California received a new warning about possible shark attacks as a monitoring lab may be forced to limit tracking.
Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach, told KABC-TV in Los Angeles that the lab is concerned about a possible limit of state funding by the middle of the summer. Amid the concerns, the lab, which monitors shark sightings and other aspects of marine life, is seeking to raise $7 million from the private sector by summer.
"We have enough money to carry us through June, but after that, if we don't get more funding, we're going to have to pull all of the equipment out of the water. We won't be able to monitor sharks along California anymore," Lowe said.
"It's getting pretty serious," Lowe added.
According to Lowe, the lab developed a real-time shark tracking system following a shark safety program created by California in 2018. The lab's system allows for notifications to be sent to lifeguards if a shark is detected near a California beach, keeping swimmers safe.
"It's considered one of the best shark mitigation programs in the world," Lowe said.
Lowe told Newsweek: "While we can't say that if we stop monitoring shark bites will go up off California, we do know it will be difficult for lifeguards and the public to understand changing shark movement and behavior patterns.
"Think of shark monitoring like weather forecasting. We can't change the weather, but if we know what is coming our way, we can plan in ways to keep people and sharks safer."
The lack of funding to the lab may be a result of a state budget deficit of $38 billion. Lowe told the Los Angeles Times that he spoke with state legislators to request further funding for the lab, but it is unclear if lawmakers will push for the money.
Newsweek reached out to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, state Senator Lena Gonzalez and Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal by email for comment.
In January, Newsweek published a map showing states that have seen the highest number of shark attacks since 2003. The map, which used a wide variety of media reports across the U.S., found that since 2003, there have been eight shark attacks in California, nine in Hawaii, two in Florida, and one each in Maine, North Carolina and Massachusetts.
The most recent shark attack in California occurred in October 2023, when a kite surfer, 52-year-old Felix Louis N'Jai, disappeared near Wildcat Beach in Marin County, California.
"Felix was everything to every one of his friends," his friend, David Thawley told KTVU in California. "We felt like he was part of our family, and I know so many others felt this way too. He brought pure joy, love and light everywhere he went. He radiated like the sun."
According to data from TrackingSharks.com, as of March 26, there have been nine shark attack bites in the U.S. this year. None of the attacks were fatal and four were considered to be "provoked" attacks.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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