California Shark Attacks: Numbers

Even though it's summer, in California it's mostly safe to go back in the water. That is, despite a spate of recent shark attacks on both coasts of the United States and a slight rise in the number of reported attacks along the California coast, researchers from Stanford and the Monterey Bay Aquarium say that the individual attack risk in their state has dropped by more than 91 percent in the past 60 years, a release noted. They will publish their research later this month in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

The scientists involved think that we can usually avoid sharks by promoting safe ocean-going behavior regarding locations and times, a release from Lenfest Ocean Program said.

What's keeping us safer? A drop in the California coast white shark population, coupled with the fact that sharks are congregating around the growing colonies of seals, a favorite prey--can mean we encounter them less, if we stay away from seals, the Stanford release noted.

The study's authors also advise other California-centric cautions: They say to avoid surfing in October and November in Mendocino County; or in March; or especially in March between San Diego and Los Angeles, according to Lenfest information.

"The more we understand about shark ecology, behavior and distribution, the better able we are to create effective guidelines and help people make informed decisions," said lead author Francesco Ferretti, a postdoctoral scholar in biology at Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station, in the release. "Analyzing global shark bite statistics has no ecological cost and virtually no financial burden when compared to shark control programs. By contrast, ineffective cull programs can cost millions of dollars and deplete already endangered populations."