Sighting of white sharks is on the rise in San Diego County, a terrifying finding for local swimmers and marine biologists in southern California.
This concerning news was reported locally this week, raising a question as to why more white sharks are being spotted in a city that is not typically known for frequent shark sightings.
A marine biologist at Cal State Long Beach says that this news doesn't surprise him because the population of the great white sharks is starting to recover for almost three decades now.
“We have been seeing an increase of great white shark sightings in Southern California and that’s quite simply because there’s more great whites,” said Dr. Chris Lowe, Director of the Shark Lab at California State University Long Beach. "White sharks were protected in California in 1994 and their food sources have recovered, so as a result, we’re starting to see more sharks. The population is recovering and that’s a good sign," said Lowe.
It's been nearly a decade now since the rise of white sharks sightings began, but it hadn't really struck in San Diego County. Instead, they were mainly seen near Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, and other Los Angeles-area beaches.
However, over the past 48 months, it seems juvenile white sharks have started making their way down to San Diego. And it may just be the beginning.
“About ten years ago when we first started to see them pop up, they were primarily around Santa Monica Bay, Santa Barbara, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, and we had none off San Diego,” said Dr. Lowe. “And starting about 2 years ago, we started seeing juvenile white sharks down in San Diego County, and now that’s one of our biggest hot spots.”
Dr. Lower also added that these white sharks that don't receive parental care are often off on their own, and many times they choose shallow water as a safe destination, which explains these latest results.
“People don’t often think of a 5-foot white shark as being afraid of anything, but they are,” said Dr. Lowe. “So they’re born, they’re given no parental care, completely on their own, and we think the reason why they choose shallow water on beaches is it’s a safe place for them.”
