No. It is NOT legal to fish for or catch white sharks, as they have been protected in California since January 1, 1994. White sharks in California are also protected by federal regulations and must be immediately released if caught accidentally. Under these protections, it is illegal to catch, pursue, hunt, capture or kill a white shark, which includes intentionally attracting white sharks with bait or other methods. Commercial fishing operations may not intentionally target white sharks, but are allowed to land sharks incidentally caught in some fishing nets.
If you accidentally hook a white shark, immediately release it. Do not remove it from the water; if fishing from shore, do not pull it onto the beach. Cut the line as close to the hook as possible, keeping your safety and the safety of the shark in mind.
No, shark bait, shark lures, and shark chum (including decoys) cannot be used to attract white sharks or placed in the water when a white shark is present.
- What is considered shark bait or shark lures?
Per California law: “shark bait, shark lure, or shark chum” means any natural or manufactured product or device used to attract sharks by the sense of taste, smell, or sight, including, but not limited to, blood, fish, or other material upon which sharks may feed, and surface or underwater decoys.
- How do you define when a white shark is "present"?
If the angler can see a white shark, or if someone (for example a public safety official, officer, or credible witness) informs the angler that a white shark was recently spotted or is present in the area then the angler would reasonably be expected to know it is present. Our wildlife officers would be required to determine whether someone had recently observed or has knowledge of a white shark present in the area to take enforcement action.
- What is the radius of a closure?
There is no specific “closure” – If an angler knows a white shark is present and they are within 1 mile of the shore, pier, or jetty, then they cannot place shark lures, shark bait or shark chum in the water.
- What is the duration of a closure?
See response 3, it may depend on if the shark continues to be observed, what direction the shark was heading at the time of last observance, and how much time has passed from the last time it was spotted.
- How is CDFW going to notify all of the anglers of a closure?
Since there is no specific "closure," it depends upon the circumstances at hand when the person is fishing. We advise shore anglers who are legally targeting other species of sharks to check with local lifeguards or other public safety officials prior to shark fishing whenever possible.
- How is enforcement going to be handled? Is each warden to interpret this individually?
This would be handled the same as any other fishing regulation. The wildlife officer determines the nature of the situation, makes observations, conducts interviews, gathers any evidence at hand, and makes a determination on whether a law or regulation is being violated.
- How do we ensure our legal thresher shark fishermen aren’t harassed during legal fishing?
If there are no white sharks directly observed or present, then there is no problem with other legal fishing activities. Again, we advise shore anglers targeting legal sharks to check with local lifeguards or other public safety officials prior to shark fishing whenever possible. If it’s determined that a white shark is present in the area, anglers should move to another location or cease using shark bait, shark lures, or shark chum until the white shark is no longer present.
According to Dr. Robert Lea, retired CDFW senior biologist and shark expert, "If you see a shark greater than 15 ft. in California, chances are it's a white shark." White sharks have robust, torpedo shaped bodies with conical snouts, and a narrow tail-stalk with stout ridges called keels that extend laterally off either side. Their coloration is defined by a clear distinction between the charcoal grey or black to dark grey-brown on upper surfaces, and the white on lower surfaces. The pectoral fins have white trailing edges, black tips on the undersides, and a black spot at the pectoral axil ("armpit") in some individuals. Their jaws are loaded with large, triangular, serrated teeth.
The most similar species in California include the mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus), which lacks black tips on the undersides of the fins and has thin, pointed teeth without serrations, and the salmon shark (Lamna ditropis), which has a generally darker back, larger eye, and shorter snout. It also has white coloration above the pectoral fins, and pointed teeth without serration.
Illustration of a white shark compared to other sharks in the same family (Lamnidae, the mackerel sharks) (PDF)
Both adult and juvenile white sharks are ambush predators, which means they rapidly attack their prey from a concealed position. Juveniles typically feed on fishes, small sharks, and rays. Adults have a broader menu, which includes fishes, seals, sea lions, dolphins, whale blubber (scavenged), seabirds, sea turtles, rays, and other sharks.
White sharks are about 4 to 5 feet long when first born. Juvenile sharks grow slowly to about 10 feet long, when they are considered mature. Adult white sharks grow to about 21 feet long and are one of the top-level predators of the ocean. A female white shark was captured off Point Vincente, Los Angeles County, in September 1986 that measured 17.6 feet long and weighed 4,140 lbs.
