Synopsis
Shark nurseries, or nursery areas, are geographically discrete parts of a species range where the gravid females of most species of coastal sharks deliver their young or deposit their eggs, and where their young spend their first weeks, months, or years. These areas are usually located in shallow, energy rich coastal areas where the young find abundant food and have little predation by larger sharks. Nurseries are characterized by the presence of both gravid females and free swimming neonates. Neonates are young bearing fresh, unhealed umbilical scars in the case of placental species, or those at or near the birth size in aplacental species. Bulls Bay, South Carolina, is a nursery for the blacknose, spinner, finetooth, blacktip, sandbar, dusky, Atlantic sharpnose, scalloped hammerhead, and smooth dogfish sharks. The lemon shark has its nursery in shallow waters of south Florida and the Bahamas. The bull shark has its nursery in the lagoons of the east coast of central Florida.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References cited
Bass, A.J., J.D. D"Aubrey & N. Kistnasamy. 1973. Sharks of the east coast of southern Africa. I. The genus Carcharhinus (Carcharhinidae). Invest. Rep. Oceanog. Res. Inst. Durban 33. 168 pp.
Bas, A.J., J.D. D"Aubrey & N. Kistnasamy. 1975. Sharks of the east coast of southern Africa. III. The families Carcharhinidae (excluding Mustelus and Carcharhinus) and Sphyrnidae. Invest. Oceanog. Res. Inst. Durban 38. 100 pp.
Bigelow, H.B. & W.C. Schroeder. 1948. Sharks. pp. 59–546. In: Fishes of the Western North Atlantic, Pt. 1, Iancelets, cyclostomes and sharks. Mem. Sears Fdn. Mar. Res., New Haven.
Castro, J.I. 1983. The sharks of North American waters. Texas A. & M. University Press, College Station. 180 pp.
Castro, J.I. 1987. The position of sharks in marine biological communities. pp. 11–17. In: S. Cook (ed.) Sharks, An Inquiry Into Biology, Behavior, Fisheries, and Use, Oregon State University Extension Service, Corvallis.
Castro, J.I. 1988. Investigations in the reproductive biology of sharks. Ph.D. Dissertation, Clemson University, Clemson. 115 pp.
Castro, J.I. 1993. The biology of the finetooth shark, Carcharhinus isodon. Env. Biol. Fish. 36: 219–232.
Clark, E. & K. von Schmidt. 1965. Sharks of the central gulf coast of Florida. Bull. Mar. Sci. 15: 13–83.
Clarke, T.A. 1971. The ecology of the scalloped hammerhead, Sphyrna lewini, in Hawaii. Pac. Sci. 25: 133–144.
Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2, Carcharhinifonnes. FAO Fish Synop.125, Vol. 4, Pt. 2: 251–655.
Dodrill, J.W. 1977. A hook and line survey of the sharks of Melbourne Beach, Brevard County, Florida. Masters Thesis, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne.
Gruber, S.H. 1988. Sharks of the shallows. Nat. Hist. 97: 50–59.
Hoese, H.D. 1962. Sharks and rays of Virginia"s seaside bays. Chesapeake Sci. 3: 166–172.
Meek, A. 1916. The migrations of fish. Edward Arnold, London. 427 pp.
Nichols, J.T. & C.M. Breder. 1927. The marine fishes of New York and southern New England. Zoologica 9: 1–192.
Sadowsky, V. 1967. Selachier aus dem Litoral von Sao Paulo, Brasilien. Beit. Neotro. Fauna 5 (2): 71–88.
Schwartz, F. 1984. Occurrence, abundance, and biology of the blacknose shark, Carcharhinus acronotus in North Carolina. Northeast Gulf Sci. 7 (1): 29–47.
Schwartz, F. & G.H. Burgess. 1975. Sharks of North Carolina and adjacent waters. Information Series, North Carolina Dept. Nat. Econ. Res. 57 pp.
SnelsonJr., F.W., T.J. Mulligan & S.E. Williams. 1984. Food habits, occurrence, and population structure of the bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, in Florida coastal lagoons. Bull. Mar. Sci. 34: 71–80.
Springer, S. 1950. Natural history notes on the lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris. Texas J. Sci. 3: 349–359.
Springer, S. 1960. Natural history of the sandbar shark, Eulamia milberti. U.S. Fish. Bull. 61: 1–38.
Springer, S. 1967. Social Organization of shark population. pp. 149–174. In: P.W. Gilbert, R.F. Matheson & D.P. Rall (ed.) Sharks, Skates, and Rays, John Hopkins Press, Baltimore.
Tiner, Jr., R.W. 1977. An inventory of South Carolina"s coastal marshes. Tech. Rept. No. 23. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Dept., Charleston. 33 pp.
Thorne, E. 1928. Great South Bay as a shark nursery. New York Zool. Soc. Bull. 21: 114–115.
Thorson, T.B. 1976. The status of the Lake Nicaragua shark: an updated appraisal. pp. 561–574. In: T.B. Thorson (ed.) Investigations of the Ichthyofauna of Nicaraguan Lakes, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Van der Elst. 1979. A proliferation of small sharks in the shorebased Natal sports fishery. Env. Biol. Fish. 4: 349–362.
Wright, VD. 1981. Some observations on the biology of the sharks of the Florida Keys and adjacent waters. Masters Thesis, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton. 477 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Castro, J.I. The shark nursery of Bulls Bay, South Carolina, with a review of the shark nurseries of the southeastern coast of the United States. Environ Biol Fish 38, 37–48 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00842902
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00842902