{
  "id": 730744,
  "title": "Stingray lashings up as marine heat wave off Southern California draws more to shore",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/stingray-lashings-up-as-marine-heat-wave-off-southern-california",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-13T04:23:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Associated Press",
    "slug": "associated-press",
    "url": "https://apnews.com/article/california-stingray-beach-8ed8ec6ba298cc262cc44a04cc2b5637"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Huntington Beach residents and tourists are experiencing an unsettling trend as a marine heat wave off Southern California draws more stingrays closer to shore, resulting in a sharp increase in stingray encounters. Jake Hemann, a 31-year-old tourist from New Mexico, recently found himself among the growing number of beachgoers who have suffered painful stingray barb lacerations. Hemann inquired about the surge in incidents and discovered that Bolsa Chica and Huntington Beach State Beaches have reported over 3,100 stingray encounters this year, nearly double the number for all of 2025. The city's 3.5-mile long shoreline has seen over 2,000 such incidents, a record that surpasses last year's totals.\n\nExperts attribute the rising number of stingray interactions to the persistent warming of ocean temperatures. Bryan R. Etnyre, the state park superintendent in northern Orange County stated that this year, ocean temperatures have remained consistently in the 60s, a factor he believes has contributed significantly to the increase. Chris Lowe, a professor of marine biology and director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, explained that warmer water attracts stingrays, as they tend to gravitate toward shorelines when the water is warm and swells are down.\n\nThe decline in populations of species that prey on stingrays, such as sharks, sea lions, and giant sea bass, has led to a rise in the number of stingrays, further complicating the issue. Warmer waters also provide a more suitable habitat for stingrays, particularly females who prefer these conditions for reproduction. Male rays, with higher metabolisms during the summer, are driven to seek out food in the invertebrates along the shore, increasing their chances of interaction with humans.\n\nThe phenomenon is a clear indication of climate change's impact on marine ecosystems.",
  "summary": "HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Jake Hemann grabbed a board and headed out to surf. But an hour later, he wound up sitting at the lifeguard station soaking his foot in a pail of hot water alongside four other beachgoers. It…",
  "key_points": [
    "Over 3,100 stingray encounters reported this year at Huntington Beach and Bolsa Chica.",
    "Ocean temperatures remain consistently in the 60s, contributing to the increase.",
    "Warmer waters provide suitable habitat for stingrays, impacting marine ecosystems."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Warmer ocean temperatures are drawing more stingrays to shore, increasing encounters with humans, as a result of climate change impacting marine ecosystems and altering species populations and habitats.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}