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White shark attacks have been increasing near Surf Beach, north of Gaviota.
COURTESY PHOTOSThere has been an uptick in White Shark attacks near Surf Beach, possibly due to a population of northern elephant seals in the area.Experts are uncertain as to why the sharks are being attracted to Surf Beach. Many speculate that the colony of northern elephant seals that is often found near Surf Beach is one of the reasons that the white sharks are drawn to the area.
“What we do know is that white sharks, particularly juveniles, have aggregation hot spots and the hot spots move from location to location each summer. There was an aggregation of about 40 off Carpinteria for two years. We are developing monitoring tools; and setting up a camera running on Government Point near Pt. Conception which is now part of the Dangermond Preserve. The camera is to count seals on the beach, and see how many there are,” Dr. Chris Lowe, professor and director of the CSULB Shark Lab and one of the leading experts on white sharks in the Santa Barbara area, told the News-Press.
“White sharks are found throughout California year round. At different times of the year, there are more adult sharks in specific regions, like the Farallon Islands, and juvenile sharks in other areas, mostly to the south. That said, juveniles appear to be spending more time in California than they did in previous decades,” John Ugoretz, environmental program manager for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the News-Press in an email.
White sharks can be found throughout the California coast year round, but have been increasing in number in recent years.Other reasons that could be impacting the shark migration patterns include water temperature. The aggregation of white sharks near Carpinteria likely occurred due to the occurrence of red tide last year, according to Dr. Lowe. Red tide is a harmful algal bloom that takes the oxygen out of the water.
“Juveniles and adults migrate differently. Juveniles migrate to Baja when water temperatures dip below 60 degrees. Elephant seals start showing up in the summer to molt, mate, birth and then migrate. The elephant seals start migrating out to sea about February and it seems that when the elephant seals go out to sea the sharks do as well,” said Dr. Lowe.
“Elephant seals are pretty savvy and swim pretty fast and are pretty adept at avoiding sharks. They are very well adapted for ocean life and very nimble in the water. With an increased white shark population, many are getting exposed to sharks earlier in life and must learn to avoid them. The adult sharks hunt the elephant seals but the juveniles are not large enough or skilled enough to hunt the seals. Juvenile sharks are about 8-9 feet long and adult sharks are 10-12 feet. It’s not just size, it’s experience. It could take a shark years to learn to hunt and take down a seal. But even an unskilled white shark might be able to take down a sick or wounded seal,” said Dr. Lowe.
“It seems the pups and juveniles are much farther north than expected. They are usually at Venice Beach and they are now all the way to Monterey Bay. The migration shift is related to warm waters,” Peter Howorth, former News-Press columnist, collaborator with the Shark Research Committee and director of the Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center, as well as the senior scientist and a principal in the Marine Mammal Consulting Group, told the News-Press.
“The juveniles feed on grunion, surf smelt and other small schooling fish. As for the adults, one of their favorite things to feed on are the northern elephant seals,” according to Mr. Howorth and Dr. Lowe.
“White sharks, when they are born, are called pups. They are about four feet long and come fully equipped with teeth. There are drone shots of schools of fish and white sharks among them, with the fish going crazy. As they get bigger they start going after bigger prey and can tolerate colder water. There is more food value in bigger prey. They also scavenge whale carcasses,” said Mr. Howorth.
“I think the important thing is that the white shark population is coming back. People should assume that there could be white sharks nearby but that doesn’t mean you’re at risk.” said Dr. Lowe.
“The chance of experiencing an incident with a white shark at California Beaches is extremely low. That said, the ocean is a wilderness and, just as you might encounter a bear in the woods or a mountain lion on a trail, you may encounter a shark in the ocean,” said Mr. Ugoretz.
“We used to pick up shark-bitten seals and sea lions year round. The seasonality is people’s foolishness … They are part of the ocean environment and it’s wise if you see a shark advisory sign or there has been a sighting or attack … to go to another place. But that doesn’t guarantee there won’t be an attack. They are really huge creatures; a 20 ft shark can weigh two and half tons,” said Mr. Howorth.
“Sometimes the sharks will bite out of self-defense, but sometimes they bite humans because they mistake them for food. So what we need to realize is that sometimes sharks make a mistake. There are a lot of people in the water amongst the sharks that aren’t being bitten,” said Dr. Lowe.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
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