Largest Tagged Male Great White Shark 'Contender' Resurfaces Off New Jersey Coast
Contender, a 14-foot, 1,653-pound great white shark tagged by OCEARCH, has been tracked off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey, after a 4,300-mile journey since January.
Contender, the largest male great white shark ever tagged by research group OCEARCH, has been detected off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 14-foot, 1,653-pound shark was first tagged in January near the Florida-Georgia border and has since traveled over 4,300 miles.
After spending the summer months in cooler northern waters near Newfoundland, Canada, Contender began his southward migration in late October. His tracking device pinged multiple times around Nova Scotia before reaching New Jersey waters on November 12.
OCEARCH's tracking data indicates that other tagged sharks, including a female white shark named Ernst, are also migrating south. Ernst, measuring 12 feet and weighing approximately 1,000 pounds, was tagged in Nova Scotia in October and has recently been detected near the Florida Keys.
Great white sharks in the Atlantic typically migrate north during the summer to cooler, prey-rich waters and return south as temperatures drop. OCEARCH continues to monitor these movements to gain insights into shark behavior and migration patterns.