OCEARCH, a non-profit devoted to restoring "balance and abundance" to the world's oceans, was founded in 2007 by a team of scientists with a common interest in the research and protection of the ocean's toughest predators.
Since its establishment, the organization has skillfully marked and monitored approximately 400 great white sharks and certain other marine creatures throughout 43 hazardous missions, collecting data vital to the species' survival and the overall health of aquatic ecosystems.
These same 400 white sharks recorded in their system range in size from juveniles to giants of the ocean like Nukumi. The 50-year-old grandparent great white, affectionately known as "Queen of the Ocean," is an incredible 17 feet in length as well as weighs more than 3,500 pounds.
Swimming South for Winter Season
On the other hand, a great white shark dubbed "Ironbound" has been seen approximately 40 miles off the coast of Maryland. A tracker attached to an adult white shark extending well over 12 feet long and weighing merely under 1,200 pounds "pinged" at 5 p.m. on Nov. 24. In October 2019, OCEARCH scientists tagged the shark with a monitoring device in the seas off West Ironbound Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. OCEARCH scientists have been keeping an eye on his every action since then.
Great white sharks, like thousands of other species, migrate during the winter. Despite being tough creatures, great white sharks survive in water temperatures ranging from 54 to 75 degrees. In the winter, the ocean temperatures around Nova Scotia drop to 38 degrees Fahrenheit, much too cold for the apex predators' liking.
Sharks migrate to warmer seas near the Carolinas, Georgia, as well as Florida during the chilly winter months to avoid harsh circumstances. Most, but not all, species of highly migratory sharks in the Northern Hemisphere migrate southward in the winter to follow their prey, as mentioned by Gavin Naylor, head of the Florida Program for Shark Research, in a statement from Newsweek.
The OCEARCH team has tracked Ironbound, the first scientist-tagged great white shark now weighing about 1,200 pounds.
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Tracking the Trace of Ironbound
OCEARCH is about to depart on its 44th mission. During their two-week voyage, the crew will trace the migration of great white sharks across Canada toward the southeast United States. Based on their most recent tracking data, the white sharks that are following are currently distributed up and down the eastern coastline of North America, with some gathering off the shore of the Carolinas.
Some of our sharks, like Cabot and Ulysses, are wrapping up their summer/fall hunting off the coast of Atlantic Canada, while others, such as Hali and Andromache, have begun their winter residence off the coast of Florida, according to an OCEARCH Post on Facebook on November 14.
Ironbound has gone more than 16,200 miles after being marked with a monitoring device in 2019, which is about two-thirds of the circle of the Earth. He has meandered up and down nearly the whole Eastern Seaboard of North America, from the seas of Nova Scotia towards the Florida Keys.
Ironbound has been traveling south ever since the end of October, and he looks to be on his route to the southeast United States. OCEARCH tracking tags emit a "ping" each time the shark's dorsal fin breaches the water's surface. When this occurs, the gadget produces a signal, allowing OCEARCH researchers to locate it.
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