9-foot great white shark begins sailing north, ringing off St. George Island, Florida

A 9-foot great white shark suddenly appeared off the coast of St. George Island on Monday.

The shark’s signals, tagged by the nonprofit research group OCEARCH, show it spent the winter around Florida and the Gulf of Mexico and traveled west to Louisiana.

A ping indicates that a satellite tag attached to a shark’s dorsal fin has surfaced long enough to transmit location information to a tracker.

The male shark, nicknamed Keji by OCEARCH, made the call in the waters off St. George Island at 12:07 p.m., following a call in the waters near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, on April 11.

According to his trackers, Keji arrived in Florida in November, first southeast of St. Augustine on November 30, then near the Florida Keys on December 13, and in Marco Polo on February 4 and February 16. island coast, as well as Panama City Beach on March 15.

North Atlantic white sharks are known to migrate south from waters around New England and Canada during the winter in search of warmer waters and plentiful food sources.

Keji appears to have begun returning north to the waters around Nova Scotia, marking the animal’s third trip since being tagged near Titbon Island in September 2021.

Here’s what to know about Keji, the nonprofit OCEARCH, and Florida’s Great White Sharks:

More about OCEARCH Great White Shark Keji

Keji was tagged by OCEARCH on September 22, 2021, near Titbon Island, Nova Scotia.

Great white sharks can grow up to 20 feet long, but most are smaller, with adult females averaging 15-16 feet and males 11-13 feet.

According to OCEARCH, Keji was named after Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site in the area where he was tagged.

What does OCEARCH do?

OCEARCH is a nonprofit research organization that studies ocean giants.

The team studies great white sharks and other key species critical to ocean health.

OCEARCH was originally scheduled to launch its 47th expedition on April 1, but it was canceled due to repair and maintenance delays on its research vessel M/V OCEARCH. Post on Xformerly Twitter.

During past expeditions, researchers have collected previously unavailable data on animal migrations, reproductive cycles, genetic status, diet, abundance and more.

OCEARCH founder Chris Fischer told USA TODAY Network’s Courier Journal: “If we lose the apex predator[the shark]we lose all the fish and our children and grandchildren won’t have fish sandwiches. ” Of course, this is an oversimplification, but the idea is important because many shark species are threatened by overfishing and demand for shark fins in Asia. Their decline threatens marine habitats. “

OCEARCH Shark Tracker: A shark ‘paints’ a shark portrait

OCEARCH provides an online map that tracks the journey of tagged sharks.

Each animal has a Smart Position and Temperature Transmission (SPOT) tag attached to its dorsal fin, which emits a pulse signal when it briefly emerges from the water and transmits location information to the tracker.

The most eye-catching tracker page belongs to a 13-foot-3-inch white shark nicknamed Breton. Sounds from the 1,437-pound shark were connected between September 2020 and January 2022, showing the outline of a massive shark with its tail in Nova Scotia, its body stretched across the East Coast and its head pointing toward Florida. East coast of the state.

How many sharks has OCEARCH tagged?

According to its tracker, OCEARCH has tagged 371 sharks, including 123 great whites.

The organization also tags alligators, dolphins, seals, swordfish and sea turtles.

Are there great white sharks in Florida?

Yes. OCEARCH chief scientist Dr. Bob Hueter said great white sharks migrate south when water in the north cools and food sources become scarce.

Think of them as snowbirds like sharks.

Most of them tend to be on beaches farther away from shelf waters, Hueter said.

In 2023, there were 69 recorded unprovoked shark attacks worldwide.

Shark Attacks by County in Florida:

The United States has the most shark attacks, while South Africa has the most shark-related deaths.

According to floridapanhandle.com, there have been 1,230 shark bites worldwide over the past 47 years, with great whites thought to be responsible for the largest number of bites. However, according to the Shark Attack Files, no white sharks have been found involved in shark bites in Florida from 1926 to the present.

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This article originally appeared in the Fort Myers News-Press: Great white shark moves north near St. George Island, Florida