Latest news with #OCEARCH
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
TRACKING: 500 lbs. shark ‘pings' close to shoreline
[WATCH: In the video player above, swimming safety tips.] (WJW) — Researchers report that a newly tagged white shark has 'pinged' close to the Canadian shoreline. According to the non-profit OCEARCH, a ping is reported whenever an animal's tag breaks the surface of the water. Couple left baby in car to drink at bar: Police Late Sunday night, 'Jason' pinged inside Georges Bay, Nova Scotia. The more than 500 lbs. shark was tagged just four days prior in Mahone Bay. OCEARCH said efforts to track Jason is part of a larger study on white sharks during their summer/fall residency period in Atlantic Canada. 4-year-old bit by mountain lion in national park 'Atlantic Canada and Newfoundland are important parts of the white shark's range, making them essential areas for managing the western North Atlantic population. Additional tagging efforts—including satellite-linked and acoustic tags—will aid scientists and policymakers in understanding white shark abundance in the region, their distribution and critical habitats, and how their presence has changed over time,' reads the OCEARCH website. OCEARCH encourages 'facts over fear.' The non-profit helps conduct research and provides education and outreach opportunities. You can learn more about OCEARCH and their work, here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Largest Great White Shark on Record Swimming Off Popular Tourist Destination
A popular summer destination has been put on notice after researchers spotted what they believe to be the largest white shark ever tagged in the western North Atlantic Ocean. OCEARCH, a shark-tracking research group, says it has recently detected a great white shark dubbed Contender a mere 50 miles off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The research group says Contender weighs a whopping 1,653 pounds and is 13 feet and nine inches long. The ocean giant was last pinged on Friday east of Massachusetts, between Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank. After tagging the great white shark, OCEARCH will track Contender for the next five years. The hope is for OCEARCH to learn about the species' migration patterns. So far, Contender has had quite a journey. Researchers first tracked the adult male in January and tagged him off the coast of Georgia. Contender then made his way down to Florida before heading up to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, where his presence previously made headlines."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," the group says. "Additionally, we've collected important biological samples, including urogenital material, which are currently being analyzed." As for how the group came up with the name Contender, OCEARCH says it's to pay homage of Contender Boats, "a longtime OCEARCH partner, whose industry-leading sport fishing and pleasure boats enable our research missions." Largest Great White Shark on Record Swimming Off Popular Tourist Destination first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 22, 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mirror
18 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
World's biggest great white shark heads for Martha's Vineyard beach in major tourist warning
OCEARCH, a non-profit research organisation that tracks marine animals, tagged the 30-year-old male great white shark named "Contender" in the waters east of Massachusetts The world's biggest shark is heading straight towards Martha's Vineyard in the US, after being pinged near an affluent tourist destination. The 14ft predator, which weighs a whopping 1,653 pounds, was recently detected on Friday afternoon, around 50 miles off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. OCEARCH, a non-profit research organisation that tracks marine animals, tagged the 30-year-old male named "Contender" in the waters east of Massachusetts, between Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank. It was seen heading towards the wealthy holiday destination of Martha's Bay, home to celebrities and multi-millionaires. Former US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama own a £10million mansion on the island. OCEARCH first tagged the shark in the North Atlantic, 45 miles off the Florida-Georgia coast, off Jacksonville. It took six people, including three fishermen and scientists, to tag and release "Contender", which is then electronically tracked through the Argos satellite system, according to Dr Harley Newton, OCEARCH Chief Scientist & Veterinarian. The predator can be tracked through OCEARCH's Global Shark Tracker app, where anyone can follow the animal as it moves. The animal has been pinged several times, including on January 26 and February 6, which means the tag attached to the fin was spotted above the surface for a brief period of time as it swam. It was last pinged on June 7. Dr Harley Newton, OCEARCH Chief Scientist & Veterinarian, previously told The Mirror there were some tourist hotspots the shark might visit. She said: "This is the exciting question about Contender, as this is the first season we will be able to watch him migrate to a summer/fall foraging area. "Although there are many places in the Northeastern US and Canada where he could go, there are two primary locations where many white sharks spend the summer: Cape Cod, Massachusetts or Nova Scotia, Canada. "Though Contender is an adult male white shark, and the largest we at OCEARCH have ever tagged and sampled in the Northwest Atlantic, but he is certainly not the largest male white shark ever caught. "Contender was 13 feet 9 inches total length and estimated to weigh 1653 lbs. But male white sharks can grow up to 18 feet. "The adult age class animals have been more elusive than smaller, younger, age classes so we were excited to have the opportunity to tag, sample and release him. Based on our Global Shark tracker, he has travelled 1870 miles to date from the place he was first tagged and released. We won't know until he shows us, which is all the more reason to follow him on the tracker."
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE REVEALED: Why there's a mysterious surge of great white sharks haunting America
A rise in shark sightings near US beaches may be alarming to some, but an expert has said Americans need to get used to sharing their summers with these apex predators. Chris Fischer, the founder of OCEARCH, told the Daily Mail populations have bounced back from the brink of extinction over the last 30 years, and it's leading to a major resurgence of all creatures in the ocean. Your browser does not support iframes.
CBS News
a day ago
- Science
- CBS News
Massive great white shark weighing over 1,600 pounds detected about 50 miles off Nantucket
A great white shark weighing 1,653 pounds was recently detected about 50 miles off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Research group OCEARCH says "Contender" is the largest white shark it's ever tagged in the western North Atlantic Ocean. At nearly 14 feet long, OCEARCH calls Contender "a true ocean giant." The latest ping from Contender came on Friday in the waters east of Massachusetts, between Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank. Researchers have been tracking the adult male since January 2025 when they tagged Contender and took biological samples from him off the coast of Georgia. From there, he traveled down to Florida before heading up to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. He had last been pinged off the coast of Cape Hatteras in early June. OCEARCH said at the time he was likely headed to the "cooler and more prey-dense waters" of the northeast and Canada. Shark season has been underway in Massachusetts since May when a great white was seen hunting a seal on a Nantucket beach. On Memorial Day, a 20-foot shark that has invited "Jaws" comparisons was caught on camera swimming around Rhode Island's Block Island. And up in Maine, beachgoers and swimmers are urged to be cautious after two documented sightings of great whites off Bailey Island in Casco Bay. The tag placed on Contender will allow OCEARCH to track him for about five years. Researchers are hoping it will help them learn more about the migration patterns of great whites. Click here to see the latest pings for Contender and the location of other sharks tagged by OCEARCH.
