The State - News from April 6, 1987

Divers were warned to beware of white sharks in Monterey Bay on California’s central coast. “The department has cautioned divers to adhere to procedures aimed at minimizing the risk of white shark encounter during diving operations,” the state Department of Fish and Game said. The recovery of the bodies of sea otters “most probably” killed by white sharks may indicate an increasing number of the predators in the area, the department said. In the last 10 weeks, bodies of eight sea otters have been recovered in the south part of the bay. Because of the distinctive way in which sharks attack their prey, state biologists believe the otters were shark victims. Marine mammals are a basic source of food for white sharks.