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THE COAST NEWS
.com MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 31, N0. 20
MAY 19, 2017
SAN
Coastal Commission turns MARCOS -NEWS down preferred Rail Trail route By Aaron Burgin
Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) breaching in an attack. Stock photo
Recent shark attack, sightings: Should they be a cause for alarm? By Adam Sullivan
REGION — As swimmers, surfers and beach enthusiasts flock to our local shores, so do the sharks. News outlets and social media platforms have been filled with sightings, spottings, close calls and even an attack in recent months, begging the question: Why? Are there more sharks than usual, or are we just better at noticing them? And if there is a population surge, then why? A shark bit a Vista woman April 29 at San Onofre – sending her to a hospital in critical condition. The very next day, eight more sharks were spotted at Capistrano Beach. Oceanside lifeguard officials closed down the city’s beaches north of the pier and harbor following a shark
sighting three weeks ago. And on May 10, swimmers and paddle boarders in Dana Point were fortunate to have an Orange County Sherriff’s Department helicopter overhead, because they spotted 15 great white sharks only yards away from the group. We are well over the statistical average of shark sightings and attacks, so what gives? Experts have hypotheses that could explain the surge in shark population. One theory posits that, because great whites have been a protected species for years, their population is growing. Another theory is that, like humans, sharks prefer shallow “hot spots” because that’s where the easy meals come from. Seals and sea lions — breakfast and lunch, to a shark — have
been protected as well, so their populations have been similarly thriving. Die-hard surfers are generally the last to leave the water, for any reason. “They’ve been there forever,” said Oceanside resident Jamey Stone, who has been surfing North County San Diego for the past three decades and said he is undaunted by the recent sightings. “It’s just that now, because of cellphones and drones, we just see them more often — not to mention over-fishing.” The other obvious question is what to do if you’re caught in the water, and you spot that telltale dorsal fin? Ralph Collier, form the Shark Research Committee tells us the main thing to do is also the most difficult: don’t panic. “Try
to keep sight of the shark at all times,” cautions Collier, “so you can determine if the shark’s movements are smooth and leisurely, or erratic and agitated.” Collier’s information comes from a handy Q&A on Surfline.com : “If the latter,” he says, “move swiftly to shore, a rock, or even a floating kelp canopy. Adult white sharks tend to avoid kelp forests and canopy’s [SIC], and in fact several divers during the Twentieth Century escaped aggressive white sharks by using these two natural barriers.” Even with the recent increase in apex predator appearances, it’s still unlikely that the average swimmer will have an incident. Just remember to keep your wits about you, and one eye on the environment.
ENCINITAS — A divided California Coastal Commission voted to reject Encinitas’ preferred route for a segment of the Coastal Rail Trail that will run through Cardiffby-the-Sea, leaving elected officials and residents who attended the hearing stunned. The state’s coastal regulatory body voted 7-5 to side with its staff, which argued that the 1.3-mile stretch of bike and pedestrian paths, part of a much larger countywide coastal trail network, should be placed on the east side of the rail right of way along San Elijo Avenue. Encinitas, regional officials and residents preferred a western alignment of the trail along Coast Highway 101. The Encinitas City Council previously voted to support the eastern alignment preferred by the Coastal Commission, but reversed course in 2016 after heavy opposition from residents. Residents left the meeting booing and questioning the commission’s decision. Mayor Catherine Blakespear, Councilwoman Tasha Boerner Horvath and Councilman Joe Mosca, who spoke during the
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The caption under a rattlesnake photo that appeared in the May 12 edition of The Coast News stated “veterinarians have a rattlesnake vaccine now for dogs.” It was brought to our attention that more accurately, the vaccine delays the affects of a bite and emergency veterinary care is still advised.
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two-hour hearing, were visibly surprised by the vote. “I’m shocked,” Blakespear said outside of the hearing, which THE was held at the San VISTA Diego County Board of Supervisors NEWS chambers. “I didn’t think it would go that way.” Boerner Horvath on Twitter said that the decision guarantees “guaranteeing no near term fundable bike/ped facilities.” The Coastal Rail Trail is a 44-mile project that runs parallel to the coastal rail tracks between RANCHO Oceanside and downtown San Diego, which has been SFNEWS in the works since 1989 and is one-third completed. Encinitas, the San Diego Association of Governments — the regional agency coordinating the Coastal Rail Trail project — and two dozen residents implored the Coastal Commission to place the trail west of the tracks along Coast Highway 101, which they said would preserve historic access to the coast and maintain one of the last vestiges of pristine natural coastal terrain. The commission’s decision came at 8 p.m., nearly 12 hours after the second day of the board’s three-day session began.
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