Atlantic's largest-recorded adult white shark 'Contender' moves into cool Atlantic waters off Canada
Based on OCEARCH's Live Global Shark Tracker, Contender is one of the furthest-north sharks in the Atlantic currently.
FILE: Top 'Contender': nonprofit OCEARCH tags largest great white shark on record in Atlantic
Contender, a 14-foot, 1,600 pound adult male great white shark was tagged by OCEARCH in January near the Florida/Georgia line. The nonproft works to research ocean life by tracking their locations throughout their lives.
Contender the great white shark is catching attention for his latest move into the northern tip of the Bay of St. Lawrence off Canada into much cooler waters.
This movement has scientists watching him closely and considering how these northern habitats are used by great white sharks.
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Contender is the largest male white shark ever tagged by OCEARCH at over 1,600 pounds and 14-feet long when he was tagged.
Contender, the 14-foot, 1600 pound great white shark on the day he was tagged by OCEARCH in January 2025.
(OCEARCH / FOX Weather)
This adult white shark was tagged in January 2025 between the Florida/Georgia border in the Atlantic.
Since his tagging, OCEARCH has monitored Contender's movements to help understand the behavior and migration pattern of white sharks like him.
They noticed that around the same time last year, Contender was in the Bay of St. Lawrence in Atlantic Canada before moving south for winter.
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"His repeated return tells us something important: this far-north habitat may be more important to white sharks than we once realized. And that’s the power of satellite tracking," OCEARCH Senior Data Scientist John Tyminski said. "One shark’s journey can reveal an entire network of habitats that we might otherwise never know was being used."
OCEARCH believes Contender could head into the Strait of Belle Isle if he continues on his current trajectory.
Tyminski said the Strait of Belle Isle is "an ecological gateway," which creates a nutrient-rich environment for sharks like Contender.
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Waters in this area are much colder than normal, but great white sharks are able to adapt to the sharp temperature difference, OCEARCH said.
Contender the great white shark being tagged in the Atlantic Ocean.
(OCEARCH / FOX Weather)
Based on OCEARCH's Live Global Shark Tracker, Contender is one of the furthest-north sharks in the Atlantic currently.
OCEARCH is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to researching and protecting sharks, whales, sea turtles and other ocean life, tagging these animals to track and study their migration habits and behaviors from afar.
To keep up with Contender and his movements, as well as monitor hundreds of other sharks and ocean animals, check out OCEARCH's free global shark tracker app.