Redondo Sixgill Sharks 2026

An Analysis of the 2026 Shark Sighting Data for SixgillSharks.Org

Executive Summary

In 2026, divers made a record number of dives seeing sixgills and of sixgill sightings, as reported through sixgillsharks.org.  Divers reported seeing one shark (Ilsa) for the 5th straight year, though her sightings are not as common as they were in 2023 and 2024.  Overall, there were not as many unique shark sightings, which we believe is at least partially due to improved video and photo quality, which allows identifiers to more easily see the identifying marks.  We hope and believe that the number of divers seeing sixgills continues to increase each year, and the quality of photos and videos also increases.

Introduction

2026 was a record year for shark sightings reported through SixgillSharks.org.  We had more reported sighting than ever before, and our ability to identify sharks, especially year-over-year, continues to improve.  We started working directly with the Seattle Aquarium to share sixgill data and analysis, and we’ll be collaborating with them on methods to identify sharks.  This year, we saw the return of Ilsa for the 5th straight year, and other sharks were reported for multiple years in a row as well.  We also had an important milestone for SixgillSharks.org by presenting at the biennial NEPSS conference in Oregon.  In the future, we hope to improve the shark identification process, work more closely with our partners, increase awareness of Sixgillsharks.org, and identify specific research topics to work on.

Non-Shark Notes

In 2026, there are a few non-shark observations that our team made that are worth noting here.

Dogfish

Our team of divers has historically noted that spiny dogfish often precede the arrival of sixgill sharks.  In July 2026, we saw few or no spiny dogfish on dives where sixgill sharks were seen.  In late August 2026, there were many spiny dogfish, and some noted that there were more spiny dogfish than ever seen before.  While we do not have specific data on spiny dogfish sightings or historical data, this is worth noting due to the number of divers noting this change.

Fishing Pier

In 2026, the Des Moines city/marina opened a new fishing pier at Redondo Beach, the primary sight for sixgill sightings in our data.  While sixgill sharks are not a fishable species in Puget Sound, the increase in fishing activity at the pier could have an impact on sixgill sharks, spiny dogfish (a fishable species), and divers.  Additional bait in the area could attract or influence sixgills, fishing activities could change shark behavior, and increased traffic at the site could change diver patterns and therefore sighting data.  Again, we do not have specific data on the fishing activity or its influence on sixgill sharks.  Any impacts to the data is unknown.

At the same time, it’s worth noting that we do know that sixgill sharks are impacted by fishing.  This year, Snag (SG-R-26-08) was seen with a fishing hook attached to its mouth/jaw area all year.  We also observed Meg White (SG-R-26-05) with a hook and weight attached to her.  In previous years, we also saw sharks with hooks in their mouths.  There are a few videos and stories of fishermen/fisherwomen catching sixgills on hooks.  Finally, we know that tagging of sixgill sharks can be done by catching them with longlines and hooks.  Therefore, we know that sixgills are impacted by fishing, but the extent of that impact is unclear.

Organization Involvement

Sixgillsharks.org has been recording sightings and analyzing data since about 2018.  In the last couple of years, MaST has increased its involvement with sixgill sharks, including setting up their own reporting site.  Additionally, they had their first sighting of a sixgill shark on their underwater live stream.  In 2026, the Seattle Aquarium has restarted some of its sixgill shark research,  The organizations are aware of each other, and may be collaborating to some extent, which is a positive contribution to awareness and research.  We have also heard anecdotally that some divers are unsure which site to report through.  It may benefit the entire community (and the sharks) to increase our collaboration and reports to the community.

Shark Analysis

2026 was a record year for shark sightings on SixgillSharks.org.  We had more sighting events than ever before, and we had more total shark sightings than ever before.  Additionally, video/photo quality and our skills have improved, which allows us to identify sharks more accurately.

Shark Sightings

This year, we had a total of 42 sighting events reported through the form.  That’s the most ever reported, with 35 in 2023 being the second most reports.  Of those 42, 22 were in July and 14 were in August.  In 2023, there were more sightings in August (26) than July (4).  Also in 2023, there were more September sightings (4) than this year (1).  While there are too many factors to assess the statistical significance of that data, it matches the anecdotal comments about the sharks this year - the sixgills seemed to be more present earlier in the 2026 season than in recent years.

2026 and 2023 had similar distinct people reporting sightings (20 vs. 19, respectively).

Total Sharks

As with the total sightings, the total number of sharks was a record this year as well.  There were 84 total sharks seen in the reported sightings, and 2023 was the second most (74) ever.  That does, however, mean that the sharks per report were higher in 2023 (2.11) than in 2026 (2.00).  Comparing the two years, that means there were fewer sightings with more sharks per sighting in 2023 compared to more sightings with fewer sharks per sighting in 2026.  At this time, we draw no specific conclusion from this, but we will watch for trends in coming years.

