A catch-and-kill order has been issued for the shark that killed a 63-year-old man at Sorrento Beach, with authorities to hunt down the animal once weather conditions allow.

Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis said that the order was highly unusual and believed to be the first issued in about 10 years, but was appropriate given the circumstances of Friday’s fatal attack.

“I appreciate that the public is concerned,” Ms Jarvis told reporters on Saturday morning.

“It is very unusual to make this catch and kill order. I think it’s the first time in 10 years that this has been done.

“But given the circumstances here, I think it was entirely appropriate.”

The 63-year-old man was swimming with a friend about 15m offshore when he was attacked in shallow water about 10.15am on Friday.

The shark is believed to have been a large great white, with reports suggesting it could be about 5m long.

Beaches across the City of Joondalup, from Marmion to Iluka, remain closed this morning following the attack, with the closure due to be reassessed at midday.

The man was declared deceased after the attack but his body has not been found.

Witnesses described horrific scenes in the water, with local Ryan Rowe saying a bystander told him the shark attacked the swimmer again after the initial bite.

“A lady came running out of the water saying that someone had been bitten by a shark,” he said.

“He walked over to have a look on the back of the groyne and he said that by then there was blood everywhere.

“Basically the shark grabbed him again, pulled him back down and then it went out a bit further.”

Mr Rowe said the amount of blood in the water was confronting.

“I couldn’t believe there was that much blood come out of a human body,” he said.

“We’re always sort of in and out of the water and stuff like that — it’s so close to home.”

Tradesman Daniel Saligari was working on a nearby construction site when he saw the aftermath.

“I looked out of the balcony and there was a pool of blood that had risen in the water,” he said.

“When I saw that, I already knew what was happening and then a bunch of people started crowding around and helicopters started showing up.”

The victim had ridden his bike to the beach with a friend to go boogie boarding.

The friend managed to make it back to shore after the attack, apparently uninjured.

Members of the Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club later cut the victim’s bike free from its lock and removed it from the beach.

The attack has also reignited concerns about shark safety at Sorrento, where a shark enclosure was removed in 2020 after struggling with the conditions.

Weekend shark patrols resumed last Saturday, with daily patrols not due to begin until September 26.

Authorities are expected to continue monitoring the area, with the beach closure to be reassessed at midday.