Shark education a beach priority with more sightings, nursery locations on South Coast
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Shark sightings are becoming more common in our coastal waters and the public is getting more education on shark habitats than ever before.
The Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab is doing an outreach this summer at Southern California beaches.
This includes Santa Barbara, Padaro, Carpinteria, Ventura, Huntington, Coronado and Newport.
The public has been capturing images of shark more in recent years due to the population growth with young sharks in nearshore waters such as the Padaro Beach cove. There are also more people in the water with cameras.
Overhead drone operators have been looking for sharks on a regular basis, and working with researchers on tagging or tracking programs.
Two years ago the Shark Shack brought out display examples of shark jaws to show the public the different teeth and shapes. There was also a special coloring book to help children have fun with their learning of sharks and other marine life.
The Shark Shack was near Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara for four hours Thursday.
The student research staff brought many displays and attracted people of all ages.
The outreach provides information about sharks, sting rays, jelly fish and other marine life along the coast
The team of researchers teach people about shark jaws, shark anatomy, where the shark nurseries are, and why we have more sharks.
"Somebody who is not at the beach very often is going to have a different perspective than the guy who has been surfing at the same beach for 30 years. We get a mix I feel there's been an open reception to learning, " said Erin Pierce a Shark Lab researcher.
The Carpinteria waters have had a new focus in recent years.
"We have the juveniles here so we aren't getting the big mamas that you get up north or off the coast," said Pierce.
Skylar McKinney stopped at the table while on vacation. She saw some jars with shark eyes. "That shark eye was so cool. I did not know their eyes were blue, that was pretty cool!"
A parent from Northern California Melissa Bamberg said, "educating the young and teaching them about it and safety too. It's really awesome." She and her kids asked many questions about sharks and also the display items that were brought out.
Pierce said, "everybody likes teeth. The teeth are always a hit. We have white shark jaws and tiger shark jaws. You can see the rows and rows of teeth they have."
The Shark Shack team also brings out the "jaws myth busters" board where they have questions about sharks, dolphins and stingrays. Right underneath them, you can flip up a board and find the answer."
It's all part of the outreach and education.
Pierce says the traveling pop ups are getting a good response when they stop at the beaches to meet the summer crowds. It is kind of enticing them with some cool shark facts and objects to get a better understanding of sharks," she said
Along the way they are also out on the water doing research.
"We see juveniles here every late spring or early summer and we think that is mostly due to either the abundance of food, water temperature, safety or a mixture of all three or two," said Pierce.
Shark Lab director and researcher Dr. Chris Lowe has been involved in a tagging program for years in several locations including the Carpinteria near shore waters.
For more information, visit the Shark Lab online.
