Dec 9, 2025
About a year and a half ago, a resident of North Carolina reached out to Minorities in Shark Science (MISS). This individual was running an Instagram page where locals can send in their local shark sightings along the coast. The page had been around for a while, but something had changed; people were seeing a lot more sharks, more than ever before.
The community had questions - but no experts nearby to answer them. Looking for guidance, they contacted MISS.
Shark biologist Jasmin Graham took the call. Initially, she was also puzzled. When she shared the situation with one of her colleagues who had completed their marine based PhD research in NC, she gained some vital insight.
North Carolina might have actually become a bull shark nursery.
If true, pregnant bull sharks weren’t just passing through; they were intentionally coming there to give birth. This would explain why sightings had suddenly spiked.
To get real answers, MISS teamed up with the local community to raise funds to tag and monitor these sharks, especially the pregnant ones. The goal was simple: figure out why they had chosen this area to migrate to to give birth.
A Warming River, and a Reason to Move North
One of the strongest clues came from a nearby spring-fed river.
As water temperatures increased, sharks that usually gave birth farther south were now moving north in search of cooler waters. Spring-fed rivers can be a great refuge as waters warm since the springs stabilize the river temperature. Sharks need safe, clean waters that are the appropriate temperature and salinity to give birth - so this is what they seek out.
A place where newborn sharks could survive.
For long-lived animals like sharks, these behaviour shifts are major signs of how climate change is reshaping the coast and its inhabitants.
Seeing Sharks Through a Different Lens
Public narrative and popular media can often paint sharks as harmful, villainous creatures, constantly on the attack and putting humans at risk. But, as Jasmin reminds us, this is not the case at all.
Luckily, the dominant attitude within this community in NC towards sharks was favourable, reinforced by the growing Instagram account. Instead of viewing the increasing shark population as an “infestation” or a worrisome burden, it was viewed as a positive. It meant that the NC waters were healthy enough for sharks to feel safe there. The community had done such a great job of keeping their environment clean and healthy, and combined with the warming water, this attracted the sharks.
Knowledge Sharing, Community Building
Of course, more sharks in the area meant changes for people who worked on the water, especially fishers and divers.
Many local fishers had no generational knowledge of how to handle shark nurseries. Their parents and grandparents never dealt with bull sharks in these numbers, so they didn’t have advice to pass down. Bridges between different and wider communities were built, facilitating the exchange of historical fishing knowledge in areas with high shark populations. New norms and practices became established in a culture of guiding each other and self policing.
Even though North Carolina hasn’t introduced many shark-related regulations, the community didn’t wait for official rules.
People started self-regulating; reminding each other not to use certain hooks, encouraging quick releases, teaching newcomers not to keep sharks out of the water too long and sharing tips for safe interactions. These weren’t formal laws. They were community-agreed norms based on shared experience and emerging science.People were learning together and teaching each other as they went.
Fishermen were equipped to deal with waters that had less fish and more sharks. Consumers and community markets learned to adapt to changing conditions and trade.
Divers also needed guidance on how to move safely around sharks in places where they hadn’t traditionally encountered them. Again, sharing historical knowledge, learning from each other, and having patience allowed a new culture to flourish.
As interest grew, a group of scientists started a nonprofit focused on studying North Carolina’s sharks. They partnered with MISS and local residents, building a network that included fishers, divers, and everyday community members.
Their focus became understanding how climate change is altering shark habitats, preparing communities for the new reality, promoting safe, sustainable interactions and supporting shark populations while also supporting local livelihoods.
The increase in shark sightings didn’t create panic—it sparked curiosity.
People learned why the sharks were there, how to adapt, and how to protect both themselves and the animals. What could have become a fear-driven story became a collaborative one.
The sharks showed up unexpectedly, but the community chose how to respond.They chose to learn, to prepare, and to welcome the chance to understand their changing environment; not as something happening to them, but something happening with them.
This story was shared with permission. The storyteller maintained editorial review rights over their narrative.
