North Carolina Shark Research

Studying Atlantic Shark Populations

This work includes the UNC longline survey, the longest-running shark survey in the country. Ultimately, I am interested in identifying how changes in ocean conditions alter the seasonal window of Atlantic sharks.

Dr. Chelsea Black collecting a depredation sample
Co-PI and Captain Anthony Procida during fishing expedition
Depredation event
Captain Jack Graham swabbing the first sample of the study, a half-eaten tuna out of Oregon Inlet

Understanding Shark Depredation

I was awarded a North Carolina Sea Grant alongside my postdoctoral advisor, Dr. Joel Fodrie. Together, we are working with Captain Anthony Procida to investigate shark depredation events across North Carolina, which has never before been studied. In collaboration with local fisherman across the state, I created DNA swab kits for fishermen to carry on the boat and collect depredation samples so we can understand the seasonality, target prey, and sharks involved in depredation in North Carolina.

Microbial Communities to Understand Shark Health

In collaboration with Dr. Alecia Septer at UNC Chapel Hill, we are investigating the microbial communities found within the Ampullae of Lorenzini (AoL) of sharks and rays. The AoL pores are filled with a conducive jelly that just might give us insight into why sharks are such incredible healers compared to other marine species. This work is also being expanded to include sampling from captive animals so that we can understand how the environment affects these microbial communities.