Shark Week begins early in Manhattan Beach, with sightings of baby great whites in the surf

Shark Week arrived early in Manhattan Beach, where sightings of very small great whites in or near the surf zone generated no small measure of hysteria.

Sightings have been made daily since Monday, and on Tuesday evening the popular surf spot at the north end of town, El Porto, was closed until Wednesday morning.

That was because, at about 6:30, a Los Angeles Sheriff's Department helicopter crew spotted two sharks measuring about six feet long swimming very close to a surfer.

Helicopters buzzed overhead again on Wednesday. Lifeguards patrolled in boats and on jetskis. Beachgoers were jittery, but not prevented from entering the ocean, and the media were in a frenzy.

Perhaps that's being over-dramatic but on Wednesday a shark command center of sorts was set up in large part to deal with media inquiries.

Thankfully, on Thursday, the situation had calmed, although a lifeguard spotted another shark thrashing in the surf.

About these sharks. If, in fact, they're white sharks, there's nothing unusual about their presence.

Southern California coastal waters are a nursery ground for the small ones.

None of the sightings this week involved a shark longer than six feet, and that might have been an exaggeration. That means these sharks are babies, apex-predators in the making, but still content with feeding on small rays, smaller sharks and fish.

On Wednesday the Marine Conservation Science Institute, run by white shark expert Michael Domeier, posted this statement on its Facebook page:

"Manhattan Beach California was put on alert following a shark sighting yesterday. Although the species was not confirmed, the shark was later reported to be 4 feet long.

"A 4-foot white shark would be considered a young of the year, which is a shark in its first year. It is not unusual to see juvenile and young of the year sharks in this region as Southern California beaches are a known nursery area for juvenile white sharks."

What might explain the high visibility of sharks this year off Manhattan Beach, however, is an abundance of small rays close to the beach. The water is very warm this summer, and waves have been small. At low tide the calm water near the shore is the warmest, and that's where brown rays often gather. There also have been leopard shark sightings close to shore, and juvenile white sharks eat leopard sharks.

Worth noting is that last summer several larger great whites--but still fish-eating juveniles--were spotted from the city pier.

Eric Martin, co-director of the Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium at the end of the pier, said he and the aquarium staff did not boast of the sightings, to prevent hysteria.

"Last year we had 21 sightings of sharks from 5-8 feet," Martin said. "These little 4- and 5-footers out here now are just trying to find food, because there have been very few sardines and anchovies, or other fish. So they're probably going after the rays."
 
Media reports have quoted lifeguards as saying the sharks appear to be docile, and sensationalism appears to have been kept to a minimum.

But ABC News found a surfer named Dan Montrose, who said, in reference to white sharks being a protected species off California: "Who's going to protect our kids? There's got to be some kind of a fine line. I mean, I think our children and us should be protected more than a shark."

Perhaps Montrose ought to consider keeping his children on the beach, then, because the ocean belongs to the sharks, which are just trying to survive and do not mean any harm.

--Pete Thomas

Photo shows a juvenile great white shark after being hooked by a fisherman on Manhattan Beach Pier last summer. Credit: Eric Martin

Comments

[drudown]

Given that a 15 year old was just (literally) bitten in two by an opportunistic, generalist feeder Bull shark off Reunion Island, let's not succumb to unfounded groupthink that sharks are "harmless" and "misunderstood". Nonsense. They are potentially dangerous for one and only one reason: they have always been known to attack and consume us as a tertiary prey item. They do not, as is commonly alleged, attack humans out of "mistaken identity" or some "territorial response". There is ZERO scientific evidence of either in any legitimate instance of predation, i.e., as opposed to merely "mouthing" or "investigatory" behavior.

Tell me, since you seem so concerned with the purported "sensationalism" of shark attacks (I mean, uh, "encounters" or, ahem, "accidents"), is it fair to say that truthful reporting on actual instances of human predation by pelagic sharks is a condition precedent for the general populace to make an informed decision whether to "go in the ocean" to begin with?

Contrary to popular "conditioning" and "straw man" arguments, few informed people contend that shark attacks are, in fact, commonplace, much less that to dispassionate accept the pelagic shark's dangerous propensities is mutually exclusive with understanding their critical role to our marine ecosystems.

To the contrary, perhaps a level of intellectual honesty would be best in an era when half of our elected officials feign disbelief in accepted Science (see, e.g., "climate change is the greatest hoax in the History of mankind"; "fracking is safe to humans and animals, despite the Benzene agents in 'pre-fracking' fluids that enter the water table", et al.).

Just a thought.

"After the event, even the fool is wise." - Viscount Symonds

[Buster Himen]

I find it odd that that the Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab wouldn't publish Great White Shark sightings. Mr Eric Martin, I'm glad no kid swimming near those sharks was attacked. At what point do YOU decide it should be reported?

I would encourage you to "boast" all shark sightings so the citizens can decide whether or not to enter potentially dangerous conditions.

[bruce]

tell dan Montrose to stay the hell out of the ocean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Scott Sansenbach]

Love your closing commentary Pete. Maybe someday we'll learn to stop reacting with such sensationalism to these magnificent animals. No one is forced to go into the ocean.