El Niño fuels surge of young great white sharks and venomous sea snakes off California coast

The strengthening El Niño weather pattern is warming waters off California, drawing large numbers of young great white sharks toward the shoreline. Researchers say the phenomenon could create a “shark summer,” with tiger, bull and hammerhead sharks also appearing, and warn that fishermen, surfers and beachgoers may need to share the ocean with unfamiliar and potentially aggressive marine life.

Lifeguards already treat about 10,000 stingray injuries each year in California, and scientists fear that the influx of stingrays and the highly venomous yellow‑banded sea snake will increase those numbers. Marine biologist Chris Lowe of the Shark Lab at Long Beach State University and Douglas McCauley of the Benioff Ocean Initiative note that El Niño adds extra heat to an already warming ocean, compounding climate‑change impacts and altering the coastal ecosystem.