Wounds show 14-foot hammerhead encountered humans before its death, NC experts say
Injuries found on a beached 14-foot hammerhead shark indicate it had been hooked by an angler off southeastern North Carolina, but experts aren’t sure if that caused the apex predator’s death.
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The N.C. Shark Conservancy says beachgoers began calling its Shark Stranding Hotline (252-216-2810) around 3 a.m. Sunday, reporting a large shark had been seen multiple times in the surf.
The female great hammerhead finally grounded around 1:20 p.m. on Sunday, just north of the pier at Carolina Beach, officials say.
“We did dispatch our volunteer team out to the shark to take measurements, photos and biological samples for genetics and educational purposes,” the conservancy told The Charlotte Observer in an email.
“We were not able to determine the cause of death for this animal. However, it had a very deep laceration through the base of the tail hindering its swimming capabilities as well as fresh puncture wounds in its mouth associated with fishing gear.”
A photo shared by the conservancy shows the laceration resembled a slice, and it nearly severed the shark’s tail.
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After sampling was complete, the shark was hauled off the beach and disposed of with the help of heavy equipment supplied by the county, conservancy officials said.
Great hammerhead sharks are the largest of the hammerheads, potentially reaching 20 feet in length, the Shark Research Institute reports. The species is highly migratory in warmer ocean regions, and the population is in “severe decline,” according to NOAA Fisheries.
“Great hammerheads face significant threats from human activity. Their greatest threat is overfishing, as these sharks are both targeted by fishers and caught as bycatch,” Oceana says.
“They are caught by a variety of fisheries, including longlines, gillnets, and sometimes trawls. They are also highly sought after in the global shark fin trade. Due to these pressures, the great hammerhead shark is classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List.”
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Carolina Beach is about a 140-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh.
