California set for one of its sharkiest summers in a decade as juvenile great whites head north

California beachgoers may be sharing the surf with more great white sharks than usual this summer, and many of those sharks appear to be younger ones arriving earlier than scientists typically expect.

Scientists link the early movement largely to warmer-than-usual Pacific conditions near Mexico, which appear to be steering the sharks toward California's cooler coastal waters.

What's happening?

Early sightings suggest juvenile white sharks are gathering off California sooner and in greater numbers than researchers typically see, raising expectations for a notably active shark season.

As The Guardian reported, Dr. Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University Long Beach, said, "We're already seeing a high number of white sharks. We started seeing baby white sharks in February, which we've never seen before. Usually that happens in April."

The main driver may be El Niño, the climate pattern that warms parts of the tropical Pacific and can disrupt weather and ocean ecosystems worldwide. Warmer ocean temperatures can impact where and when wildlife move throughout the water, and sharks are no exception.

Ken Graham, director of NOAA's National Weather Service, recently explained that "Every El Niño is not the same; each one is unique with its own imprint on our weather." 

But in this case, similar conditions to the 2015 El Niño, which overlapped with a remarkably active shark season, might mean we're in for another summer of sharing the water with many great whites.

Most of the sharks expected near shore this year are juveniles, generally measuring 6 to 9 feet long, and they are following prey into shallower waters, per The Guardian.

Why does it matter?

More sharks near the shore can increase the chances of human-wildlife encounters for swimmers, surfers, anglers, and coastal communities.

But according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, attacks are still quite rare, and the state has logged fewer than 250 shark incidents involving any species since 1950. 

Only 17 of these have been fatal. Great white sharks did account for more than 85% of these 250 altercations.

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