Tagged male great white shark detected near North Carolina's Outer Banks
A 1,700-pound male great white shark, tagged by OCEARCH, was detected near the Outer Banks as it moves northward in its summer migration.
A GPS tag on a 14-foot male great white shark, nicknamed "Contender," transmitted a satellite alert on Thursday evening near North Carolina's Outer Banks. The tag, which pings when the shark is out of the water, is part of a non-profit research program that monitors white shark movements in the western North Atlantic.
OCEARCH officials said the nearly 1,700-pound animal is likely heading north along the East Coast as part of the species' typical summer migration. > "White sharks in the western North Atlantic typically migrate north and spend the summer and early fall foraging in the waters of Cape Cod or Atlantic Canada," a spokesperson told The Sun.
The region provides suitable water temperatures and abundant prey such as grey seals and large fish. Researchers note that white sharks also feed on schools of menhaden off Long Island, New York.
Contender was first tagged in January of the previous year off Florida and Georgia and has since traveled more than 7,000 miles, ranging from Florida to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada. The tag is designed to deliver real-time location data for up to five years.
"Every ping from Contender gives us a window into the life of a mature male white shark — how he moves, feeds and contributes to the population's recovery," said Chris Fischer, founder of OCEARCH.
The shark was named after Contender Boats, a partner of the research organization.