Seasonal Movements and Environmental Preferences of Juvenile Coastal Sharks Overwintering Off of Cape Hatteras

Juvenile coastal sharks are commonly encountered off of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and are often incidentally captured in local fisheries.  To determine patterns of presence and environmental preferences among these species within the region, juvenile coastal sharks were surveyed using short soaks with commercial gillnet gear.  Size, sex, and environmental data were recorded for each shark.  Acoustic transmitters with temperature and depth sensors were surgically deployed on selected individuals.  These sharks were detected by an acoustic array extending 19.3 km into the ocean off of Hatteras, NC, and detections data from arrays outside the Hatteras region were available through the Atlantic Cooperative Telemetry (ACT) network.  Tagged sharks included young-of-year and age-1 Sandbar Sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus), which were detected on the Hatteras array until mid-April before moving north to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.  Depth sensor data showed a possible daily vertical migration pattern for juvenile Sandbar Sharks.  Other documented and tagged species included Dusky (Carcharhinus obscurus), Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias), Smoothhound (Mustelus canis), Atlantic Sharpnose (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae), Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini), and Thresher Sharks (Alopia vulpinus).