Sharks and stingrays of Santa Monica Bay
Dr. Chris Lowe Email: [email protected] Facebook: CSULBsharklab Twitter: @csulb sharklab
The CSULB Shark Lab, founded in 1969, is dedicated to the study of the physiological and behavioral ecology of sharks, rays, and other economically important gamefishes.
Our mission is to advance our understanding of the ecology of marine fishes, training future marine scientists at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and disseminate information to resource managers and the general public to improve conservation of sharks, rays and economically important marine fishes. Most common sharks (over 4’) of Santa Monica Bay Leopard shark Spiny dogfish
Common thresher shark
White shark
Soupfin or tope shark
Salmon shark
7-gill shark Most sharks are seasonal • Typically seen more in summer and fall months • Some can come close to shore • Most common have been juvenile white sharks Pacific Coast Hwy Where do they live? SPOT tag
PAT tag
Acoustic tag
Deployed since 2006: 19 SPOTs 28 PATs 12 acoustic tags (8 year life) 10 archival tags Shark listening stations Shark 13-01
• Tagged Aug. 28, 2013 • 3 miles off Santa Monica pier • 5.2 ft long • female What should you do…
• If you see a shark? • Assess what it’s doing • Keep your eyes on the shark • Slowly move away • Tell lifeguards • Drop in on a shark? • Try to avoid direct contact • Stay on the board and keep moving • If a shark approaches you? • Stay calm and keep your eyes on it • Slowly move towards the beach
Things you should not do…
• Do not chase a shark • Do not attempt to rescue a shark • Baby salmon sharks will strand • Don’t touch them • Call the lifeguards Stingrays of Santa Monica Bay California butterfly ray Bat ray
Diamond stingray Round stingray Don’t tread on me! • Summer and fall is stingray season • Lots of stingrays come in along coastal beaches looking for estuaries for breeding habitat • People accidentally step on the rays and… Likely suspect! Beach
Surf break
0-30m
66°F
31-60m 68F° What can you do to avoid getting stung? • Know about the marine life at the beaches you visit. • Avoid areas with soft sand and low surf especially during the summer and fall • Try floating out to the surf zone instead of walking • Contact lifeguards if you get stung • Learn the stingray shuffle!
Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur
Our mission is to rehabilitate (and return to their natural environment) rescued sick and injured marine mammals – primarily California sea lions, northern elephant seals, harbor seals and fur seals.
Animal Safety
Working with wild animals
• Proper bite prevention PPE: slickers, gloves, boots, boards • Proper disease prevention PPE: slickers, latex gloves, goggles • Proper techniques and Adherence to protocols Animal Safety
Documented bacterial zoonotic diseases of marine mammals
Disease Agent Mode Symptoms
Nomenclature for marine Contact with aborted fetal Flu-like symptoms - Brucella mammal strains not yet material; contaminated or (headaches, fever, fully developed; B. maris untreated milk , or myalgia, and malaise); and B. pinnipedia named through direct contact arthritis, so far with infected animals orchiepididymitis, fatigue; abortion in dogs - Leptospira Leptospira interrogans Airborne spirochete: serovar pomona direct transmission, or Consistent with hepatitis indirectly through and renal failure; chills, exposure to headache, myalgia, eye contaminated water and pain, reddened eyes, soil diarrhea. Elevated liver enzymes, bilirubinemia, - Mycoplasma thrombocytopenia, M. phocacerebrale, M. proteinuria, hematuria, phocidae, M. phocarhinis elevated creatinine Organism enters through breaks in the skin “Seal Finger”; local erythema, nodules at site; progressive painful swelling; can progress to cellulitis, tenosynovitis, and/or arthritis Animal Safety
Documented viral zoonotic diseases of marine mammals
Disease Agent Mode Symptoms
- San Miguel Calicivirus Contact Vesicular lesions; self- limiting Sea Lion Virus
Contact; airborne - Influenza A Orthomyxovirus Flu symptoms; documented case of painful purulent conjunctivitis due to
contamination of eye Contact - Seal Pox Parapoxvirus from harbor seal sneeze
Lesions or "milker's nodules", found most commonly on digits raised edematous and erythematous nodules Animal Safety
Marine mammal diseases with zoonotic potential
Burkholderia (formerly Pseudomonas)
Clostridium
Staphylococcus
Streptococcus
Influenza B
Rabies Animal Safety Parasites
Lungworm
Hookwork
Nasal mites
Skin mites
Lice Photo courtesy of Jim Milbury/NOA Fisheries West Coast Photo courtesy of Mary Schwalm, AP