13-foot great white shark defies migration patterns by lingering off South Carolina
Great white sharks prefer cooler water, so there’s something mysterious about a 13-foot, 3-inch great white lingering off steamy South Carolina in August.
The nonprofit OCEARCH knows this, because it tagged the 1,437-pound shark off Nova Scotia in September 2020 and has been watching its every move for 19,796 miles.
Breton, as the shark is known, is currently 60 miles off Myrtle Beach.
“Breton is somewhat of an anomaly. While the rest of our actively pinging white sharks are off the Northeast United States or Atlantic Canada, Breton remains in the warm waters off the Southeast,” OCEARCH reported.
“This is the latest we’ve seen one of our white sharks stay this far south in the Western North Atlantic. Typically we notice our white sharks start their migration north from mid May to June.”
The male shark spent much of June and July off Florida, so at least he’s farther north than he was a month ago, experts say. But questions remain over why he has defied standard migration patterns.
Scientists are now wondering if Breton is content “with the warm water temperatures or if he’s finally started his migratory trip north towards Atlantic Canada.”
“We will be watching Breton’s movements closely over the next few weeks,” OCEARCH reported.
The Aug. 2 Facebook post has gotten more than 2,000 reactions and comments, including some from people who suggested the shark might be sick. Others wondered if Breton’s location 60 miles out meant he was going deeper to enjoy cooler waters.
OCEARCH tracking shows sharks tagged off Canada make annual treks down the East Coast. In some cases, they have shown up in the Gulf of Mexico, near the mouth of the Mississippi River, McClatchy News reported.
Scientists suspect waters off North Carolina’s Outer Banks may be a mating ground for great whites. OCEARCH tracking shows the sharks converge off North Carolina late January through March. The females then go to deeper water, which OCEARCH believes is a way to avoid aggressive males while they gestate.
This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 12:16 PM with the headline "13-foot great white shark defies migration patterns by lingering off South Carolina."