A shark research team from the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences is studying the rebound of the shark population off the North Carolina coast. The team’s findings have shown more sharks are good news for the overall ecosystem. “Long-term data greatly enhances our ability to understand the population and community dynamics of ecologically and economically important species. Dating back to 1972, EMES faculty, staff, and students based at IMS have surveyed coastal shark population near Cape Lookout, NC, using standardized gear. Sampling trips are made bi-weekly, April-November, and each set includes 100 hooks spaced along a 1-km longline. Each set soaks for 1 hr, after which all captured sharks are identified to species, sexed, enumerated, tagged, and released. Standardized catch rates (CPUE) are based on number of sharks caught per set of 100 hooks. In total, the survey has logged nearly 11,000 individuals representing 23 species.”
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