Sharks are plentiful along Carolina coast, but unlikely to bite people, says UNC shark expert

By Leoneda Inge,

Published July 9, 2024 at 10:20 AM EDT

Joel Fodrie holds a young Atlantic sharpnose shark during a UNC Institute of Marine Sciences shark trip survey off the coast of Morehead City on May 4, 2021. (Megan May/UNC Research)

For many beachgoers, the ocean brings feelings of peace and tranquility. But for some it can be a place of anxiety and even fear, particularly when it comes to sharks.

Are they marine menaces? Have they been unfairly labeled as threats? Is the reality somewhere in between?

UNC Institute of Marine Sciences director Joel Fodrie takes Due South on a deep dive through shark life, habitat, and behavior.

Guest

Joel Fodrie, Thomas Willis Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy; Professor, Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences; Director, Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Tags

Due South Sharks

Leoneda Inge

Leoneda Inge is the co-host of WUNC's "Due South." Leoneda has been a radio journalist for more than 30 years, spending most of her career at WUNC as the Race and Southern Culture reporter. Leoneda’s work includes stories of race, slavery, memory and monuments. She has won "Gracie" awards, an Alfred I. duPont Award and several awards from the Radio, Television, Digital News Association (RTDNA). In 2017, Leoneda was named "Journalist of Distinction" by the National Association of Black Journalists.

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Rachel McCarthy

Rachel McCarthy is a producer for "Due South." She previously worked at WUNC as a producer for "The Story with Dick Gordon." More recently, Rachel was podcast managing editor at Capitol Broadcasting Company where she developed narrative series and edited a daily podcast. She also worked at "The Double Shift" podcast as supervising producer. Rachel learned about audio storytelling at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Prior to working in audio journalism, she was a research assistant at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC.

See stories by Rachel McCarthy