This floating, rotting, seal carcass was spotted today near the Bixby Ranch in Northern Santa Barbara County! Local divers entered the water and reportedly observed bite marks on the mangled, bloated pinniped corpse, accompanied by the festering, rancid, stench of death. Given the abundance of mammalian sea life in these waters, it is no surprise that this local … [Read more...]
Burying Beached Whales Means Shark Attacks
Surfer Magazine reports on the burial of a blue whale and the attraction it presents to sharks in the Santa Barbara Channel. … [Read more...]
Shark Attacks on the Rise!
Plenty Magazine reports: Shark attacks on the rise as the animals’ numbers plummet! George Burgess, manager of the International Shark Attack File, discusses the sea creature’s uncertain future By Susan Cosier When George Burgess was growing up, the oceans were seen as a treasure trove of resources. Now, many fish stocks are failing and sharks, the iconic creatures of … [Read more...]
Sharks Viciously Slaughter Pygmy Whales
Two pygmy whales have succumbed to their wounds after a fatal shark attack. … [Read more...]
South Africa Shark Spotters
Living on Earth reports on South Africa's latest ocean safety program "Cape Town has over the last few years experienced an increase in the number of White Sharks occurring in the in-shore zone... anecdotal evidence from water users suggests that in-shore occurrence has increased. In response to these events and the increased fear by water users, particularly in False … [Read more...]
Pinniped Carcasses Littering Pacific Ocean Beaches
A rash of recent reports and information filtering in suggest the systematic decimation of pinniped populations by the ocean's greatest predator - the Great White Shark. … [Read more...]
White Shark Encounter near Point Conception
A couple of Northern Santa Barbara County fishermen have reportedly encountered a "big, mean, fish" in the waters east of Point Conception. The female white shark, believed to be approximately 6 meters in length, is said to have approached their fishing boat several times and displayed unusually aggressive behavior. Late spring and early summer are a notorious time of the … [Read more...]
Great White Shark Territory
In response to the recent sightings, one of our dedicated readers (a local marine biologist and longtime Santa Barbara native) was kind enough to send in this map illustrating the known habitat of Great White Sharks in Northern Santa Barbara County. … [Read more...]
Unprovoked White Shark Attacks
An excellent article from the Shark Research Committee. "On Saturday, 19 July 1975, commercial abalone diver Gary Johnson, age 34, would be attacked at Point Conception, Santa Barbara County, California (34°26.6'N; 120°28.5'W) at about 1330 hrs. This site would become a recurring location only four days later." … [Read more...]
3 shark attacks have Mexico resort area in panic
Courtesy of The Associated Press via Google News ZIHUATANEJO, Mexico (AP) — No one could even remember a shark attack along this resort-studded stretch of Mexican coast popular with surfers and Hollywood's elite. Many of the large predators had been pulled from the ocean by fishermen. So when sharks attacked three surfers in less than a month, two fatally, it was … [Read more...]