June 27 (Bloomberg) -- A man was attacked by a shark while surfing at a beach south of Sydney early today, Australian authorities said.

The surfer was bitten at Seven Mile Beach south of the town of Kiama at about 8:45 a.m. local time, said Les Majoros, a spokesman for the New South Wales state ambulance service.

The man suffered a laceration to his lower leg and was transported to a hospital, where he is in a stable condition, Majoros said in a telephone interview.

In the first three months of the year, eight people were bitten in or outside Sydney, prompting the state government to announce plans to tag captured great white sharks and monitor their movements in response to “community concern.”

A navy diver was mauled by a bull shark in Sydney harbor on Feb. 11, causing him to lose his arm and leg. A day later, a surfer was bitten by a great white at Bondi Beach and lost his hand in the first recorded attack at Australia’s most famous beach in 58 years.

The state government said in early March it will work with scientists to identify “high risk periods and hot spots” for shark attacks.

There are 165 shark species in Australian waters. Several, including the great white, tiger shark and bull shark, are dangerous to humans. None are thought to target people and specialists say attacks occur when a shark confuses swimmers, surfers and divers with its usual prey.

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Last Updated: June 26, 2009 23:02 EDT