NANTUCKET, Mass. (WPRI) — A great white shark clocking in at 13 feet, 9inches and a whopping 1,653 pounds was reported off the coast of Nantucket on Friday.
According to OCEARCH, a global nonprofit organization the conducts research on sharks and other marine life, it was the largest great white they have ever tagged in the western North Atlantic Ocean.
OCEARCH said Contender, an adult male, was tagged back in mid-January, about 45 miles off of the Florida/Georgia coast.
The SPOT (Smart Position and Temperature Transmitting) tag will provide real-time tracking data and migration patterns of Contender for about five years.
The organization has also collected important biological samples, including urogenital material, which are currently being analyzed.
Contender is named after Contender Boats, a longtime partner of OCEARCH.