Multiple sharks have been reported on both the East and West Coast of the U.S. this summer. Some sightings have prompted questions about how El Niño is impacting shark behaviors. Joe Yaiullo, curator and co-found of the Long Island Aquarium and Dr. Chris Lowe, professor of marine biology and director of the Shark Lab at California State University in Long Beach join FOX Weather to talk about shark activity on both the coasts.
The number of shark sightings reported so far this summer seems to be higher than usual, and research suggests rising ocean temperatures could have something to do with it.
It seems like every year, there’s an increased number of shark sightings or reports on beaches along the East and West Coast.
Studies show the reason it feels that way is because it might actually be true.
YOUNG GREAT WHITE SHARK PINGS OFF CANADA’S COAST AS HE HEADS TO SUMMER FEEDING GROUNDS
In an aerial view, a juvenile white shark swims in the clear, shallow water.
(Kevin Carter/Getty Images / Getty Images)
According to NOAA, more than 90% of the warming that has happened on Earth over the past 50 years has occurred in the ocean.
When ocean waters warm, it causes a number of environmental concerns, and it can change the way certain animals behave.
GREAT WHITE SHARK RIPPLE TRACKED OFF CANADA COAST AFTER TRAVELING 350 MILES IN A WEEK
Every year, sharks like great whites, migrate up and down the East and West Coast in search of cooler or warmer waters and more food.
Sharks habituating on the East and Gulf Coasts migrate up into Cape Cod and Atlantic Canada for the summer, as ocean temperatures become too warm for them to comfortably handle.
In a rare underwater view, a great white shark was spotted swimming off Block Island in Rhode Island. The Atlantic Shark Institute said this may be the first instance of a white shark being photographed in Rhode Island waters.
Dr. Chris Lowe, professor of marine biology and director of the Shark Lab at California State University in Long Beach, said white sharks in particular do not like water warmer than 82 degrees.
“That tends to be a major break for them, and pushes them either deeper or further north,” Lowe said.
So, when marine biologists note sharks in places where they are usually not much earlier or later in the year, it makes them wonder why.
MASSIVE 1,400-POUND GREAT WHITE SHARK BRETON RAISES QUESTIONS AFTER IT PINGS OFF FLORIDA COAST
Breton the shark being released in 2020 after his evaluation and tagging.
(OCEARCH / FOX Weather)
For example, Breton, a white shark tagged by OCEARCH in Sept. 2020, was pinged off the coast of Florida in mid-July, while most sharks of his kind are hanging out much further north at this point in the year.
At one of his most recent pings, water temperatures showed 87 degrees, OCEARCH found.
SEE IT: RARE GREAT WHITE SHARK CAUGHT ON CAMERA IN THIS STATE’S WATERS FOR EXPECTED FIRST TIME
Breton’s latest ping on July 20, 2026 off the eastern coast of Florida.
(OCEARCH / FOX Weather)
OCEARCH said the shark could be following food sources and because sharks can dive deep for long periods of time, Breton can handle it.
“There’s going to be range extensions that we’re seeing where sharks aren’t normally seen because the waters are warming in different areas,” Joe Yaiullo, curator and co-founder of the Long Island Aquarium said. “They’re very adaptable, they’ve been around hundreds of millions of years.”
BREWING SUPER EL NIÑO COULD TURN THE CALIFORNIA COAST INTO A SUMMER HOTSPOT FOR GREAT WHITE SHARKS
As ocean temperatures rise, species like bull sharks and tiger sharks could extend their range northward along the California coast.
(Joseph Prezioso/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Yaiullo said sharks go wherever the food goes, which sometimes means more populated areas in the summer.
If the water is salty, there will be sharks, Yaiullo said. “The fact that these Apex Predators are doing really well is a great sign to us and something that shouldn’t be really feared.”
Yaiullo and Lowe said humans are not sharks’ ideal prey, so be aware, avoid swimming at dawn or dusk and stay away from areas with a ton of prey like seals and large schools of fish.
