{"id":793720,"date":"2026-05-13T15:28:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/793720\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T15:28:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:28:26","slug":"california-sees-great-white-shark-surge-why-thats-a-good-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/793720\/","title":{"rendered":"California sees great white shark surge. Why that\u2019s a good thing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As the early morning breeze tickles the top of the Santa Monica Bay, three scientists pack into a small whaler boat and push out to sea in pursuit of great white sharks.<\/p>\n<p>Armed with a set of drones, a GoPro camera on a stick and a tracking device atop a spear, the team from the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab has many questions they are seeking to answer about this sharp-toothed species.<\/p>\n<p>What is driving the <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-03-26\/8-foot-shark-circles-newport-beach-surfer-very-sharky-summer-ahead\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ongoing shark surge<\/a> in Southern California? Which beaches do the predators frequent? And, perhaps most important, why do they, on rare occasion, attack people? <\/p>\n<p>           <video playsinline=\"playsinline\" loop=\"\" preload=\"none\" title=\"Experts are predicting a sharky summer. Here\u2019s why it\u2019s good for SoCal\" data-video-id=\"0000019e-19c6-d11e-a1fe-5bcfe3190000\">               <\/video>               <img class=\"image\" alt=\"\"   width=\"473\" height=\"840\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778686100_562_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>             <\/p>\n<ul data-element=\"action-bar-menu\" class=\"flex gap-2 list-none  absolute w-full h-10 top-0\">\n<li data-element=\"action-bar-share\" class=\"flex  w-full h-10 top-0 lg:items-center lg:justify-center \">\n<p> Share via     Close extra sharing options  <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While the drone flies above, one of the researchers crouches underneath a blanket shielding the video feed from the sun and scours the screen for a dark black flash amid a sea of blue. <\/p>\n<p>The team sits and waits, patiently bobbing until &#8230; \u201cShark!\u201d the spotter yells.<\/p>\n<p>And the boat sets off in pursuit. <\/p>\n<p>Once the fish is located, a flash of the GoPro underneath the animal\u2019s belly helps the crew determine its gender, while a stab of the spear below the dorsal fin implants a tracker. <\/p>\n<p>Using this method, the Shark Lab has successfully tagged 390 sharks since 2010, of which about 233 remain active in their tracking system. They use this data to study the giant fish\u2019s movements and behaviors, with a goal of gleaning insights that can improve ocean safety.<\/p>\n<p>As juvenile great white sightings are on the rise in Southern California, that mission is perhaps more important than ever. <\/p>\n<p>An <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-04-24\/aggressive-shark-sighting-postpones-world-surf-competition-in-huntington-beach\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u201caggressive\u201d 10-foot shark<\/a> prompted the cancellation of a surf competition in Huntington Beach in April. Fishermen are now <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/abc7.com\/post\/young-great-white-sharks-draw-anglers-raising-risks-surfers-swimmers-off-southern-california-piers\/18975599\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">hooking juvenile great whites<\/a> off the Hermosa Pier. And a Santa Barbara foil surfer was recently chased out of the ocean by a <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/surfer-chased-by-great-white-for-10-minutes-video-11962282\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">fast-moving dorsal fin<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Shark Lab Director Chris Lowe says this uptick is driven by toasty ocean temperatures during an unseasonably warm spring. With an upcoming <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-04-09\/california-could-get-super-el-nino-heres-what-that-means\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">super El Ni\u00f1o cycle<\/a> predicted to continue heating the sea, Lowe <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-03-26\/8-foot-shark-circles-newport-beach-surfer-very-sharky-summer-ahead\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">predicts a \u201cvery sharky summer\u201d ahead.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"A harpoon is fitted with a tracking dart.\"   width=\"2000\" height=\"1393\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778686101_915_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>A harpoon is fitted with a tracking dart that Shark Lab researchers will use to tag sharks off Hermosa Beach. <\/p>\n<p>That phrase might raise the hairs on the back of your neck, evoking the eerie \u201cdun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun\u201d of Steven Spielberg\u2019s 1975 classic, \u201cJaws.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>But Lowe and his team of researchers have a welcome piece of news. When it comes to the sharks that frequent Southern California\u2019s coastline, humans are not on the menu.