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The Sounds, Estuaries and Ocean Waters in and Around North Carolina Provide a Variety of Habitats for Water-Dwelling Species, Including an Abundance of Sharks

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The Sounds, Estuaries and Ocean Waters in and Around North Carolina Provide a Variety of Habitats for Water-Dwelling Species, Including an Abundance of Sharks BELOW: Sandbar sharks are the most common large sharks in North Carolina. Courtesy N.C. Aquariums SHARKS BY CHUCK BANGLEY The sounds, estuaries and ocean waters in and around North Carolina provide a variety of habitats for water-dwelling species, including an abundance of sharks. Here is a quick look at some sharks that are commonly found in the state. C o n t i n u e d SHARKScoastwatch | spring 2014 | www.ncseagrant.org 15 BELOW: Nick Preziotti, Jennette's Pier educator, caught and released this 42-inch scalloped hammerhead at the pier in Nags Head. Atlantic Sharpnose Shark Blacknose Shark Blacktip Shark Courtesy Jennette’s Pier Shark illustrations by Duane Raver SHARKS IN THE SOUNDS will sometimes make spinning leaps out of the the Albemarle Sound. Bull sharks attack large Most sharks found in North Carolina’s water while feeding. Recreational fishermen prey, as evidenced by bite scars on resident sounds and estuaries are transient, making a target these sharks for the strong fight they bottlenose dolphins in the Neuse River and quick trip into the estuary to feed or migrate can put up when hooked. Blacktip sharks have reports of large red drum eaten off fishermen’s through. However, some will use the sounds black margins on every fin but the anal fin. hooks. This species can be dangerous to as nursery habitat and their young may stay The leading edge of their dorsal fin starts just humans and should be treated with caution. for months. Here are some species regularly above or slightly before the trailing edge of the Bull sharks are recognizable by their wide encountered in the sounds. pectoral fins. body, blunt nose and proportionally small eyes. • Atlantic sharpnose sharks • Bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna • Smoothhound sharks (Mustelus (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) are among the tiburo) are small members of the hammerhead canis), also referred to as smooth dogfish, can most common in North Carolina waters. The shark family, with adults reaching a maximum grow to be more than 5 feet long, although adults can reach 4 feet in length and are found length of 5 feet. They occasionally occur in most individuals encountered in the sounds both in estuarine and oceanic waters, usually the southern reaches of Pamlico Sound and are juveniles. Adults arrive from offshore in during the summer and autumn. Sharpnose become common from Core Sound south, as the autumn and spring then leave, possibly sharks use Core Sound and other sounds to the well as close to the beach on the ocean side of giving birth in Back, Core and Pamlico sounds. south as nurseries. Their foot-long pups can the barrier islands. Bonnetheads primarily feed Juveniles can be found in shallow areas of be very common in these areas, often caught on crustaceans, especially blue crabs, and can the sounds year-round, and also will venture by recreational fishermen looking for puppy be seen sweeping their heads across the bottom out of the inlets into nearshore ocean waters, drum and Spanish mackerel. Adults generally to detect electrical signals given off by buried where they can be a common bycatch for pier are greenish-grey with white spots, while pups prey. These sharks have smaller, more rounded fishermen. Smoothhounds prey mostly on usually are lighter colored. “hammers” than other hammerhead species. crustaceans, such as shrimp and crabs. This species is usually light to dark grey in color, has • Blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus • Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), large catlike eyes and has small barbels on its limbatus) are among the larger sharks in the which can top off at 10.5 feet, are the apex nostrils. sounds, reaching lengths of 8 feet, although predators of the North Carolina sounds. They most measure 6 feet or less. They occur in can tolerate brackish and fresh water, and for SHARKS IN THE OCEAN ocean waters from late spring to late fall, that reason can be found in nearly any body of All of the sharks in the sounds also can be and usually move into the sounds during the water that has a connection to the ocean. Adults seen in the ocean, but many species in North summer and autumn. These fast predators and juveniles have been sighted in the Newport, Carolina waters rarely enter estuaries. The chase schools of menhaden and mullet, and Neuse and Pamlico rivers, and even parts of coastal waters of North Carolina lie along a 16 coastwatch | spring 2014 | www.ncseagrant.org BELOW: Visitors can stay on dry ground and still see a variety of sharks at the N.C. Aquariums, such as this sand tiger shark. Bonnethead Shark Bull Shark Dusky Shark Scott Taylor for N.C. Aquariums major migration corridor for marine species, and law, hooked