PAMLICO SOUND, N.C. (WVEC) -- There’s a creature lurking in the waters of the Outer Banks, and its population is quickly multiplying.
The creatures? Bull sharks.
This breed of shark is considered one of the most dangerous to humans, and they're breeding in larger numbers than ever before in the Pamlico Sound.
“It looks like in 2011, 2012, kind of the shark switch got turned on,” said Dr. Charles Bangley, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. “And now they’re a regular presence in the sound.”
Bangley published a report that found warmer waters and lower salinity led bull sharks to breed in the Pamlico Sound.
According to Bangley’s report, from 2003 to 2011, six juvenile bull sharks were captured in the Pamlico Sound. Then from 2011-2016, that number jumped to 53.
“It’s a change in how the sharks use the ecosystem,” said Bangley. “These bull sharks are just one species of a larger trend of marine animals kind of shifting northward with increasing ocean temperatures.”
However, beachgoers do not have to worry, as the juvenile bull sharks are located along the shoreline in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, which is typically further out than where most engage in water sports activities, according to Bangley.
Allen McDowell, Associate Director of the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, said there are steps people can take to protect themselves from sharks.
“Not to go swimming at dusk and dawn because that’s when sharks are most active,” said McDowell. “Not to wear flashy jewelry when they’re out swimming around. If they see large schools of fish, not to try and go and swim in that school of fish because there might be some sharks swimming around that school.”
Bangley added that juvenile bull sharks won’t cause much harm.
“These are small juveniles so they’re not typically aggressive towards people,” said Bangley. “They might bite in self-defense but they’re more likely to swim away if they find themselves in the water with a human.”
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