U.S. shark researchers caught and tagged 2,835 sharks along the East Coast this spring, a record number that they say reflects a growing population thanks to federal protections.
It surpassed the 1,831 sharks captured and tagged in 2012 during the survey, which is conducted every three years by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The numbers have increased in each survey since 2001, and point to steady population gains, NOAA spokeswoman Shelley Dawicki said.