Featured Image Credit: Jon Thibault
By Sarah Sharkey
There has been a spike in the number of great white shark sightings off the coast of Long Beach in Southern California. This increase is actually a positive sign for marine ecology.
Scientists have said that the sharks that are coming close to shore are juvenile sharks, which come into shallower waters to feed on smaller fish. While the fact that there are more juvenile sharks in the water is a good indication that shark populations may be starting to recover, it is not good for the people in those waters.
Some of these sharks may be coming closer to shore for another reason.
Officials suspect that some media outlets are “chumming” the waters in order to get better footage. Chumming is the practice of throwing bait in the water to attract sharks to the area.
The city’s Marine Safety Division chief, Gonzalo Medina said, “We’ve gotten some reports from citizens who have seen recreational boats out chumming. Some fishing boats too. They are trying to get video footage of the sharks. But as soon as they see a rescue boat approaching, the activity stops. The officers do contact them, but that’s about it.”
The fact that they are chumming near the beaches is a safety hazard. The chum is attracting sharks closer to shore, which is closer to swimmers and surfers as well. Officials will keep investigating the boats that appear to be chumming the waters and hopefully deter them from baiting the water anymore.
It is really dishonest of these media companies to bait the waters for more footage, especially because chumming the waters is putting people in harms way.