<\/p>\n<p>In the last 20 years, there has been a steady increase in juvenile great whites observed in California, where they congregate along certain beaches, feeding on stingrays and smaller fish. Researchers believe this population growth is aided by <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/water.ca.gov\/Programs\/All-Programs\/Climate-Change-Program\/Climate-Change-and-Water\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">waters <\/a><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/water.ca.gov\/Programs\/All-Programs\/Climate-Change-Program\/Climate-Change-and-Water\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">warming <\/a><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/water.ca.gov\/Programs\/All-Programs\/Climate-Change-Program\/Climate-Change-and-Water\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">from climate change<\/a> and expanded protections for great whites, which became illegal to fish in California in 1994. <\/p>\n<p>At the same time, there are more people than ever surfing, swimming, kayaking and otherwise recreating in the ocean \u2014 largely blissfully unaware that sharks may be nearby. When Shark Lab researchers used drones to <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0286575#sec002\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">study two shark congregation sites<\/a> in southern Santa Barbara County and central San Diego County, they found humans and sharks swimming together 97% of the time.<\/p>\n<p>But although the number of both sharks and humans in the water is up, there has not been a corresponding uptick in negative encounters.<\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Research associate Amanda Ho off the coast of Hermosa Beach.\"   width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778686103_609_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab research associate Amanda Ho uses a jacket for shade as she operates a drone off Hermosa Beach, looking for sharks to tag.<\/p>\n<p>Since 1950, California has recorded <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/wildlife.ca.gov\/Conservation\/Marine\/White-Shark\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">235 shark incidents,<\/a> of which 97 resulted in no injury, 121 resulted in a nonlethal injury and 17 were fatal, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. During this span, there was a <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1989-01-31-mn-1147-story.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">single death reported<\/a> in L.A. County \u2014 a kayaker who was attacked by a great white shark off Malibu in 1989.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s very, very rare that people come into contact with them and even more rare that there\u2019s actually a bite or an incident of any kind,\u201d said James Anderson, a postdoctoral fellow at the Shark Lab. \u201cI always tell people that if you\u2019re going to go to the beach, your biggest risk is probably the 405.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Research from an ongoing study at the lab indicates that sharks have learned to recognize the unique sounds humans make in the ocean. This may help explain why attacks on humans have not increased in proportion to shark population growth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe think that they can actually identify people,\u201d Lowe said. \u201cWe exhibit different sounds, and probably different smells, and we don\u2019t pose a threat, and they don\u2019t consider us food, so as a result, they just ignore us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Though negative encounters are rare, they do still happen. <\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Shark Lab research associate Delaney Sauer lowers an underwater camera to get an image of a young shark.\"   width=\"2000\" height=\"1394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778686104_90_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Shark Lab research associate Delaney Sauer lowers a camera into the ocean to capture an image of a young shark to help determine its gender while a drone monitors movement from above.<\/p>\n<p>In September, a 3- to 4-foot-long shark <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2025-09-30\/shark-attack-minor-injuries-catalina\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cnipped\u201d at a man<\/a> attempting to swim from Catalina to San Pedro. In December, a swimmer was <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2025-12-29\/california-swimmer-believed-to-be-victim-of-shark-is-found-dead\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">killed in a great white shark attack<\/a> off Lovers Point in Monterey. And in March, a surfer was <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/abc7news.com\/post\/surfer-injured-shark-attack-off-mendocino-coast-officials-say\/18737293\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">seriously injured by a shark<\/a> off the Mendocino coast. <\/p>\n<p>When attacks occur, Lowe said, it\u2019s often a case of a shark mistakenly identifying humans as prey or acting defensively when confronted. For example, in 2014, a juvenile great white <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-ln-shark-bite-victim-describes-ordeal-20140706-story.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">shark bit a swimmer<\/a> near the Manhattan Beach Pier after it had been thrashing about for 40 minutes in an attempt to free itself from a fisherman\u2019s line. <\/p>\n<p>Although Lowe is, overall, not greatly concerned about the risk of unprovoked shark attacks in Southern California this summer, he is nervous about the recent trend of local anglers <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/abc7.com\/post\/young-great-white-sharks-draw-anglers-raising-risks-surfers-swimmers-off-southern-california-piers\/18975599\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">attempting to hook great whites<\/a> off piers \u2014 as this raises the risk of agitated sharks biting at swimmers. <\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Researchers with the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab look for sharks to tag off the coast of Will Rogers State Beach.\"   width=\"2000\" height=\"1390\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778686105_239_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Researchers with the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab look for sharks to tag off Will Rogers State Beach.