Demographics and Habitat Partitioning of Elasmobranches in
Port Royal Sound

Side profile of a young scalloped hammerhead, Sphyrna lewini

Coastal Carolina University, in partnership with the Spring Island Trust and the Low Country Institute, is initiating a long-term, comprehensive study of the elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) of Port Royal Sound.  Port Royal Sound is one of the largest high-salinity estuaries in the southeastern U.S. and may represent a habitat for elasmobranch fishes that is unique to the region, as well as a laboratory for assessing the health of elasmobranch populations. Researchers will use longline surveys, hook-and-line fishing, and interviews with local fishers to census the elasmobranch population, determine which species utilize the estuary as nursery grounds, and elucidate how sharks and rays select habitat in the Port Royal Sound system.  This study will follow the same methods as previous studies of northeast SC estuaries, and data will be shared with the elasmobranch research community and the National Marine Fisheries Service COASTSPAN program.