Researchers use a beach seine to catch stingrays on Seal Beach, Calif., Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Researchers catch stingrays in nets and clip their sharp barbs as more rays gather along Southern California beaches. Nearby, lifeguards help beachgoers struck by stingrays as a marine heat wave warms coastal waters.
A researcher clips the barb from a stingray in Seal Beach, Calif., Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Researchers gather around a pile of stingrays to clip their barbs after catching them in Seal Beach, Calif., Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Two stingrays lie on the sand after being caught in a beach seine in Seal Beach, Calif., Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Lifeguard II Rachael Kowalchick assists a person stung by a stingray to the lifeguard headquarters for treatment at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Lifeguard Max Voci applies gauze to a beachgoer’s foot to treat a stingray sting at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Lifeguard Max Voci, center, treats beachgoers for stingray stings at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)A researcher shows a barb clipped from a stingray in Seal Beach, Calif., Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Researcher Michael McNamara carries a beach seine to catch stingrays as he walks past surfers in Seal Beach, Calif., Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)A pile of stingrays caught in a beach seine lies on the shore in Seal Beach, Calif., Friday, Aug. 7, 2026.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)A youth plays with a small shovel at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Jacob Hemann grimaces as he adds hot water to a bucket as he gets treatment for a stingray sting at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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