Hundreds of pretty and docile and Leopard sharks will be cruising the shallows off La Jolla this Labor Day weekend.
The mottled, 3-4 foot sharks move together in schools of hundreds at times and tend to stay in the same area for extended periods; they are considered harmless and fall into class of sharks known and houndsharks.
“This will be a good weekend to see them,” Nigella Hillgarth, executive director of the B, told the U-T San Diego. “They are in large numbers and easily spotted. You can even see them in the surf.”
The sharks have small teeth and typically troll the bottom for clams, crabs, spoon worms, small fish and fish eggs.
The waters near the restaurant seem to be a favorite gathering place for the sharks when water temperatures peak for the year. The sharks tend to pick a place to give birth and return to it for several years, but local researchers don't believe the Leopard sharks are giving birth off La Jolla.
Commercial fisherman along the California Coast land about 31,000 pounds of Leopard shark each year. Recreational fishers are limited to three Leopard sharks that must be at least 36 inches long.
