Great white shark trackers: OCEARCH expedition to follow sharks' transition north from Florida

Kim Luciani, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·4 min read

Great white sharks spend winters down south, including the warm waters around Florida, and as they head back north this spring scientists will be there to study them.

OCEARCH, a non-profit research group studying the ocean's giants, will launch its 47th ocean expedition, dubbed Expedition Northbound II, aboard the M/V OCEARCH, from Jacksonville, Florida on April 1.

According to the group's expedition page, the study's goal is to learn more about how the animals use their overwintering area and their reproductive readiness as they end their overwintering period and head up north.

"We're excited to be back out on the water next week to embark on Expedition Northbound II to collect data for our Western North Atlantic White Shark Study," the group posted on X Sunday.

Over the past 10 years, OCEARCH has tagged and collected data on nearly 100 North Atlantic white sharks amid its mission to "solve the Global White Shark Puzzle," the group's website notes. This group of sharks has a range spanning Atlantic Canada, the U.S. East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

The sharks are outfitted with satellite tags attached to their dorsal fins, allowing scientists to track their locations as the tags break the water's surface and transmit location information via pings. The sharks' travels can be viewed on the OCEARCH shark tracker map.

The three-week expedition is expected to end April 21 in Charleston, South Carolina.

The M/V OCEARCH research ship sat at anchor in the St. Johns River near the JU Marine Science Research Institute flying the JU flag in 2021. Jacksonville University and the shark research group, OCEARCH announced a partnership that created OCEARCH at Jacksonville University.
The M/V OCEARCH research ship sat at anchor in the St. Johns River near the JU Marine Science Research Institute flying the JU flag in 2021. Jacksonville University and the shark research group, OCEARCH announced a partnership that created OCEARCH at Jacksonville University.

What is OCEARCH?

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 is launching its 47th expedition on April 1. It departs from Jacksonville, Florida and is scheduled to make its final docking in Charleston, South Carolina on April 21.

During expeditions, researchers have 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 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."

What is the OCEARCH shark tracker? One shark 'drew' 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.

Breton, a 1,400 pound OCEARCH-tagged white shark seemingly created a self-portrait with pings of his journey received by the research group's shark tracker.
Breton, a 1,400 pound OCEARCH-tagged white shark seemingly created a self-portrait with pings of his journey received by the research group's shark tracker.

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.

Great white shark facts

Here are some things to know about white sharks, according to NOAA Fisheries:

  • White sharks grow slowly. Males mature at around 26 years old and females at around 33 years old. Life expectancy is difficult to determine but is estimated to be between 30 and 70 years.

  • White sharks are about 4 feet long at birth but can grow up to about 20 feet long and weigh over 4,000 pounds.

  • White sharks eat an opportunistic diet of fish, invertebrates and marine mammals.

  • White sharks are partially warm-blooded and can maintain their internal body temperature above that of the surrounding water. This allows them to be more active in cooler waters than cold-blooded species.

Great white sharks in Florida?

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:

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. 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 shark journey north subject of OCEARCH expedition