Gayle Anderson reports on Shark Week, the broadcast week of the popular Discovery Channel television series. However, there is little attention paid to the Cal State University Long Beach Shark Lab, which has made great strides in recent years learning about great white sharks’ behaviors and upward populations trends, advancing methods such as the use of acoustic receivers to track tagged sharks and DNA testing of sea water that shows when great whites are near.
According to the Press-Telegram and Shark Lab Director and shark expert Dr. Chris Lowe, the program is in danger. They report the Shark Lab in 2018 was granted $3.75 million in state funding to advance its research, educate the public and partner with lifeguards to keep beachgoers safe.
They say that funding source, which the lab stretched to last six years, has expired and the Shark Lab hasn’t been included in future state budget plans, which means advancements Lowe and his team have made could come to a halt if they can’t find private funding or grants to sustain the program.
To learn more about the current and future work of Shark Lab, please take a look at the website: CSULB.edu/Shark-Lab.
Donations are tax deductible csulb.edu/shark-lab/support-the-shark-lab
If you have questions, please feel free to contact Gayle Anderson at 323-460-5732, email Gayle at Gayle.Anderson@KTLA.com, Facebook: Gayle Anderson, Instagram: KTLAChannel5Gayle and Twitter: KTLA5Gayle.
Gayle Anderson reports for the KTLA 5 News on July 9, 2024.