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- Great white shark numbers are increasing off the coast of Southern California's beaches.
- They are frequently spotted near surfers and swimmers, but there hasn't been an increase in attacks.
- Researchers say the sharks may be returning as a result of successful conservation efforts.
The coast of Southern California is well known for its popular beaches, which are visited by millions of people each year and where swimmers and surfers — and now shark nurseries — abound.
The area in recent years has become a hot spot for great white sharks, which can frequently be captured with drones gliding along below the surface just 50 feet from shore, sometimes as many as 40 at a time.
Researchers with the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab, led by Chris Lowe, have been monitoring the sharks, which are predominantly juvenile, and their new gathering spots.
"The first time I saw white shark near a beach, a baby white shark near a beach, I just couldn't believe it," Lowe told local outlet KABC, adding: "Then it went from one to five, and to 20 and to 40, and when you see all the sharks in one area, and you go, 'Those are white sharks at one of the most busiest beaches in the world. You're like, 'How did this happen?'"
Most of the juvenile sharks, aged around three or four years old, are 6 to 8 feet long. Adult white sharks can reach 12-20 feet, but they rarely come close to the shoreline. Instead, the gathering spots along the coast serve as white shark nurseries, where the juveniles stay temporarily before moving on to other places.
The shark lab is studying the behavior of the sharks, as well as how their behavior changes in the presence of people. The lab has frequently documented drone footage of the white sharks, swimming by a group of surfers or just off the shore where sunbathers, swimmers, and boogie boarders are present.
They are also studying what makes a good hot spot for the sharks and how long they typically stay.
As with people, the SoCal shoreline is highly appealing to juvenile sharks. The coast provides warmer waters, food sources like stingrays, fish, and squid, and safety from predators that are unlikely to travel into the shallower waters, including larger sharks or orcas.
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Successful conservation efforts
Marissa Wu, the aquarium programs and operations director for the Roundhouse Aquarium, said the return of the sharks correlated with conservation efforts. The Roundhouse Aquarium, located on the Manhattan Beach pier, focuses on native species in the local Southern California waters, including sharks.
"There has been shark overfishing," Wu said, adding that there have been concerted efforts to enforce laws related to fishing practices. "Because those have been more regulated recently to help conserve populations of sharks in our local waters, we're starting to see that benefit. We're starting to see the populations come back, and those sharks are starting to appear more and more off our shores."
California banned actively targeting white sharks in 1994, as well as certain fishing nets that often entrapped the sharks. Populations of the sharks' preferred food sources, including marine mammals like whales, seals, and sea lions, have also rebounded, providing an additional boon to white sharks.
Wu said the sharks are incredibly important to the local ecosystem. They help maintain fish and stingray populations, as well as other shark and even marine mammal populations. Stingrays in particular are important to manage, as a beachgoer in Southern California is much more likely to be stung by one than to be attacked by a shark.
And despite the increase in white sharks, there has not been an increase in shark attacks in California
California remains low in terms of the number of shark attacks, especially compared to Florida. The discrepancy may be due to Florida's warmer water, and thus more swimmers, as well as the types of sharks that are present, such as bull sharks, which are more aggressive than white sharks.
Still, getting attacked by a shark is extremely rare, anywhere.
There were 57 unprovoked shark attacks on humans worldwide in 2022, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File. The US leads the world in shark attacks, with 41 recorded last year, one of which was fatal. There were 16 attacks in Florida, making up 39% of the US total, while California had four.
Researchers at the shark lab and Wu have emphasized that sharks and humans can coexist. Most of the time when a juvenile white shark encounters a person off the California coast, it may check out the swimmer or surfer but just swim right on by.
"We can exist with these creatures just fine. We're aware of them, they're aware of us, and we all get home safely," Wu said.
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Staying safe at the beach
There are a few things to keep in mind to stay extra safe if you're concerned about sharks when at the beach. Be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to any signs posted by lifeguards, which will often say if a shark has recently been spotted in the water. Sharks tend to avoid busy beaches, so it's generally safer to swim at crowded beaches or in groups.
If you do spot a shark in the water, keep your eyes on it. "That lets them know you see them, and they're less likely to interpret you as prey," Wu said. Most of the time, the shark is checking you out and will likely just move on along. But it's important to keep watching it and look out for aggressive behavior, such as if it starts moving rapidly toward or away from you. While watching the shark, you should swim calmly back to the beach.
If a shark does bite you, you should hit it in the eye or nose, or stick your hand in its gills. In most cases, the shark will release and not come back. Then you can call for help and return to the beach as quickly as possible.
Researchers emphasized it is still safe to swim along the Southern California coast, which sharks have historically inhabited longer than us.
"They've been here for longer than we have," Wu said. "It's just learning to exist in this shared home with them, safely."
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