New Technology Provides New Insights into the Lives of Sharks

If you’re a scientist studying the health of the population, it’s one thing to know how many creatures of that species there are. 

It’s even better to know where those creatures are living and what they are eating. 

So it is with sharks off the North Carolina coast. Researchers with the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences have been surveying coastal sharks for almost 50 years..

They’ve been catching and releasing sharks on the same days, in the same locations, using the same methods. The long-term data shows the population is changing and for some species, the numbers are declining. 

Now, new technology is revealing new insights into how and where the coastal sharks are living, and it’s changing how the longest running coastal shark survey in the nation is being conducted. 

Watch this Sci NC story to learn more. 

Sci NC

The longest-running shark survey in the U.S.

The UNC Institute of Marine Sciences manages the nation’s longest running coastal shark survey- going on 45 years. New research into shark tissues will provide new insights into the shark’s life history, movement, diet, and where it fits in the food web.