Sharks and other marine species depend on specific habitats to reproduce and grow. Identifying these essential areas helps protect them during critical life stages. Every year, NOAA Fisheries surveys coastal shark populations in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico in collaboration with universities and state agencies. These efforts support the identification and management of essential fish habitats for sharks.
This story highlights findings from the 2017 shark nursery surveys conducted under the Cooperative Atlantic States Shark Pupping and Nursery (COASTSPAN) and Gulf of Mexico Shark Pupping and Nursery (GULFSPAN) programs.
Learn more about our Atlantic shark surveys
COASTSPAN: Shark Nurseries in the Atlantic Ocean
The COASTSPAN program, active since 1998, monitors nursery habitats from New Jersey to eastern Florida. Using bottom longlines and gillnets, researchers collect data on shark species, their life stages, and habitat preferences.
Delaware Bay to Virginia's Eastern Shore
Delaware Bay, the lower Chesapeake Bay, and Virginia's Eastern Shore provide important habitat for juvenile sandbar sharks, which dominated the catches in these areas. Researchers also observed the following species in 2017:
- Smooth dogfish
- Spinner sharks
- Atlantic sharpnose sharks
- Sand tiger sharks (Delaware Bay only)
- Blacktip sharks (Lower Chesapeake Bay and Virginia’s Eastern Shore)
Both the Delaware and the lower Chesapeake bays are designated as a habitat area of particular concern for sandbar sharks. Delaware Bay is also a habitat area of particular concern for sand tiger sharks.
NOAA Fisheries conducted the survey in Delaware Bay. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science conducted the surveys in the lower Chesapeake Bay and in the coastal inlets and lagoons along Virginia's Eastern Shore.
South Carolina
South Carolina’s coastal waters, spanning from Winyah Bay to Port Royal Sound, were the most biodiverse of the COASTSPAN survey regions with 13 shark species observed:
Atlantic sharpnose sharks
- Finetooth sharks
- Sandbar sharks
- Blacktip sharks
- Bonnethead sharks
- Scalloped hammerhead sharks
- Blacknose sharks
- Bull sharks
- Spinner sharks
- Lemon sharks
- Tiger sharks
- Nurse sharks
- Great hammerhead sharks
Although most of the sharks caught in South Carolina waters were juveniles, eight of the 13 species were mostly represented by adults. This underscores the significance of South Carolina waters as both a nursery habitat and a seasonal home for several adult coastal species.
Surveys in South Carolina were conducted by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
Georgia
Georgia’s estuaries—where salt and fresh water mix—are an important habitat for coastal sharks. In Georgia’s St. Simons and St. Andrews Sounds, researchers identified seven species in 2017:
- Bonnethead sharks
- Atlantic sharpnose sharks
- Sandbar sharks
- Blacktip sharks
- Scalloped hammerhead sharks
- Finetooth sharks
- Bull sharks
That year, Georgia’s estuarine waters provided nursery habitat for newborn Atlantic sharpnose and blacktip sharks, and a bull shark. The surveys in Georgia and northern Florida were conducted by the University of North Florida.
Eastern Florida
In northern Florida, researchers captured 12 shark species during surveys of Cumberland Sound to the Tolomato River:
- Atlantic sharpnose sharks
- Blacknose sharks
- Sandbar sharks
- Blacktip sharks
- Finetooth sharks
- Scalloped hammerhead sharks
- Bonnethead sharks
- Spinner sharks
- Lemon sharks
- Bull sharks
- Nurse sharks
- Great hammerhead sharks
Juvenile Atlantic sharpnose, sandbar, and blacktip sharks use Cumberland and Nassau Sounds as nursery habitats. Additionally, the consistent use of this area up through 2017 indicates that the Tolomato River functions as a nursery for newborn scalloped hammerhead sharks.
In the inland and ocean waters of the Indian River Lagoon region, Florida Atlantic University researchers documented:
- Bull sharks
- Bonnethead sharks
- Blacknose sharks
- Atlantic sharpnose sharks
- Finetooth sharks
- Blacktip sharks
- Nurse sharks
- Tiger sharks
- Great hammerhead sharks
Bull sharks, all of which were juveniles, were the most commonly caught species in this area and were primarily found over muddy bottoms within the lagoon. This was also the case for juveniles of other species, while adults were more often found in ocean waters over sandy bottoms.
GULFSPAN: Shark Nurseries in the Gulf of Mexico
Formally launched in 2003, GULFSPAN expands research on shark nursery areas across the Gulf of Mexico. Researchers use similar methods as in COASTSPAN to monitor shark populations and habitats.
Mississippi Sound
The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory found six shark species in the Mississippi Sound:
- Blacktip sharks
- Atlantic sharpnose sharks
- Finetooth sharks
- Spinner sharks
- Bull sharks
- Bonnethead sharks
Blacktip, bull, and finetooth sharks were found only as juveniles. Atlantic sharpnose and bonnethead sharks, however, were more often found as adults. The research team also found patterns for where the sharks were found. For example, bull and blacktip sharks were commonly caught in areas with lower water clarity and salinity.
St. Andrew Bay to Apalachicola Bay
In the waters from St. Andrew to Apalachicola Bays in Florida, NOAA Fisheries researchers identified nine shark species:
- Atlantic sharpnose sharks
- Scalloped hammerhead sharks
- Blacktip sharks
- Bonnethead sharks
- Finetooth sharks
- Spinner sharks
- Blacknose sharks
- Bull sharks
- Sandbar sharks
Researchers observed bonnethead and juvenile blacktip sharks across diverse habitats, and scalloped hammerhead juveniles were often found in waters with lower salinities and in turbid conditions. In contrast, juvenile blacknose sharks seemed to prefer areas dominated by seagrass with clearer waters
Big Bend of Florida
The Big Bend region of Florida yielded nine shark species, including:
- Atlantic sharpnose sharks
- Blacknose sharks
- Blacktip sharks
- Florida smoothhounds
- Bonnethead sharks
- Great hammerhead sharks
- Lemon sharks
- Tiger sharks
- Nurse sharks
Juvenile Atlantic sharpnose, blacknose, and blacktip sharks were the most commonly observed species. These sharks were primarily seen as juveniles, indicating that areas with sandy or seagrass seabeds likely serve as nursery habitats for these species.
These surveys were conducted by the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory.
West Central Florida
In West Central Florida, surveys in Terra Ceia and Sarasota Bays revealed three shark species:
- Atlantic sharpnose sharks
- Bonnethead sharks
- Blacktip sharks
Many of the sharks caught in this area were adults or what scientists classify as sub-adult animals. The researchers from New College of Florida determined that these ecosystems likely play an important role throughout the lifespan of several shark species.
