Great white sharks: Danger or endangered?

Joon Kim fishes near the Manhattan Beach Pier.  (Bret Hartman / For The Times)

A mother and her children play in the waves near the Manhattan Beach Pier. A 7-foot great white shark was caught off the pier recently.  (Bret Hartman / For The Times)

Two surfers head out into surf near Manhattan Beach Pier. State and federal authorities are weighing a request to classify the great white shark as an endangered species.  (Bret Hartman / For The Times)

Reuben Montes heads for waves near the Manhattan Beach Pier. Four juvenile great whites were caught off the pier last year.  (Bret Hartman / For The Times)

The National Marine Fisheries Service and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife have been researching the health of the great white population since last year. Above, surfers ride near Manhattan Beach Pier.   (Bret Hartman / For The Times)

Cory Alexander watches the waves after surfing near the Manhattan Beach Pier.  (Bret Hartman / For The Times)

A census conducted from 2006 to 2008 estimated that only 219 adult and sub-adult great whites lived off the Central California coast, and perhaps again that many in the entire northeastern Pacific Ocean, including Southern California. Other shark experts claim the actual population is several times larger. Above, at Manhattan Beach Pier.  (Bret Hartman / For The Times)