The Queensland Government have set three drum lines around Cid Harbour today in an attempt to bait sharks to prevent further casualties in the Whitsunday area.

The prevention measures have come after two separate incidences of shark attacks occurred in less than 24 hours of each other.

Fearing the safety of patrons, a Queensland Boating and Fisheries patrol vessel will be on duty this afternoon to stop people from swimming around the sites of the attacks.

The shark control measures have been set after a 12-year-old girl was attacked at Cid Harbour Thursday afternoon and is currently being treated for serious upper-leg injury at the Mackay Hospital.

She is the second person in just two days to be attacked at Whitsundays, after a mother from Tasmania was mauled on Wednesday.

Justine Barwick has since been moved to stable care at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital suffering from a similar bite in her upper-leg.

While the last shark attack in the area was eight years prior to Wednesday’s incident, Queensland authorities have urged swimmers to follow safety guidelines around the water to reduce the risk of an attack.

Photo: ‘Shark Sightings on Cape Cod’ by rickpilot_2000 available here using creative commons attribution.