2 great white sharks, including huge 1,600-pound male, ping off Amelia Island, St. Augustine
Two great white sharks pinged off the First Coast in the past week on their way back up north.
The sharks, tagged by the research group OCEARCH, appear to be leaving their overwintering areas around Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
On Saturday, April 13, a massive 1,600-pound male nicknamed Scot was tracked off the St. Augustine coast. The 12-foot animal's satellite tag pinged there at 12:01 p.m.
Scot was previously tracked off Palm Bay on March 29 and around the Florida Keys Feb. 10 and 28.
Penny, a 10-foot white shark, pinged off the coast of Amelia Island near Fernandina Beach on Wednesday, April 17 at 11:16 a.m. Penny has frequently pinged around Florida this winter, her first known trip to the Sunshine State since being tagged by OCEARCH in April 2023. The shark pinged off Fort Myers Beach on March 17, off Marco Island on Jan. 20 and Jan. 6, off Sarasota's coast on Jan. 11 and near Cape Coral on Jan. 15.
Researchers affixed satellite tags to the sharks' dorsal fins that send pings with location information to trackers when they break the water's surface.
Here's what to know about Scot and Penny, the nonprofit group OCEARCH and great white sharks in Florida:
More about OCEARCH great white shark Scot
Scot was tagged by OCEARCH scientists off Nova Scotia near Ironbound Island on September 8, 2021.
At that time, the shark was classified as an adult male, measuring 12 feet, 3 inches and weighing 1,644 pounds.
Scot was the 74th great white shark tagged by OCEARCH in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean.
According to OCEARCH, Scot was named by its SeaWorld partners after the people of Nova Scotia, "who have always been so welcoming and committed to the science and health of our oceans."
What to know about OCEARCH white shark Penny
Penny, a female juvenile great white shark, measured 10 feet, 3 inches and weighed 522 pounds when she was tagged on April 23, 2023, off Ocracoke, North Carolina.
The shark has traveled an astounding 5,630 miles since then – from North Carolina north to Nova Scotia, then south for the winter in the Gulf of Mexico.
Penny was the 92nd white shark tagged by OCEARCH in the Western North Atlantic and named after the group's friends at Salty Penny Canvas in Morehead City, North Carolina.
What does OCEARCH do?
OCEARCH is a nonprofit research organization studying the ocean's giants.
The group studies great white sharks and other keystone species essential for the health of the oceans.
OCEARCH was due to launch its 47th expedition on April 1 but canceled it due to delays in the repair and maintenance of its research vessel M/V OCEARCH, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter.
In order to be best prepared for overseas travel & this next project we must cancel Expedition Northbound II. We've been in the shipyard tirelessly prepping the M/V OCEARCH for this expedition but unfortunately our routine maintenance and repairs have taken longer than expected.
— OCEARCH (@OCEARCH) April 10, 2024
In past expeditions, researchers collected previously unattainable data on the animals' migrations, reproductive cycle, genetic status, diet, abundance, and more.
"If we lose the apex predator (sharks) then we lose all our fish and then there are no fish sandwiches for our grandchildren," OCEARCH founder Chris Fischer told USA TODAY Network's The Courier-Journal. "That's oversimplified, of course, but the idea is important because many shark species are threatened by overfishing and a demand for shark fins in Asia. Their dwindling numbers jeopardize ocean habitats."
OCEARCH shark tracker: One shark 'drew' a shark portrait
OCEARCH provides an online map tracking the tagged shark's travels.
Each animal has a Smart Position and Temperature Transmitting Tag (SPOT) tag attached to its dorsal fin which emits a ping when it breaks the water's surface for a short time and transmits location information to trackers.
The most notable tracker page belongs to a 13-foot 3-inch white shark nicknamed Breton. The 1,437-pound shark's pings from September 2020 to January 2022 connect to show what appears to be the outline of a colossal shark, with the tail in Nova Scotia, the body spanning the East Coast and the head pointing at Florida's east coast.
How many sharks has OCEARCH tagged?
According to its tracker, OCEARCH has tagged 371 sharks, including 123 great white sharks.
123 great white sharks
144 tiger sharks
9 blacktip sharks
29 shortfin mako sharks
25 blue sharks
18 hammerhead sharks
6 silky sharks
6 bull sharks
8 whale sharks
3 great hammerhead sharks
The group has also tagged alligators, dolphins, seals, swordfish and turtles.
Are great white sharks in Florida?
Yes. Great white sharks migrate south when the water gets cold and food sources become scarce up north, according to OCEARCH chief scientist Dr. Bob Hueter.
Think of them as the snowbirds of sharks.
Most of them tend to stay away from the beaches in continental shelf waters, Hueter said.
Most shark attacks happen in Florida
There were 69 documented unprovoked shark attacks around the globe in 2023. The U.S. led the world with 36 attacks and Florida again was the state with the most bites at 16.
Florida shark attacks by county:
Miami-Dade County: 1
Pinellas County: 1
While the U.S. has the most attacks, South Africa has the most shark-related fatalities.
In the past 47 years, there have been 1,230 shark bites worldwide, according to data from floridapanhandle.com, with great white sharks credited as the top biters. However, no white shark has been identified in a Florida shark bite from 1926 to present, according to Shark Attack File.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida great white sharks: 2 ping off First Coast on way up north
