![]() ![]() 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. Researchers at the shark lab and Wu have emphasized that sharks and humans can coexist. There were 16 attacks in Florida, making up 39% of the US total, while California had four. The US leads the world in shark attacks, with 41 recorded last year, one of which was fatal. There were 57 unprovoked shark attacks on humans worldwide in 2022, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File. Still, getting attacked by a shark is extremely rare, anywhere. 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. 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.Īnd despite the increase in white sharks, there has not been an increase in shark attacks in CaliforniaĬalifornia remains low in terms of the number of shark attacks, especially compared to Florida. They help maintain fish and stingray populations, as well as other shark and even marine mammal populations. Wu said the sharks are incredibly important to the local ecosystem. 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. ![]() We're starting to see the populations come back, and those sharks are starting to appear more and more off our shores."Ĭalifornia banned actively targeting white sharks in 1994, as well as certain fishing nets that often entrapped the sharks. "Because those have been more regulated recently to help conserve populations of sharks in our local waters, we're starting to see that benefit. "There has been shark overfishing," Wu said, adding that there have been concerted efforts to enforce laws related to fishing practices. ![]() The Roundhouse Aquarium, located on the Manhattan Beach pier, focuses on native species in the local Southern California waters, including sharks. Marissa Wu, the aquarium programs and operations director for the Roundhouse Aquarium, said the return of the sharks correlated with conservation efforts. A great white shark swims near the beach in Monterey Bay, California.Ĭhase Dekker Wild-Life Images/Getty Images ![]()
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