Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, August 21, 2024…
- For the last ten years, something strange has been happening in Monterey Bay. Juvenile white sharks, whose range historically didn’t reach Northern California, have been spotted in droves in places like Aptos and Marina. And these new predators are changing the ecosystem.
- Governor Newsom is touting new job figures showing the state added thousands of fast-food jobs this year. Those gains occurred after California raised the minimum wage for most fast food workers to $20 an hour in April.
- In a unanimous vote, Fresno County supervisors have voted to ban overnight camping on public property in unincorporated areas of the County. The new law takes effect in 30 days and its restrictions will be most heavily felt by Fresno County’s homeless population.
Young Great White Sharks Threaten Monterey Bay’s Endangered Sea Otter Population
Historically, the range of juvenile white sharks didn’t reach Northern California. But over the last 10 years, they have been spotted in droves in certain pockets of Monterey Bay, including near Aptos and Marina.
Dylan Moran is a lab technician with the Ocean Predator Ecology Lab at Cal State Monterey Bay. He and his colleagues started patrolling the shores in the spring, when the water becomes warm enough for the young sharks. “What we believe they’re looking for is going to be these micro habitats that are going to be warm pockets of water,” Moran said. “And we think they’re targeting those for the fact that the surrounding bay is too cold for them. They want to find areas that are thermally suitable.”
Salvador Jorgensen leads the Ocean Predator Ecology Lab. He’s studied juvenile sharks in Monterey Bay for the past decade. Since 2014, many species, including white sharks, have been leaving their traditional ranges and pushing away from the equator to find cooler temperatures. Monterey Bay was previously too cold for juvenile white sharks, but not anymore. “If you bring in a whole bunch of new predators to an area, you’re likely to see some changes in the ecosystem that maybe you didn’t expect,” Jorgensen said. For example, the southern sea otter — an endangered species whose population has been slowly recovering — has seen its recovery stalled in recent years.
Newsom Administration Touts Fast Food Job Growth
Citing state and federal employment data, Governor Gavin Newsom says California has seen a major increase in fast food jobs since the state increased minimum wage to $20 an hour for most workers earlier this year.