Largest shark ever tagged by research group spotted off Florida coast
The Brief
OCEARCH researchers are tracking what might be the largest male white shark ever tagged, with recent signals coming from Florida's east coast.
The shark, named Contender, was tagged off the Florida-Georgia border, measuring nearly 14 feet and weighing 1,653 pounds.
Contender will play a key role in advancing shark research and ocean conservation.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Researchers are tracking what may be the largest male white shark ever tagged by OCEARCH, with recent signals coming from off Florida's east coast near Jacksonville.
Named Contender, this massive white shark was tagged on Jan. 17 in the western North Atlantic, just off the Florida-Georgia border.
At nearly 14 feet long and weighing a staggering 1,653 pounds, Contender is a true ocean giant.
What they're saying
Contender will contribute to researchers' mission of shark research and ocean conservation, according to OCEARCH's website:
"The SPOT tag deployed on Contender will provide valuable real-time data for approximately five years, helping us track his movements and understand his migration patterns. Additionally, we've collected important biological samples, including urogenital material, which are currently being analyzed."
The large shark is named after Contender Boats, to honor the company's long-standing partnership with OCEARCH. Their top-performing sport fishing and pleasure boats are crucial to supporting OCEARCH's ocean exploration and conservation efforts.
Local perspective
There is no need for beachgoers to cancel their vacations to the Sunshine State as the white shark has generally stayed more than 40 miles off the coast.
Dig deeper
According to biologists, sharks often migrate to the waters off of Florida and the Southeast during the fall and winter in search of prey.
During the spring and summer, the marine animals tend to travel further offshore and head northward towards the Northeast U.S. and Canada to feed on seals.
According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the population of white sharks around the world is thought to exceed 3,000 and is presently not considered to be endangered; however, climate change and entanglements have impacted the population.
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OCEARCH said the tag on Contender needs to be exposed to the air for around 90 seconds, to triangulate the shark's location accurately.
The battery is said to last around five years, but its lifespan is entirely dependent on how many times the shark surfaces.
As of late 2024, marine biologists had tagged nearly 400 sharks with most being either great white or tiger sharks.
What you can do
You can track the giant shark on OCEARCH's shark tracker: https://www.ocearch.org/tracker/
The Source
This story was written based information shared by OCEARCH and reporting from FOX Weather.
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