Individual Sharks

In 2026, we identified 28 different sharks, including three sharks seen in previous years.  Here are the highlights from this year:

1. Ilsa (SG-R-22-12) has been seen 5 years in a row!

2. Double Nick (SG-R-24-02) has been seen 3 years in a row!

3. Meg White / Whitestripe (SG-R-26-05) has been seen 3 years in a row! (updates needed)

4. Selene (SG-R-26-06) has been seen 2 years in a row! (updates needed)

5. Freckles (SG-R-26-07) has been seen 2 years in a row! (updates needed)

6. Meg White and Double Nick were the two most observed sharks this year at 14 and 13 sightings respectively.  Jared (SG-R-26-10) was the third most observed with 7 sightings.

7. Tag6 was the first (and only) shark tagged by the Seattle Aquarium that was seen by divers this year, and she was seen 3 times.

8. BONUS: Sevengill

Population Analysis

The Seattle Aquarium tagged sixgill sharks with floy tags (visible to divers) as part of their research.  Before the start of dive encounters this year they had tagged 9 sharks (4 at Redondo, and 5 at other Puget Sound sites).  They later tagged another 7 sharks for a total of 16 tagged sharks in Puget Sound.

We can make an extremely rough estimate of the number of sharks near Redondo by extrapolating this data.  We can use the Mark-Capture Framework to make this estimate.  We believe this is a closed population, as there should be no major changes to the population over the ~two months of observations.  Additionally, we believe all sharks are equally likely to be seen at Redondo.  Finally, we have every reason to believe the tags that the aquarium put on the sharks are still there.  We saw 1 tagged shark in the 28 sharks that we saw, and there are 4 tagged sharks (specific to Redondo) that were tagged throughout the entire season, so our estimate for the number of sixgills in the areas is 116 sharks (4 * 29 / 1).  As we did not do the tagging ourselves, there are some unknowns to this calculation, but this seems like a reasonable number for Redondo.

Further Analysis

We will continue to work with the Seattle Aquarium and MaST to review their data and see if additional sightings, sharks, or analysis are possible.

Future Investments

As we continue to learn from these beautiful creatures, the team at SixgillSharks.org continues to find ways that we want to improve our process, learn more, and work with others.  Before the next season of sixgill sharks, we plan to invest in shark identification technology, video and lighting technology, social media, and partner relationships.

Shark Identification Technology

As AI continues to make processing tasks easier, it’s clear that our jobs could be easier at identifying the sharks if we incorporated AI technology and built a processing flow.  There are some colleges and research facilities working on this, and the Seattle Aquarium is also interested in this.  Given some of our team’s experience with AI, we plan to invest in building a system to identify sharks from photos and videos.

Video and Lighting Technology

Hardware technology improvements to photo and video systems has slowed in recent years (e.g. compare the iPhone 17 and 18 cameras).  However, you can see the difference in our videos from 2022 and 2023 to 2025 and 2026.  The technology improvement allowed us to identify sharks more easily with crisper images and videos.  In particular, we know that GoPro videos produce clear video, but individual images within the video are not as crisp/clear as some photographs.  Additionally, the low-light technology on some manufacturers’ cameras have improved.  We’ll investigate new cameras on the market in fall 2026 to see if our team of divers should upgrade to get clearer images/videos.

Additionally, we can always use more lights.  We have 2 10k lights on our research station with a fixed GoPro, but having additional lights in the area would allow more angles, more cameras, and potentially more sightings to be filmed.

Social Media

To increase the awareness of our reporting site, and to ultimately get more sighting data, we need to increase our reach on social media.  Creating a sixgillshark.org presence on FaceBook, Instagram, and TikTok, and posting regularly, would increase our reach.

Partner Relationships

There are three main areas of relationships that we will work to build on this year.  First, MaST, Seattle Aquarium, and SixgillSharks.org all gather data on sixgill shark sightings throughout the Salish Sea.  There is some data sharing.  We can work together to share data more fluidly, and to create a more unified front to those divers who do report using one of the sites.

Second, we are interested in participating in research or driving research on sixgill sharks.  The Seattle Aquarium is currently working on some research, and we will discuss potential collaboration opportunities with them.  There may be other organizations doing research that we can collaborate with as well.

Finally, there are organizations working on species identification through photos and videos.  This is primarily done on other species and is primarily done by colleges and universities, though some commercial software is also available.  We’ll be looking for opportunities to collaborate with or utilize the work of others in this area.