Great white shark caught on video by FWC off Florida coast in 'rare but thrilling' sighting
A 7-1/2 foot great white shark was caught on video by Florida Fish and Wildlife biologists off the Florida coast.
It was a "rare but thrilling sighting" for FWC scientists, the video's narrator says.
The juvenile white shark, estimated to be 13 years old, was filmed about 50 miles offshore of Tarpon Springs as FWC Fisheries-Independent Monitoring biologists conducted video surveys for the Gulf Fishery Independent Survey of Habitat and Ecosystem Resources. The group was using stereo-baited remote underwater video to record a 360-degree view of reef fish and nearby habitat, FWC wrote in a Facebook post.
Biologists identify, count and measure fish from over 1,000 videos collected each summer from natural and artificial reef habitats.
It's not uncommon for great white sharks to be in Florida waters.
North Atlantic great white sharks are known to leave their summer feeding grounds off Atlantic Canada and New England to head as far south as Florida and the Gulf, for warmer waters and more abundant food sources.
Here's what to know about great white sharks in Florida:
Yes. North Atlantic great white sharks are known to leave their summer feeding grounds off Atlantic Canada and New England to head as far south as Florida and the Gulf, for warmer waters and more abundant food sources.
Experts from OCEARCH, a shark advocacy group, said during the warmer months, these apex predators take advantage of the abundant seal populations and rich prey resources found in these areas. As temperatures drop and food sources dwindle, great white sharks are triggered by a combination of decreasing water temperatures and changes in daylight hours, prompting their southward migration.
'Thought I saw a submarine': Destin charter boat has a close encounter with a great white
Great white sharks are found in every ocean, though they stay away from the colder waters of Antarctica and the Arctic.
They can be found around Florida's coast, from the state's east coast to the Gulf.
There's no absolute data on the global population of white sharks and estimates vary widely – from 3,000 to over 10,000.
According to NOAA Fisheries:
The stock status for white shark populations in U.S. waters is unknown and no stock assessments have been completed. No stock assessments are currently planned in the Atlantic.
Research by NOAA Fisheries scientists indicates that abundance trends have been increasing in the northwest Atlantic since regulations protecting them were first implemented in the 1990s.
According to a NOAA Fisheries status review and recent research, the northeastern Pacific white shark population appears to be increasing and is not at risk of becoming endangered in U.S. waters.
According to NOAA Fisheries, white sharks have a diverse and opportunistic diet of fish, invertebrates, and marine mammals.
Juvenile white sharks mainly eat bottom fish, smaller sharks and rays, schooling fish and squids.
Larger white sharks often gather around seal and sea lion colonies to feed and also occasionally scavenge dead whales.
Weight: Up to 4,500 pounds
Length: About 4 feet (at birth) and up to 21 feet (adult)
Lifespan: 70 years or more
Threats: Bycatch, Habitat Impacts, Overfishing. According to NOAA Fisheries, the white shark is a prohibited species (no retention allowed) in all U.S. waters and fisheries. There are no commercial fisheries for white sharks, but they are occasionally caught as bycatch.
Region: Alaska, New England/Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Islands, Southeast, West Coast
Teeth: Great white sharks have 300 teeth but don't chew their food. Instead, they rip it into pieces and swallow it whole. The sharks have an endless supply of teeth, with lost teeth regenerating infinitely.
Smell: According to OCEARCH, great white sharks can sniff out a single drop of blood in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
Sight: Great white sharks can see well in low light, enabling them to hunt at dawn, dusk, or in deep waters, OCEARCH reported.
Additionally, white sharks can detect weak electrical signals emitted by living creatures, even under sand. They also identify vibration changes in the water, allowing them to find prey by sensing movement.
Florida is once again tops in the world for the number of unprovoked shark bites, even as the overall number of attacks declined in 2024.
An annual report by the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) shows 47 confirmed unprovoked shark bites globally, significantly lower than the average 64 annually over the previous five years.
The U.S. had the most bites at 28 compared to 36 bites in 2023, for 60% of the world's cases.
The Sunshine State racked up 14 confirmed bites, versus 19 in 2023, along its coastline, none of which were fatal. That's 30% of worldwide attacks.
Volusia County had the most shark bites with eight, more than half of the state total, and in line with the county's five-year annual average of nine.
Volusia County: 8
Ohio man playing football in knee-deep water bitten by shark in New Smyrna Beach
Shark bite is the second reported on New Smyrna Beach in 2 days; Sarasota man injured
Shark bites 14-year-old in Volusia County
'Gnarly' Charley's surfing streak ends for now in New Smyrna Beach thanks to shark bite
Shark bites Missouri teen in Daytona Beach Shores
Walton County: 2
Woman, 2 teenagers attacked by shark in the Florida Panhandle
Martin County: 1
Florida man bitten twice by sharks at Bathtub Beach 11 years apart
Brevard County: 1
Teen recovering from shark bite he got while surfing off South Brevard
St. Johns County: 1
Man critically injured after shark attack near Fernandina Beach, sheriff says
Indian River County: 1
Support local journalism by subscribing to a Florida news organization.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Great white shark caught on video by FWC off Florida Gulf coast
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