After Fatal Shark Attack On OC Surfer, Shark Migration Suspected

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — A slew of great white sharks from Southern California have apparently moved northward, causing an unexpected and sudden explosion in the Monterey Bay shark population in recent years, researchers found months after a fatal shark attack in the waters off of Santa Cruz County.

The number of young Monterey Bay great white sharks increased dramatically from 2014 to 2019 on the heels of a marine heat wave in 2014 to 2016, according to a study published Tuesday by researchers from California State University Long Beach, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Duke University.

Young great whites are typically found in the warmer waters of Southern California but have more recently been observed along the state's Central Coast. Researchers found that the SoCal habitat for young great whites has apparently shrunk as a mass of cool water now separates the Central Coast and SoCal shark habitats.

Seven months ago, Orange County native Ben Kelly, 26, died after a shark bit his knee while he surfed the waters off Manresa State Beach in the Aptos area of Santa Cruz County.

Researchers found a higher concentration of great whites near Aptos. A drone photo in the report showed six sharks swimming in the area known locally as "Shark Park."

In the summer of 2015, Cal State Long Beach researchers found great white sharks were lingering in SoCal instead of returning to Mexico, possibly because of warming temperatures in the region.

Read: 'Summer of the Shark' May Not End

The northward move of great whites "is significant as it creates potential conflicts with commercial fisheries, protected species conservation, and public safety concerns," researchers wrote.

Read the full report here.