Last summer there were so many sharks along the California coast that the NBC station in Los Angeles called it the “summer of sightings.” Boaters, kayakers, surfers, divers and swimmers all reported seeing more sharks, including great white sharks, than ever before. And this year there are more than ever, so many, in fact, that the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, the leading great white shark research organization, has run out of tags to identify them.
The historic trend is stark: In the 1950s, there were 12 shark attacks in California waters. So far in the 2010s, there have been 44. A 2014 study said there were at least 2,000 sharks off the California coast.
The white shark population is growing because it has been protected. In 1994, California passed a law making it illegal to fish for or catch white sharks. In 2004, a federal law said they must be released if they’re caught.
The human population also is growing, particularly the water-going human population. The two are on a collision course. And young sharks tend to head for shallow water near shore in their search for food.
Dr. Chris Lowe, who directs the Cal State shark lab, has concentrated on studying great whites in the Santa Barbara to San Diego area, because there are so many of them there. A decade ago, he was able to tag just six of them; last summer he tagged 30. And he’s run out of tags.
Shark research is expensive. The basic dart tag and transmitter costs hundreds of dollars. A satellite tag costs $2,000, and the “shark Fitbit” pack that includes an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, acoustic transmitter and video logger goes for $9,000.
Now California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a new law establishing a White Shark Population Monitoring and Beach Safety Program, which will fund more research. The idea is to determine how the growing numbers of sharks and people in the water can live together. For more:
