Figure 1.
Location of study beaches in False Bay.
Map of False Bay (A) illustrating the location of Muizenberg (B) and Fish Hoek (C) where Shark Spotters are positioned strategically above the popular recreational beaches and watch for sharks. Shark Spotters are positioned at an elevated mountain-side position (photo: Muizenberg) (D). White sharks are regularly sighted close inshore at these beaches (photo: Fish Hoek) (E).
Figure 2.
The average number of white shark sightings per spotting shift at Muizenberg and Fish Hoek from January 2006 to June 2011.
This study focused on the months September to May, while the months June to August were excluded from this study. Error bars indicate ±1 standard error.
Table 1.
Summary statistics for covariates tested in the binomial GAMMs fitted to probabilities of white shark sightings.
Figure 3.
GAMM trends for shark sightings and environmental variables at Muizenberg and Fish Hoek.
Trends for the significant variables ‘SST’, ‘Lunar Phase’ and ‘Year’ included in the binomial GAMMs for the beaches Muizenberg (left panel) and Fish Hoek (right panel). Dashed lines represent 95% confidence intervals.