Sharks of Onslow County
In the season of chilly tides and twinkling pier lights, the New River estuary doesn’t quiet down — it parties in its own salty way. So grab your cocoa, bundle up, and join us for a winter countdown of festive fins, feathers, and the ecological magic beneath the misty surface.
(Sing along if you dare — apologies in advance.)
Bottlenose dolphins along the mid-Atlantic coast shift into cooperative foraging teams in the cooler months — synchronized movements that feel almost choreographed (Torres & Read, 2009). Their leaping, circling, and flipper-flicking tactics help herd fish just like dancers driving the story across a winter stage.
Cue underwater Nutcracker ballet.
Atlantic striped bass move into estuarine channels when the water cools, fueling popular winter fisheries (Boyd, 2011).
Cold water? Hot bite.
Blue crabs overwinter right here — burrowed into sediment, metabolism slowed, waiting for spring, or when water temperatures rise above 9℃ (Glandon, Kilborn & Miller, 2019).
The ultimate cozy blanket fort.
Oysters continue filtering water through the winter, though more slowly — still improving water quality and boosting biodiversity (Grabowski & Peterson, 2007).
Nature’s tiny elves never clock out.
Atlantic croaker remain common in NC coastal waters during cooler months, shifting to deeper estuarine areas (Miller et al., 2003).
Rumble, rumble — underwater holiday percussion.
Speckled seatrout stay active in winter, especially in deeper holes and marsh channels where prey concentrates and water temperatures remain above 7℃ (Ellis, Buckle & Hightower, 2017).
Even cold-blooded fish love a good holiday snack.
Juvenile coastal sharks like sandbars and sharpnose depart estuaries in late fall, migrating offshore and southward (Bangley et al., 2018).
“See you after the thaw!”
Oyster reefs provide the essential winter housing market — structured refuge for juvenile fish, crustaceans, and invertebrates (Coen et al., 2007).
Deck the reefs with beds and breakfasts..
These small sea ducks, buffleheads, arrive from the Arctic and forage in our coastal waters all winter long (Gauthier, 2014).
Feathered travelers escaping the Arctic freeze.
Diamondback terrapins overwinter in marsh sediments, lowering heart rate and waiting out the cold (Harden, Midway & Willard, 2015).
A brumation vacation.
Atlantic menhaden form huge winter schools offshore and near inlet mouths, fueling predator energy budgets (Orth, 2023).
The estuary’s holiday punch bowl.
Red drum remain year-round, feeding in creeks and marsh edges even in winter low-temp slow-motion (Bacheler et al., 2009).
Our coastal Christmas (and state) mascot.
Even as we wrap gifts and check lists twice, life beneath the cold surface hustles on — feeding, moving, filtering, and keeping the New River ecosystem healthy through the darkest season.
So here’s to the citizens of our winter waters —
May your tides be merry and bright!
Bacheler, N., Paramore, L., Buckel, J., & Hightower, J. (2009). Abiotic and biotic factors influence the habitat use of an estuarine fish. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 377, 263-277. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07805
Bangley, C. W., Paramore, L., Dedman, S., & Rulifson, R. A. (2018). Delineation and mapping of coastal shark habitat within a shallow lagoonal Estuary. PLOS ONE, 13(4), e0195221. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0195221
Boyd, J. B. (2011). Maturation, fecundity, and spawning frequency of the Albemarle/Roanoke striped bass stock (2011. 1510474) [Doctoral dissertation]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
Coen, L., Brumbaugh, R., Bushek, D., Grizzle, R., Luckenbach, M., Posey, M., Powers, S., & Tolley, S. (2007). Ecosystem services related to oyster restoration. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 341, 303-307. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps341303
Ellis, T., Buckel, J., & Hightower, J. (2017). Winter severity influences spotted seatrout mortality in a southeast US estuarine system. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 564, 145-161. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11985
Gauthier, G. (2014, July 14). Bufflehead – Bucephala albeola. Birds of the World – Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved November 29, 2025, from https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/historic/bna/buffle/2.0/introduction
Glandon, H. L., Kilbourne, K. H., & Miller, T. J. (2019). Winter is (not) coming: Warming temperatures will affect the overwinter behavior and survival of blue crab. PLOS ONE, 14(7), e0219555. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219555
Grabowski, J. H., & Peterson, C. H. (2007). Restoring oyster reefs to recover ecosystem services. Theoretical Ecology Series, 281-298. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1875-306x(07)80017-7
Harden, L. A., Midway, S. R., & Williard, A. S. (2015). The blood biochemistry of overwintering diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 466, 34-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2015.01.017
Mead, J. G., & Potter, C. W. (1995). Recognizing two populations off the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) of the Atlantic coast of North America-Morphologic and Ecologic Considerations. https://repository.si.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/9c563919-2b27-4ac4-bba1-92e7d090fd72/content
Orth, D. J. (2023). Fish, fishing and conservation. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation.Torres, L. G., & Read, A. J. (2009). Where to catch a fish? The influence of foraging tactics on the ecology of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Florida Bay, Florida. Marine Mammal Science, 25(4), 797-815. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2009.00297.x
