Western Outdoor News Column - DFG Q&As

 

Submitted: June 9, 2003

 

Great White Sharks

 

Question: I’ve been reading in the news about a guy catching an illegal great white shark off the Hermosa Beach pier. The guy said he thought it was a Mako shark at first, which makes me wonder, how can you tell the difference? Also, why are they protected when they obviously pose a direct threat to humans, especially surfers and divers?

                       

Answer:  The case you refer to involves an angler illegally taking a six-foot great white shark off the Hermosa Beach pier. A story about him catching this shark appeared in a local newspaper along with photos. Readers of this publication recognized that white sharks are a protected species and notified the DFG through our confidential CalTIP line. Game Warden Rebecca Hartman visited the angler at home, interviewed him, collected the shark’s jaws and fins, and immediately identified them as those from a white shark. The angler will now be cited for a misdemeanor violation for taking a protected species, which carries a fine of up to $1,000 and/or six months in jail.

 

     White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are indeed illegal to take and have been protected in all California waters since Jan. 1, 1994. Fish and Game Code Section 28.06 on page 25 of the California Sportfishing Regulations booklet clearly states White Sharks many not be taken under a sport fishing license. Commercial fishing is also not allowed.

 

     Warden Hartman, who also has a degree in marine biology and a solid background in shark biology said, "This shark was just a baby, probably not more than one or two years old. A shark of this size is exclusively fish eating at this stage and poses no threat to people. It bit on a six-inch sardine.”

 

     Juveniles typically dine on bottom-dwelling fishes, small sharks and rays. Adults have a wider menu that includes fishes, seals, sea lions, dolphins, whale blubber (scavenged), squids, seabirds, marine turtles, crabs, snails, and other sharks and rays.

 

     Adult white sharks grow to about 20 ft. long and dominate their domain as one of the top level predators of the ocean. White sharks play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem along the California coast by helping suppress pinniped (seals and sea lions) populations. The only real threat white sharks’ face are from humans, as well as the occasional killer whale.

 

     According to marine fisheries expert, Burr Heneman, who drafted California’s white shark protection legislation, “White sharks, orcas, and disease are about the only factors limiting seal and sea lion populations in California, and research increasingly confirms that the white shark population is pretty small and highly vulnerable to fishing pressure.”

 

Population Assessments and Research

     Currently, there are no population estimates available for white sharks, however, there is agreement between shark biologists that their numbers are very low. This is typical of what you would expect of top-level predators that are long-lived, slow growing, late-maturing, and have a low reproductive potential.

 

     Since there is no fishing data available, scientists assess the population numbers of white sharks using other methods. One is to collect tissue samples and extract DNA samples for analysis. These studies are used to determine whether there are multiple populations of animals or just one white shark population that’s spread out over large areas. This research on white sharks is still in its infancy.

 

     Scientists at the Farallon Islands visually document each individual based on unique external characteristics (e.g. scars, marks, fin shapes, unique coloration patterns, etc.) They then note any resightings of each recorded animal. It may soon be possible to use mark-and-recapture statistical sets to estimate the actual numbers of animals occupying that area. Evidence so far is that the number of adult white sharks around the Farallons and, very possibly all of California, is in the tens and not the hundreds.

 

     Tagging white sharks with special satellite tags is another method which enables scientists to determine the range and movements of the big beasts, whether there’s just one population or multiples moving up and down the coast, and just how pelagic they are. Recently, a shark tagged off of the California coast was tracked to Hawaii two years in a row using these tags.

 

Shark attacks on humans are extremely rare.

     While they don’t typically prey upon humans, white sharks do pose an extreme threat if you meet them on their “turf”, or maybe in this case “surf.” Since 1950, there have been fewer than 80 white shark attacks on humans in all of California. Of those, eight were fatal. The last fatal attacks occurred in the 1980s. Only seven of the 80 shark attacks on humans in California have been south of Point Conception in that 53 year period.

White Shark Protections             

     In areas of the world not yet protecting white sharks, they have become a popular trophy fish with each bringing thousands of dollars for just their valuable fins and jaws alone.

