SoCal early alert shark warning system may disappear

LONG BEACH, Calif. - An early alert system protecting people on beaches in Southern and Central California may disappear. The system, run by Cal State Long Beach's Shark Lab, lost state funding in the last round of budget cuts.

If they don't raise $500,000 in private funds by the end of September, the monitoring system will stop. Hundreds of sharks have been tagged and are being monitored by underwater sonar systems and buoys, which alert not only the Shark Lab, but lifeguards along the coast, whenever a shark comes near. 

Lifeguards monitor the animal's behavior, and with time, have learned that many sharks, especially juveniles, stay near the coast but away from people. The implications go beyond the obvious safety aspect. 

Closing down beaches means that the community loses money, and monitoring the sharks constantly, and learning their patterns, allows lifeguards to make strategic decisions, instead of reacting to the sight of a fin half a mile away from the sand. 

The Shark lab was able to stretch a five-year budget, an extra year. The school has supplemented the program's budget by providing space, insurance, administrative and employee support. 

SUGGESTED: Shark Watch: What to do if you see a shark at the beach

But the entire CSU system, beyond the Lab, is now affected by budget cuts. Last July, CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia confirmed that the $75 million deficit for 2024-25 would mean a 7.85% reduction of funding to CSU totaling cuts of $397 million for 2025-26.

The Shark Lab needs $500,000 to operate through the end of this year, with an annual budget of $900,000. 

It doesn't sound like much, for what they do. While the monitoring system was developed in the last 6 years, the Shark Lab has been around for quite some time.

Whether it makes it to its upcoming sixtieth anniversary now depends on private funding - a shark angel, as it is who values sharks, humans, and coastal communities.