programme for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History, told CNN that sharks are often drawn to New Smyrna Beach by bait fish which gather nearby.

“If you like to surf and you surf in this particular spot, the chances are high that you have been within 10ft of a shark,” he said.

“The surfers all know this. They routinely report seeing sharks in the area. While it may be news to the non-surfing community, it is widely-known to scientists and surfers.”

Shark sightings are relatively common in Volusia County, where there has been 303 unprovoked attacks recorded since 1882, according to research by the Florida Museum of Natural History.

That number is the highest for a county in the US.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

There have been 1,441 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in the US since 1837 with the majority occurring in Florida (828 attacks), according to the museum.