Blog - Sharks of Onslow County

Estuarine marsh edge in Onslow County, North Carolina, showing open water, emergent marsh grasses, and the transition from subtidal habitat to higher marsh zones.

The Hidden City in the Grass

Angelique Mitchell, MPS January 10, 2026 No Comments

How seagrasses and marsh grasses—and the animals within them—build the marshes of Onslow County In Onslow County’s estuarine marshes, the best time to understand how the landscape works is when…

Winter salt marsh along the North Carolina coast showing exposed creek-bank sediments where microscopic foraminifera preserve environmental history

Foraminifera: The Marsh’s Memory Keepers

Angelique Mitchell, MPS January 3, 2026 1 Comment

What microscopic shells along Topsail and Surf City tell us about ancient seas, living marshes, and the future coastline On a winter walk along the marsh edge in Topsail or…

Winter sea ducks - threshold species- on gray coastal waters beneath breaking waves.

Threshold Species at the Year’s Turn

Angelique Mitchell, MPS December 27, 2025 No Comments

Winter birds and hidden skates in a changing coastal system Late December along the coast does not announce itself loudly. The holidays have passed, the shoreline empties, and the light—almost…

North Carolina marine folklore marine legends

5 Marine Myths Under the Mistletoe: Folklore and Real Creatures in North Carolina’s Waters

Angelique Mitchell, MPS December 19, 2025 No Comments

Winter Stories Along the Water’s Edge Winter settles softly over Onslow County. The marshes turn the color of worn rope, the New River flows like cold steel between its banks,…

Reader Request: Cookiecutter Sharks and the Evidence They Leave Behind

Angelique Mitchell, MPS December 15, 2025 No Comments

This post comes from a reader’s question sent in as our season has shifted toward winter: Can you tell me more about cookiecutter sharks—their life history, diet, and range—and do…

The 12 Days of Estuary Christmas | New River Estuary

Angelique Mitchell, MPS December 13, 2025 No Comments

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…

Shark Sleigh Bells: How Sharks Track Vibrations in the Winter Sea

Angelique Mitchell, MPS December 7, 2025 No Comments

Winter’s Quiet Chorus December hushes the coastline of Onslow County. The marshgrass stiffens in the cold, the surf stills between storms, and the New River Inlet carries the metallic stillness…

Twilight over a coastal marsh with a magenta sky above New River Inlet — symbolizing the quiet season after summer’s migrations.

The Leftovers: What Happens to Summer’s Prey When the Big Fish Leave?

Angelique Mitchell, MPS November 29, 2025 No Comments

The Quiet Season Begins When the red drum, flounder, and summer sharks follow the cooling tides offshore, Onslow County’s estuaries fall quiet. The flashy chases fade, and the splashes that…

Thanksgiving Tides: New River Inlet Fish Migration in Fall

Angelique Mitchell, MPS November 21, 2025 No Comments

A Different Kind of Thanksgiving Journey Each November, when highways fill with travelers heading home for Thanksgiving, the waters of Onslow County’s New River Estuary host a quieter kind of…

Hero image of the New River marsh at sunset with soft pink and purple sky, silhouettes of grasses and treeline, and title text ‘Gratitude for Marsh Predators: Egrets, Herons & Fish-Hunting Birds Shape the New River.’

Gratitude for Marsh Predators: How Egrets, Herons, and Fish-Hunting Birds Shape the New River

Angelique Mitchell, MPS November 21, 2025 No Comments

A Thanksgiving for the Watchers at the Water’s Edge By late November, the New River of Onslow County—the slow, tidal estuary rising in Jacksonville and emptying into the Atlantic at…