Great white shark returns to Florida far from coast
A snowbird of sorts popped up off the southwest Florida coast Monday, likely on its way back up north.
At 2:20 p.m. Monday, a 9-foot great white shark nicknamed Keji and tagged by the nonprofit research group OCEARCH pinged far off the coast, southwest of Marco Island.
The Smart Position and Temperature Transmitting Tag attached to the shark’s dorsal fin emits a ping when it breaks the water’s surface and transmits location information to trackers.
According to its tracker, Keji overwintered around Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico, traveling as far west as Louisiana.
A sampling of Keji’s pings shows the animal arrived in Florida in November, first pinging southeast of St. Augustine on Nov. 30, near the Florida Keys on Dec. 13, off Marco Island’s coast Feb. 4 and Feb. 16, Panama City Beach March 15, near Port Fourchon, Louisiana on April 11 and off St. George Island on April 22. Keji was also tracked to the Florida Panhandle in early 2023 and hung around the state’s coast in the winters of 2021 and 2022.
According to OCEARCH chief scientist Dr. Bob Hueter, North Atlantic white sharks migrate south when the water gets cold and food sources become scarce up north.
Most of them tend to stay away from the beaches in continental shelf waters, Hueter said.
There were 69 documented unprovoked shark attacks around the globe in 2023.
The U.S. led other nations around the world with 36 attacks – and Florida again was the state with the most bites at 16.
While the U.S. has the most attacks, South Africa has the most shark-related fatalities.
Of the 949 global shark attacks recorded by Shark Attack File, great white sharks were credited as the top biters.
However, no white shark has been
Breton, a white shark, seemingly created a self-portrait with pings of his journey received by OCEARCH’s shark tracker.
identified in a Florida shark bite since 1926.
On Sep. 22, 2021, OCEARCH tagged Keji’s fin near Nova Scotia.
Great white sharks can grow up to 20 feet long, but most are smaller, with adult females averaging 15 feet and males 13 feet long.
Keji was named after the Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site in the region where he was tagged, according to OCEARCH.
OCEARCH studies key species, including great white sharks, essential for the health of the oceans.
“At OCEARCH, we’re on a mission to solve the Global White Shark Puzzle. There are nine populations of white sharks across the globe and OCEARCH’s goal is to assist regional scientists to better understand the life of the white shark in each of these populations,” the group’s website says.
Scientists now plan to travel to Spain, France and Ireland aboard the research vessel M/V OCEARCH to study the Mediterranean Sea great white shark population.
Expedition Save the Med is planned for July 29 to Sept. 23.
OCEARCH provides an online map tracking the tagged sharks’ travels.
The most notable tracker page belongs to a 13-foot 3-inch white shark nicknamed Breton.