OUTER BANKS, NC. (WAVY) – OCEARCH says they have located a couple of sharks along the North Carolina coast during their 45th ocean research expedition.
According to the non-profit’s Facebook page, they were able to sample, tag, and release sharks that were found around Cape Hatteras, Ocracoke Island, and Morehead.
Recently, OCEARCH tagged and released a white shark during one of its expeditions. It posted on social media a contest to name the shark.
After all the ideas came in, the organization named the shark “Penny” for the Salty Penny Canvas in Morehead City. The Facebook post reads, “The local Penny family has helped our crew with custom marine canvas projects when we need it most out on the MV OCEARCH.”
OCEARCH officials said they’ve already received a ping from Penny on their Shark Tracker website. Click here to see where she is and to follow other sharks that are being tracked.
OCEARCH says many white sharks use the waters around the Outer Banks as an overwintering and spring staging area before they head farther up north. They say a significant number of sharks can be found in this area from April to June.
The team at OCEARCH has been able to successfully tag 88 white sharks throughout the western North Atlantic and has collected data for over 24 science projects.
The expedition is taking place from April 17 to May 4.
