the man was swimming back to the group’s charter boat when he was bitten by the shark. He sustained injuries to his leg, hand and elbow. A doctor and paramedics responded and treated the man on board the vessel before he was taken to Gladstone Hospital. Gabrielle Holmes from Capricorn Rescue Service said a helicopter reached the boat at around 6pm. “At this stage we believe there was a group of them swimming and this patient was the last one to exit the water onto the boat, when the incident occurred,” she told the ABC. Despite a concerted effort to treat and stabilise the man’s condition so he was well enough to travel, he died at approximately 10pm at hospital. Flora and fauna The vegetation of the island is dominated by dense Pisonia forest. North West Island is an important nesting ground for seabirds and turtles. As many as 500,000 seabirds habitat the island at any one time. Seventy per cent of the total breeding population of wedge-tailed shearwaters on Australia's east coast nest on the island. The Capricorn silvereye, a small bird endemic to the southern Great Barrier Reef, is found on the island. The green sea turtle and the endangered loggerhead sea turtle nest on the island between November and February. Because of these important rookeries the size of nesting populations is monitored on an annual basis. See also List of islands of Australia References External links NPSR: Capricornia Cays National Park Dr Nicolas Magaud: Photos from an expedition to North West Island Terrie Ridgway and Fellowship Beginnings - State Library of Queensland Islands on the Great Barrier Reef Important Bird Areas of Queensland Central Queensland eo:Nordokcidenta Insulo