As Southern California braces for a “very sharky” summer, the California Beach Shark Safety program at Cal State Long Beach is running out of funding.
Since 2018, this program has tagged great whites and shared their locations with lifeguards to enhance beach safety. However, the program, which operates with an annual budget of about $1 million, may close in September unless new funding is secured.
The number of juvenile great whites along the Southern California coast has been increasing, driven by warming waters. These sharks gather at certain beaches to feed on stingrays and small fish, but attacks remain rare. The program, part of the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab, plays a crucial role in preventing unnecessary beach closures by providing real-time shark location data to lifeguards…