Forbes Innovation Science Southern California Continues To Become A Major Gathering Spot For Sharks Melissa Cristina Márquez Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I write about the latest, exciting research on sharks worldwide! Following Mar 5, 2023, 07:52pm EST | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin It’s become a familiar scene off South California: a lone, gray dorsal fin slicing through the ocean’s waves as the predator below cruises along the Golden State’s coastline. The waves of Southern California are now shared with more white sharks than ever before, but it wasn't always that way. “The first time I saw white shark near a beach, a baby white shark near a beach, I just couldn't . . . [+] believe it,” says Chris Lowe, the head of the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab. Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. “The first time I saw white shark near a beach, a baby white shark near a beach, I just couldn't believe it,” says Chris Lowe, the head of the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab. “I’ve been working on and off in California for almost 35 years. When I was a grad student here back in the late 80s, it was rare. I mean, I’ve never heard of that. Then suddenly, these small sharks started popping up at these beaches, and I could remember going out and seeing the first one, looking down going, ‘That’s a white shark. That’s the shoreline. This is amazing. ’ 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?’” Part of the answer lies in human action. Research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries has shown that the northwest Atlantic great white shark population has increased thanks to successful protections and regulations in U. S. waters in place. “And the northeast Pacific populations (found off of the California coast) are doing well enough that they are no longer at risk of becoming endangered,” says Marissa Wu, Aquarium Programs and Operations Director at Roundhouse Aquarium in Manhattan Beach, California. The other part of the answer is our changing climate. Today, adult great whites tend to stay offshore in California while the juveniles hang out in near-shore waters. The juvenile sharks gather at the new shark nurseries to avoid predators and feed on stingrays readily available here. ‘New’ nurseries emerged after 2015, when El Niño created a ‘blob’ in the Pacific, raising ocean temperatures and sending juveniles north to the warmer waters of Southern California. Continues Wu: “There are a lot of ongoing shark studies happening off the Pacific and Atlantic U. S. coastlines conducted by NOAA and other partners. These studies are mainly investigating the range of shark nurseries, shark migratory patterns, and other aspects of their life history. As coastal water temperatures fluctuate outside of the usual patterns because of ENSO and climate change the juvenile and adult great white sharks may need to adapt and change their migratory patterns. Shark researchers are investigating what this may mean for near-shore coastal water ecosystems. ” "As coastal water temperatures fluctuate outside of the usual patterns because of ENSO and climate . . . [+] change the juvenile and adult great white sharks may need to adapt and change their migratory patterns. Shark researchers are investigating what this may mean for near-shore coastal water ecosystems," says Wu. getty Lowe is one of these scientists. “We’re now seeing nurseries shift. We have a nursery up in Monterey that we’ve never seen before,” comments Lowe. “As time goes, as things warm, Oregon might start having those. As the ocean warms, they’re getting pushed further and further north. So the bottom line is the ocean is changing. We as scientists are trying to figure out what those patterns are. ” MORE FOR YOU Meet The Unknown Immigrant Billionaire Betting Her Fortune To Take On Musk In Space The Ukrainian Army’s Speedy M-113 Ambulances Help It Save More Wounded Troops Twitter Still Littered With Crypto Scammers Buying Ads Featuring Elon Musk’s Face While shark numbers rise here, many wonder if the sharks soon will overrun people out of the water. Wu believes there is no reason sharks and humans cannot co-exist, with locals being able to do a number of things to keep safe when visiting the beach: “The best thing folks can do to be prepared is learn about shark safety when visiting their local beaches. Shark researchers in southern California are tracking many of the juvenile great white sharks using drones to study their movements. Lifeguards at local beaches have a direct line to these researchers, so when sharks are sited in near-shore waters, the lifeguards put up signs all over the beach near the water so beachgoers know when it is advised not to go in the water. The best ways to reduce the risk of a shark encounter this spring and summer are to go to beaches that normally host lots of people and to pay attention to those safety signs. If you do encounter a shark in the water, face it and keep your eyes on it as you slowly and calmly swim back to shore. ” She goes on to say it is best to face a shark and remain calm during an encounter, letting them know you see them, and if you do not splash around like prey the curious juveniles are less likely to view you as prey. Found in cool, coastal waters around the world, great whites are the largest predatory fish on . . . [+] Earth. getty Often evoking scary mental images, many scientists hope that fact trumps fear when it comes to interacting with great whites. “People have an instinctive biological wariness of them just as we do towards lions, tigers, and bears. The Jaws movie franchise definitely didn't do any favors towards endearing the general public towards this large species of shark,” says Wu. “However, the fact remains that these sharks are important to maintain prey populations at healthy levels in California and other areas around the world. [. . . ] Great white sharks use near-shore waters as nurseries and we need to learn to share the ocean with them just as we share our national parks with wolves and bears. ” Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn . Check out my website . Melissa Cristina Márquez Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.