 

     Motivated by fear, white sharks have been the target of persecution and indiscriminate killing for decades. Recognizing this vulnerability and their declining numbers, white sharks are now regionally protected in many areas of the world including the U.S. Atlantic Seaboard and Gulf Coast (including Florida), and the coast of California (since 1994), where it is illegal to pursue, capture, or possess in whole or in part. Unfortunately, they have not been granted full international protection as of yet, allowing a sizable black market network to perpetuate sales of white shark jaws and teeth.

 

     According to Heneman, Northern California surfers were among the most active supporters of great white shark protection when the legislation was adopted in 1993. The following letter was even written to the bill's author, then Assemblyman Dan Hauser, by Eric Larsen, a surfer who needed 200 stitches after being hit by a great white while surfing at Davenport two years earlier:

 

 

     “I am writing to express my support for AB 522 to protect white sharks in California. As you may know, I was mauled by a shark thought to be a Great White on July 1, 1991 while surfing near Davenport, CA. My experience with the shark convinced me that sharks are an important part of the natural order of things. Any creature which is as well-adapted to its environment as the shark deserves a lot of respect.”

 

                     

     While Northern California diver organizations supported the legislation, those in Southern California, where there have been few attacks, seemed nervous about protecting white sharks and never actively supported the bill.

 

     Upon hearing of this recent Hermosa Beach shark story, Jim Hall, a well-known lobster sport diver and member of the Kelp Forest Coalition from Southern California had this to say, “I share the outrage with everyone else that this occurred after we’ve worked so hard to protect this animal. We have a situation here where many sea lions are sick and dying, and great whites are the ones who prey on these animals. Nature is about balance, and we’ve mucked that up.”

 

     “Local beach cities depend on tourists, and let’s face it, surfers are a popular tourist attraction,’‘ said Hall. Do we really want people actively baiting and chumming for sharks in that area?”

 

     “I’ve been a diver since I was 11, and I’m 57 years old now,” continued Hall. “After being all over the world, I’ll bet that if more people realized the number of sharks out there, how big they are, and how close they are to you all the time, they’d never go back in the water. I say this only to emphasis just how safe you really are from shark attacks. While some folks are relieved that this shark is now out of the water, just remember, momma’s still out there!” 

 

     In this recent Hermosa Beach shark case, the angler now claims that he thought he had a mako and not a white shark when he brought it in, posed for pictures, distributed the meat to friends and family, and then carefully saved the jaws and fins (white shark teeth are serrated and triangular while a mako’s teeth are long, narrow, and not serrated.) Granted, lady luck was probably not on his side that day, but the bottomline is, it's still every angler's responsibility to know exactly what they have before they take and keep it. The regulations are in place to protect these animals, not the people. It's the angler's responsibility to know the regulations, to be able to identify their fish, and then make the choice as to whether or not they should take it. If there are any doubts, it's their responsibility to choose NO.

 

     The great white shark is a creature of deep fascination to many people as it’s one of the ocean’s primary predators. They’re huge in size, have dark eyes, bold pigmentation features, and a built-in “smile” giving one a false impression of a charming personality behind that grin.

 

     Great whites to this day remain one of the least understood of the sea's creatures, despite the enormous popular and scientific interest in them. It's the intriguing combination of large size, charisma, menace and mystery that make the Great White Shark a modern day “monster” that many people find so irresistible.

 

 

 

Carrie Wilson is a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game. She cannot personally answer everyone’s questions but will select a few to answer in this column each week. Contact her at cwilson@dfg.ca.gov .

 

CalTIP (Californians Turn In Poachers and Polluters) is a confidential secret witness program to encourage the public to provide Fish and Game factual information leading to the arrest of poachers and polluters.  Callers are eligible for a cash reward if his/her information leads to a citation or an arrest.  If you witness a poaching or polluting incident or any fish and wildlife violation, or have information about such a violation, please immediately dial the toll free CalTIP number 1-(888) DFG-CALTIP,  24 hours a day, seven days a week. All reports are confidential.