White sharks are long-lived; a recent study at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution determined white sharks can live to be 40 to 70 years old. They do not reproduce for the first several years. Male white sharks become sexually mature at around 9-10 years of age. Females become mature at around 14 to 16 years old, and can have between two and 14 "pups" per litter. Birthing is thought to occur in the spring and summer months, but has never been witnessed. Each pup is around 4 to 5 feet long at birth, and comes equipped with a full set of teeth.
Scientists believe the white shark gestation period lasts about 12 months, which means that female white sharks may breed only once every two years. This slow rate of reproduction indicates that it would take a long time for white shark populations to recover if they became severely depleted.
Scientists consider Southern California a nursery ground for white sharks. Pregnant sharks likely give birth in the relatively calm, warmer waters offshore and the juvenile sharks spend significant time in shallow water. The juveniles feed on abundant stingrays and other small fish during warm water periods. As they grow and mature, the sharks move to other areas and colder water, where seals and sea lions are more abundant.
White sharks are widely distributed around the world, mostly in cold, temperate waters, only occasionally occurring in tropical seas. They prefer areas with sea surface temperatures of 50 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. White sharks are commonly seen at the ocean surface but have been known to occur as deep as 6,150 ft. Juvenile white sharks are frequently seen in shallow nearshore waters off Southern California, especially in the summer and during warm water periods.
White sharks play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem by feeding on pinniped (seal and sea lion) populations. The only real threats white sharks face are from humans and the occasional killer whale (or orca, Orcinus orca).
According to Burr Heneman, who drafted California's white shark protection legislation, "white sharks, orcas, and disease are about the only factors limiting seal and sea lion populations in California, and research increasingly confirms that the white shark population is pretty small and highly vulnerable to fishing pressure."
In 2014, the Fish and Game Commission determined that based on the best available science, listing the northeastern Pacific population of white shark as threatened or endangered under the California Endangered Species Act was not warranted. This was consistent with CDFW's recommendation. There are currently multiple estimates of the northeastern Pacific white shark population ranging from just a few hundred to greater than 3,000 individuals. All current estimates involve some degree of uncertainty, as there are significant gaps in understanding of white shark movements, reproductive biology and mating behaviors. Based on a thorough review of the best available scientific information, the higher estimates are more likely correct.
Data on commercial fisheries interactions provide a useful tool for studying trends in white shark populations, which are difficult to study directly due to their wide range and low density. Catch trends over the past decade suggest the juvenile white shark population in Southern California may be increasing. This is further supported by a rise in the incidental catch of white sharks in gillnet fisheries even as effort in these fisheries has declined. The apparent population increase may be due to added regulatory protections, primarily enacted in the 1990s, including state and federal prohibitions on take of white shark, and progressively restrictive regulations on gillnet gear over the same time period.
There are also indications that the adult population of white sharks may be increasing. White shark attacks on marine mammals at Southeast Farallon Island have been documented since the 1980s, providing a lengthy time series for comparison. An increase in the number of attacks suggests that the white shark population increased as the population of the northern elephant seals at the island increased. At San Miguel Island, off Southern California, evidence of white shark attacks on pinnipeds have substantially increased in the last few years. White shark bite marks are also found on recovered carcasses of central California southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis). Over the past five years, researchers from the United States Geological Survey have documented a dramatic increase in the number of sea otter mortalities linked to white shark bites.
The increase in attacks on marine mammals cannot be definitively linked to an increase in the white shark population. However, instances of attacks have increased in new areas without a corresponding decrease in other locations. Therefore, it is reasonable to infer there may be more sharks foraging on marine mammals and moving into different areas.
Scientists at the Farallon Islands visually document individual white sharks based on unique external characteristics (e.g. scars, marks, fin shapes, unique coloration patterns, etc.) They note any re-sightings of each recorded animal. It may soon be possible to use these visual documentations as a mark-and-recapture technique to estimate the actual numbers of animals occupying that area.
In Southern California, scientists from California State University Long Beach are tagging white sharks and tracking their movements. Tagging enables scientists to determine how far sharks move and where they go as well as whether there's just one population or multiple populations moving up and down the coast. Recently, a shark tagged off of the California coast was tracked moving to Hawaii and back for two years in a row.
Scientists from the Marine Conservation Science Institute are studying white sharks at Guadalupe Island, Mexico using a photo-identification database to track the visitation patterns of individual sharks as well as monitor the status of the overall population. They also use electronic tagging technologies to study the life history and migratory patterns of northeastern Pacific white sharks.