<\/p>\n<p>He also noted that, during the last strong El Ni\u00f1o cycle in 2015, extra-warm waters led to other species of sharks traveling north such as hammerheads, which were responsible for two shark bites that year.<\/p>\n<p>But overall, researchers believe that a sharky summer is a positive sign because it indicates that Southern California\u2019s coastline \u2014 which not too long ago was <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2022-08-04\/ddt-ocean-dumping-in-l-a-even-worse-than-expected\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ravaged by DDT pollution<\/a> \u2014 is now healthy enough to feed an apex predator. <\/p>\n<p>Prior to the 21st century, sharks were a rare sight in California waters, but beginning about 20 years ago, their numbers have been steadily increasing, Lowe said. In 1994, California banned the fishing of great white sharks and the use of gill nets, which indiscriminately entangle any animal that swims into them, within three miles of the coast, helping the population rebound over time. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, California\u2019s ocean has been <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/opc.ca.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ocean-Temperature.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">gradually heating up<\/a>, contributing to an uptick in juvenile great white sharks traveling to California from Baja in late spring and summer, before heading back down south in winter. <\/p>\n<p>This year, the Shark Lab saw juveniles arriving from Baja as early as February, compared with their more typical late April, early May arrival. <\/p>\n<p>Lowe seeks to continue monitoring local shark populations going forward but noted that securing funding is a challenge. With a private grant running out in September, he is appealing to legislators to restore state funding and seeking private backing to keep research going in the meantime. <\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Three people are seen in a motorboat; in the background city buildings are seen along a shoreline.\"   width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778686106_645_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Shark Lab researchers Delaney Sauer, front, James Anderson, rear left, and Amanda Ho head toward Will Rogers State Beach, looking to tag great white sharks.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers have learned that the juveniles, which can range from 4 to 9 feet long, gather at certain Southern California beaches, enjoying the warmer shallow waters, the protection from larger predatory sharks and a veritable feast of ocean pancakes, aka stingrays. Over the years, these hot spots have included Will Rogers State Beach, Carpinteria, Del Mar and Huntington Beach. <\/p>\n<p>Researchers have also seen mature great whites, measuring up to 15 feet long, at a greater frequency in the last decade. Those tend to swim farther out to sea and can often be found near Catalina or the other Channel Islands.<\/p>\n<p>Although great whites have a fearsome reputation, they act as <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/sanctuaries.noaa.gov\/news\/2025\/how-sharks-keep-the-ocean-healthy.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">guardians of the ocean<\/a> and are essential to maintaining the delicate balance of a marine ecosystem. <\/p>\n<p>Similar to the role that <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/education.nationalgeographic.org\/resource\/wolves-yellowstone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wolves play in promoting biodiversity<\/a>, great white sharks are also apex predators that keep mid-level predator populations in check, preventing the overconsumption of resources lower on the food chain. Studies have found that reintroducing sharks to an ecosystem has enabled the recovery of <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2021\/mar\/22\/sharks-critical-restoring-climate-damaged-ecosystems-study\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">seagrass meadows<\/a> and <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/oceanographicmagazine.com\/news\/health-snack-sharks-vital-to-coral-reef-abundance-study-confirms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">coral reefs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the U.S., we have worked really hard to bring sharks back, and we are stoked to see that,\u201d Lowe said. \u201cBut the public isn\u2019t used to seeing them. That\u2019s why we spend a lot of our energy taking our science and bringing it to the public \u2014 so people can actually feel safe.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the early morning breeze tickles the top of the Santa Monica Bay, three scientists pack into a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":793721,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[276,9251,323924,6359,11562,43429,936,42012,26298,159,1538,323925,323926,2549,3007,67,132,68,837,1628],"class_list":{"0":"post-793720","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-fish","10":"tag-great-white-shark-surge","11":"tag-human","12":"tag-lowe","13":"tag-more-people","14":"tag-ocean","15":"tag-population-growth","16":"tag-researcher","17":"tag-science","18":"tag-sea","19":"tag-shark-lab","20":"tag-sharky-summer","21":"tag-southern-california","22":"tag-team","23":"tag-united-states","24":"tag-unitedstates","25":"tag-us","26":"tag-wildlife","27":"tag-year"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116567980668256972","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=793720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/793721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=793720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=793720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=793720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}