TZ: 
Fishery Bulletin 120(1) 
2 individuals were detected only on a single day. Unlike 
that for the summer nursery area used by white sharks 
in the New York Bight, the historical data that support 
any of the nursery area criteria for the habitat used in 
winter is minimal (Casey and Pratt, 1985; Castro, 2011; 
Curtis et al., 2014, 2018). Additional research is needed to 
more fully address whether coastal waters of North and 
South Carolina include overwinter nursery habitat for 
YOY white sharks, although the region appears to contain 
similar habitats and environmental conditions selected 
by YOY and juvenile white sharks in other regions (Weng 
et al., 2007; Bruce et al., 2019; White et al., 2019; Shaw 
et al., 2021). 
There was some overlap, but YOY white sharks occurred 
in geographic areas different from those where larger 
juveniles (>2.5 m TL) and adults occurred during winter 
months (Curtis et al., 2014; Skomal et al., 2017; Curtis 
et al., 2018). Specifically, larger white sharks typically 
move through North and South Carolina as they migrate 
south during fall and winter, and they generally over- 
winter off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Florida (Casey 
and Pratt, 1985; Adams et al., 1994; Castro, 2011; Curtis 
et al., 2014; Skomal et al., 2017). Despite acoustic receiver 
coverage south of the area occupied by the tagged indi- 
viduals (Bangley et al., 2020a), YOY white sharks did not 
appear to migrate as far south as most larger white sharks 
(Skomal et al., 2017), thereby maintaining a level of size- 
based spatial segregation in the population. Although this 
segregation may be the result of smaller body sizes and 
the related physiological constraints to migration for YOY 
white sharks, it could also reflect local resource availabil- 
ity or an evolutionary adaptation that reduces predation 
risk. Larger white sharks, dusky sharks, tiger sharks 
(Galeocerdo cuvier), and bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) 
are the most likely predators of YOY white sharks in this 
region. Numerous shark species seasonally co-occur with 
YOY white sharks, but such large predators appear to be 
uncommon in waters of North and South Carolina during 
the winter (Lea et al., 2015; Skomal et al., 2017; Calich 
et al., 2018; Kohler and Turner, 2019; Bangley et al., 2020b; 
Logan et al., 2020). The reduced predation pressure from 
the segregation of life stages of white sharks provides fur- 
ther support for the notion that this region may serve as a 
nursery through enhanced survival of young white sharks 
(Heupel et al., 2007). 
Fisheries and environmental resource managers can use 
the increased understanding of seasonal distribution from 
this study to improve conservation of YOY white sharks 
and to evaluate the effects of human activities on their 
overwinter habitat. Although the current EFH for YOY 
white sharks does not encompass the overwinter habitat 
areas identified in this study, it was established by using 
observations compiled prior to any significant electronic 
tagging and tracking research on this life stage of this 
species (Federal Register, 2017). Our results may inform 
future reviews and updates to EFH by the NMFS and 
may allow improved mitigation of anthropogenic effects 
on these important habitats by state and federal agencies. 
Already, YOY white sharks appear to benefit incidentally 
from the current Mid-Atlantic Shark Closure Area, which 
minimizes bottom longline fishery bycatch during the 
period YOY white sharks occur in that area. Telemetry 
has revealed that other regional shark species also benefit 
from this time-area closure, providing empirical evidence 
that could be used to improve the timing and location 
of such areas (Calich et al., 2018; Bangley et al., 2020b; 
Logan et al., 2020). In this case, hypothetically shifting the 
closure period to start and end one month earlier (i.e., to 
occur from 1 December through 30 June) would increase 
overlap of the closure with YOY white sharks by an addi- 
tional 6%. Additional research will help further refine 
spatial management and estimate bycatch susceptibility 
of white sharks across seasonal habitats. 
Acknowledgments 
Funding and logistical support for this research was 
provided by OCEARCH, South Fork Natural History 
Museum, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foun- 
dation, Florida Atlantic University Foundation, Andrew 
Sabin Family Foundation, NOAA Hollings Scholarship 
Program, Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management 
Division of the NOAA Office of Sustainable Fisheries, and 
a number of private donors and volunteers. We thank 
members of MATOS for sharing data on detections of 
acoustic tags in the study site, especially the Smithsonian 
Environmental Research Center, North Carolina Aquar- 
ium, North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural 
Resources, North Carolina State University, and South 
Carolina Department of Natural Resources. 
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