Tagged great white shark Breton spotted off Florida, puzzling researchers
A 1,400-pound great white shark tagged by OCEARCH in 2020 has been recorded near eastern Florida, prompting scientists to investigate the unusual summer movement.
A mature great white shark known as Breton, weighing over 1,400 pounds when tagged off Nova Scotia in September 2020, has been detected off the eastern coast of Florida during the summer months, a region and time when most white sharks are moving northward toward cooler waters. The OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker shows the shark’s recent pings in warmer surface waters of about 87 °F, though researchers note that white sharks can dive hundreds of meters to reach cooler depths.
"Warm surface water doesn't necessarily mean unsuitable habitat," said OCEARCH senior data scientist John Tyminski. "Breton likely has access to much cooler water at depth." Tyminski added that the shark may be following schools of pelagic fish that congregate off Florida, highlighting the complexity of white-shark migration patterns that are still being studied. OCEARCH, a nonprofit that tags and monitors marine animals, provides real-time tracking of Breton and more than 400 other species through its public app.