Lead
The largest male great white shark ever tagged in the Atlantic, nicknamed Contender, has reappeared off southern New Jersey after a northerly summer that took him to Canadian waters. OCEARCH researchers first tagged the nearly 14-foot, 1,650-pound shark in January near the Florida–Georgia border; their public tracker shows he has covered more than 4,300 miles since then. Contender reached waters near Newfoundland in late September and pinged around Nova Scotia before moving south; on Nov. 12 his tag showed him near New Jersey, with a last ping off Atlantic City the following night. The tracking group says the data help map white shark migration and behavior across seasons and regions.
Key Takeaways
- Contender is a male great white about 14 feet long and 1,650 pounds, tagged by OCEARCH in January near the Florida–Georgia border.
- OCEARCH’s tracker records show Contender has traveled more than 4,300 miles, reaching Newfoundland in late September and New Jersey waters by Nov. 12, 2025.
- Another OCEARCH-tagged shark, Ernst (female, ~12 ft, ~1,000 lb), was tracked traveling south to the Florida Keys after being tagged in Nova Scotia in October.
- OCEARCH tags typically transmit data for roughly five years, providing multi-season movement histories for individual sharks.
- Great white sightings increased in parts of Maine and Canadian waters this year, prompting some beach closures, though human-shark interactions remain rare.
- OCEARCH reports multiple shark species—including tiger sharks and hammerheads—moving along the Atlantic seaboard during seasonal shifts.
Background
OCEARCH, a research and data-collection organization, has been tagging large pelagic predators to study migration, health and population patterns. The group fitted Contender with a satellite-linked tag in January 2025, part of ongoing Atlantic expeditions that include tagging, biological sampling and public trackers. Historically, Atlantic great whites concentrate in cooler, prey-rich northern waters during summer and migrate south as fall and winter bring lower temperatures; researchers use tagging to document those seasonal shifts.
Tagging programs gained public attention this year as northeastern Atlantic coastlines recorded heightened shark presence, notably off Maine and parts of Atlantic Canada, which led to localized beach restrictions and heightened monitoring. Scientists point to a mix of ecological drivers—prey abundance, water temperature, and population recovery efforts—as factors affecting distribution, but disentangling those drivers requires long-term, individual-based tracking data. OCEARCH and other groups publish trackers to inform both science and coastal managers.
Main Event
Contender’s public movement history shows a northward progression along the U.S. East Coast through spring and summer, peaking with a presence near Newfoundland in late September 2025. In late October and early November his transmitter recorded multiple pings in and around Nova Scotia before the tag indicated a southerly transit. On Nov. 12 the tag placed Contender in New Jersey waters; by the next recorded update researchers noted him off Atlantic City.
The OCEARCH tracker platform lists contemporaneous tracks for other tagged animals. Ernst, a 12-foot female white shark tagged during an October Nova Scotia expedition, moved southward to the Florida Keys after last being seen near the Florida–Georgia border earlier in the year. OCEARCH highlighted both animals on social channels, describing their recent moves as part of broader seasonal migrations documented in 2025.
Field teams emphasize that each satellite ping represents a geolocation and a time stamp that, together with other sensor data, helps reconstruct travel speed, stopover sites and habitat preferences. Because tags transmit intermittently, researchers combine those pings with environmental data and historical observations to interpret movement behavior. The group also notes that the publicly accessible tracker is a resource for researchers, managers and the interested public.
Analysis & Implications
Contender’s journey reinforces a recurring pattern in Atlantic great white ecology: long-distance seasonal movements between higher-latitude feeding areas and lower-latitude overwintering zones. For managers, detailed tracks of large individuals help identify corridors and aggregation zones that may merit monitoring or temporary mitigation measures when human-use and shark presence overlap. Continued returns of large adults to northern waters suggest prey availability there remains high enough to attract top predators.
From a conservation perspective, telemetry data over multiple years can reveal population-level trends—such as shifts in migration timing or range expansion—that single-season sightings cannot. If northern foraging seasons lengthen or more individuals use inshore coastal habitats, coastal communities and policymakers may need to adapt public-safety messaging and beach management strategies. However, the evidence so far indicates sightings increased without a parallel rise in confirmed harmful interactions.
Economically and ecologically, large white sharks are indicators of marine ecosystem health; their presence can signal robust prey populations, but also requires balancing conservation with coastal recreation and fisheries interests. Data from tags like Contender’s help scientists advise regulators on where to prioritize monitoring, how to interpret seasonal variability, and what outreach is needed to keep beachgoers informed and safe.
Comparison & Data
| Shark | Sex | Length (ft) | Weight (lb) | Noted locations (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contender | Male | ~14 | 1,650 | Florida–Georgia border → Newfoundland → Nova Scotia → New Jersey |
| Ernst | Female | ~12 | ~1,000 | Nova Scotia (tagged Oct) → Florida Keys |
The table summarizes publicly reported metrics for two OCEARCH-tagged white sharks in 2025. While Contender’s track covers more than 4,300 miles since January, Ernst’s documented movement highlights a comparable seasonal southward transit after an October tagging in Nova Scotia. These snapshots illustrate individual variation within broader migratory patterns; tags that transmit for roughly five years offer opportunities to observe interannual changes.
Reactions & Quotes
“making moves”
OCEARCH (social media)
OCEARCH used the phrase above when describing Contender’s north–south movements, noting the animal’s repeated pings as it shifted latitude. The group framed the observation as part of a seasonal migration trend seen across multiple tagged animals in 2025.
“big moves”
OCEARCH (social media)
The organization applied this short descriptor to Ernst’s southbound transit after her October tagging, underscoring that multiple individuals have shown substantial travel along the Atlantic corridor this year.
“Each ping adds another clue to the puzzle of white shark migration—and our team is tracking every move.”
OCEARCH (public statement)
OCEARCH emphasized that individual location data, accumulated over time, strengthen scientific inferences about timing, routes and habitat use for Atlantic white sharks. The group makes tracking data publicly accessible for researchers, managers and the general public.
Unconfirmed
- Whether recent increases in sightings are driven primarily by rising coastal water temperatures, prey distribution shifts, or improved observation effort remains unresolved.
- The long-term population trend for Atlantic great whites is still uncertain; multi-year tag records are needed to confirm whether 2025 reflects a statistically significant increase in abundance.
- Exact behavioral drivers for Contender’s specific stopovers in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland (e.g., particular prey aggregations) have not been directly confirmed by diet or stomach-content data.
Bottom Line
Contender’s return to New Jersey waters after a summer in Canadian latitudes underscores the broad, seasonally driven movements of Atlantic great whites and the value of individual-based telemetry. The roughly 4,300-mile path recorded since January 2025 provides a high-resolution glimpse of one large male’s range, informing both scientific understanding and coastal management decisions. Although sightings rose in parts of the Northeast this year, documented harmful human–shark interactions have remained uncommon.
Going forward, sustained tagging, coupled with environmental and prey surveys, will be essential to discern whether recent patterns reflect temporary variability or longer-term shifts in distribution. For coastal communities, the immediate takeaway is clear: improved monitoring and public communication—grounded in data—can reduce risk while allowing scientists to gather the information needed to manage both shark conservation and beach safety.