dusky sharks must be released. common in the late summer and autumn. most shark species occurring along the U.S. East Juveniles overwinter off Cape Hatteras, and Juveniles born in the Chesapeake and Delaware Coast will enter the state’s waters at some point adults can be found farther offshore year-round. bays overwinter off Cape Hatteras, and also during the year. Though attacks are extremely Dusky sharks can be difficult to tell apart will enter Pamlico Sound. Sandbar sharks are rare, many of the species on the ocean side of from other sharks. They usually are dark grey usually light grey or brown, and have large, tall the barrier islands are large and potentially in color and have curved dorsal fins, with the dorsal fins with the leading edge beginning dangerous to humans, so exercise caution when leading edge even with the trailing edge of the ahead of the trailing edge of the pectoral fins. interacting with these species. The following are pectoral fins. some of the more common and noteworthy of • Sand tiger sharks (Carcharias North Carolina’s coastal sharks. • The great white shark taurus) can grow to 12 feet and can be found (Carcharodon carcharias) is the largest year-round in North Carolina waters, especially • Blacknose sharks (Carcharhinus predatory fish in the ocean, reaching lengths around structures such as wrecks and live- acronotus) are relatively small, reaching a of 21 feet and weights of well over two tons. bottom habitats. Developing sand tiger sharks maximum size of about 5 feet. These sharks White sharks tagged off Cape Cod have been will consume their siblings in the womb until can be found close to the beach south of tracked to North Carolina waters, where they only two remain, and at birth are more than Cape Hatteras during the summer and will generally stay well offshore but occasionally 4 feet long. Despite their savage start and occasionally enter inlets. This species grows venture close to the beach. White sharks can fearsome appearance, sand tiger sharks are more slowly than other small sharks, such as occur year-round in North Carolina waters, but usually docile around humans, which makes sharpnoses and bonnetheads, and is subject to usually are seen during the winter and early them popular with divers and aquariums. With lower catch limits than those species. Blacknose spring. With their bright white bellies, large their proportionally small fins, pointed snouts sharks have a distinctive black mark on the end black eyes and triangular teeth, white sharks are and jagged teeth, sand tiger sharks are easily of their snouts, and are generally yellow-grey easily distinguished from other local species. identified. in color. • Sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus • Scalloped hammerheads • Dusky sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus) are among the most common large (Sphyrna lewini) are the most common large obscurus) are among the largest coastal sharks, sharks in North Carolina waters, and can reach hammerhead species in North Carolina reaching lengths of 12 feet and measuring nearly lengths of 8 feet. The population has severely waters. However, this species has been 4 feet at birth. This is a very slow-growing declined from overfishing but there is some affected by overfishing, with 75 to 90 percent species, taking as many as 17 years to reach evidence that sandbar sharks are starting to of its population extirpated — removed reproductive maturity. This species is one recover. Sandbar sharks can be found year- completely — in the Atlantic Ocean. For of the most hard-hit by fishing pressure. By round in North Carolina waters, but are most C o n t i n u e d coastwatch | spring 2014 | www.ncseagrant.org 17 BELOW: To learn more, visit the North Carolina Aquariums to participate in their educational programs on sharks and other species. Sandbar Shark Spinner Shark Tiger Shark Courtesy N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores this reason, hammerheads are managed sharks, reaching 18 feet in length. Tigers are overwinter close to shore near Cape Hatteras under lower quotas and higher size limits nicknamed “trashcans with fins,” feeding and Cape Lookout. Their 15-foot parents will than other large coastal sharks. Three other on a wide variety of prey including large occasionally chase schools of menhaden into large hammerhead species — the smooth, fishes, dolphins, sea turtles, other sharks, and nearshore waters. Half of a thresher shark’s great and recently discovered Carolina occasionally scavenging garbage. Usually total length is made up of its tail, which can be hammerhead — occasionally can be found found well offshore, tiger sharks have been swung around in front of the shark to stun and in North Carolina waters. The scalloped known to enter Beaufort Inlet and record-sized herd small schooling fishes. Thresher sharks hammerhead is distinguished from smooth individuals have been caught from fishing piers fight hard when hooked and are targeted by and great hammerheads by the shape of its and in the surf. With their square-shaped snouts recreational and charter fishermen.
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