A 73-year-old fisherman bitten by a shark after hauling the fish into his boat will spend the night in a Melbourne hospital.
The man was fishing alone off Queenscliff, east of Geelong, when the shark bit his right hand and arm on Tuesday morning.
Police say he landed the 1.5-metre gill shark in his boat and was trying to hook it with a gaff when its jaws locked onto his arm.
The injured angler used a towel to control the bleeding and steered his boat the two kilometres back to the marina where he was met by paramedics.
"He's wrapped his wound in a towel and controlled the bleeding to the best of his abilities," advanced life support paramedic Chris Wilkinson told reporters.
"He was doing very well, very well in spirit and was very aware of what was going on but kept nice and calm, which helped our management."
The New Gisborne man was flown to Melbourne's The Alfred hospital, where he will spend the night, and is now in a stable condition.
