The recent fatal shark attacks in Mexico and San Diego have sparked a public desire to understand why sharks attack humans, but despite technological advances the answer is still unknown.
The three deaths and recent shark activity need to be kept in perspective, said Christopher Lowe, a marine biology professor at Cal State Long Beach. After all, he said, the ocean is a wild environment.
Lowe runs the shark lab at CSULB where students study the behaviors, physiology and environmental changes of sharks and other marine life.
“One of the challenges in studying big fish-like sharks, is the entire ocean could be their neighborhood,” Lowe said.
With tourism being lucrative and necessary for coastal cities, it may serve the public interest to better understand shark attacks and whether it will be a growing trend. However, attempting to simplify shark attacks to one reason may not be possible.
“I’m probably one of the more skeptical in the research group,” Lowe said. “I don’t think we’ll ever be able to figure it out as to why sharks attack people.”
Some researchers point to environmental reasons, such as the rapid depletion of fish and shark prey. Others suggest the presence of a rogue shark that has developed a taste for human flesh, or even the theory of “mistaken identity” where sharks attack because a surfer resembles a seal.
But Lowe says it’s really an issue of probability.
The growing popularity of water sports has pushed more people to seek out remote areas for surfing and diving. These areas have seen a rise in shark attacks, not the crowded beaches. In fact, pollution and heavy boating activity on local beaches are often deterrents for sharks.
While it may be a numbers game to Lowe, he said environmental changes, such as fishing and global warming might factor in.
“[The] environment is changing so quickly, and some of that environmental change is caused by us,” he said. “We won’t be able to tell whether the things we are seeing are normal or whether those have been induced by things that we have done to the environment.”
There may also be a more animalistic approach to understanding shark attacks. Lowe suggests there is the possibility that before a shark attacks it may be sending warning signals to other animals. Humans are incapable of recognizing these signals and, as a result, sharks may attack out of defense.
It is not as if sharks just appeared. The Pacific coast has always had a high population of sharks, with Southern California acting as nursery grounds for white sharks and their pups.
The annual migration of humpback whales and Pacific Gray Whales has always offered a dependable food source, for white sharks in particular, Lowe said. The 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act has also helped preserve other food sources like dolphins, seals and whales.
Sharks predatory reputations have been highlighted in movies and TV specials that play on the audiences’ fears. Often these images do not reflect the need for preservation, Lowe said.
There are a few precautions beach lovers can take, according to Lowe: swimmers and surfers should stay out of murky water or water that has any floating remains, stay in groups and be aware of any unusual animal activity.
“Go to the beach, but know what you’re getting into,” he said.