Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water it looks like Katharine, the Great White shark, is on her way back toward Space Coast waters.
We reported last week (see story below) that that it looked like she was lingering in New England waters for the winter, but in the last week Katharine has made her way south to the to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water it looks like Katharine, the Great White shark, is on her way back toward Space Coast waters. We reported last week (see story below) that that it looked like she was lingering in New England waters for the winter, but in the last week Katharine has made her way south to the to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. ( OCEARCH image)
KATHARINE STATS:
Species: White Shark; Gender: Female; Stage of Life: Immature; Length: 14 ft. 2 in.; Weight: 2,300 lb.; Tag Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2013; Tag Location: Cape Cod; Share link: www.ocearch.org/profile/katharine; 24 hours travel: 21.967 miles; 72 hours travel: 21.967 miles; Total travel: 9101.136 miles
Great White Shark Katharine Is Wintering Off Nantucket
ABOVE VIDEO:Katharine, a 14-foot great white shark, is tagged by OCEARCH, a non-profit organization devoted to researching apex predators in the ocean. It looks like Katharine has decided to stay home so far this winter, as she “pinged” in last week southeast of Nantucket, an island 30 miles south of Cape Cod, and near where she was caught and tagged with a Global Shark Tracker device by OCEARCH in 2013.
It was New Years Eve 2013 when a new social media star made her local presence known as Katharine the Great White Shark was sighted five miles off the coast of Daytona Beach after traveling from her home off Cape Cod. Over the next several months, she then went on an oddessy that took her off the beaches of the Space Coast and a foray into the Gulf of Mexico. Inset: Katharine’s recent movement off Nantucket. (Ocearch image)It was New Years Day 2014 when a new social media star made her local presence known, as Katharine the Great White Shark was sighted five miles off the coast of Daytona Beach. (Ocearch image)
It was New Years Eve 2013 when a new social media super star made her local presence known as Katharine the Great White Shark was sighted five miles off the coast of Daytona Beach after traveling from her home off Cape Cod.
She then went on an oddessy that took her off the beaches of the Space Coast and a foray into the Gulf of Mexico.
It looks like Katharine has decided to stay home so far this winter, as she “pinged” in last week southeast of Nantucket, an island 30 miles south of Cape Cod, and near where she was caught and tagged with a Global Shark Tracker device by OCEARCH in 2013.
Overall, the Ocearch program has tagged about 170 sharks, including 80 great whites. Each shark has as many as four sensors attached, which relay data to researchers either by way of satellite, or through buoys and shore sensors that record acoustic signatures.
A device implanted in Katharine’s abdomen will allow scientists to track her for up to 10 years, while a pop-off tag attached to her dorsal fin will break free after a set period of time, revealing a wide range of data.
Chris Fischer
“All these sharks are different,” said Chris Fischer, founder of Ocearch.
“Katharine stands out because she constantly comes up finning, which means she likes to spend a lot of time on or near the surface,” he said. “She is so coastal, almost living on the beaches, as well. It makes her somewhat of a media darling as she passes by. At the same time, she is giving us the most comprehensive look at her life.”
About OCEARCH :
OCEARCH is a non-profit organization with a global reach for unprecedented research on great white sharks and other large apex predators. In a collaborative environment established by Founding Chairman and Expedition Leader Chris Fischer, OCEARCH enables leading researchers and institutions to generate previously unattainable data on the movement, biology and health of sharks to protect their future while enhancing public safety and education.
OCEARCH is a leader in open source research, sharing data in near-real time for free through the Global Shark Tracker, enabling students and the public to learn alongside PhDs. The Landry’s-developed STEM Education Curriculum, based on the Global Shark Tracker and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), is being launched for grades 6-8 in the fall of 2013 nationwide.
KATHARINE STATS:
Species: White Shark; Gender: Female; Stage of Life: Immature; Length: 14 ft. 2 in.; Weight: 2,300 lb.; Tag Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2013; Tag Location: Cape Cod; Share link: www.ocearch.org/profile/katharine; 24 hours travel: 21.967 miles; 72 hours travel: 21.967 miles; Total travel: 9101.136 miles
OCEARCH is a non-profit organization with a global reach for unprecedented research on great white sharks and other large apex predators. In a collaborative environment established by Founding Chairman and Expedition Leader Chris Fischer, OCEARCH enables leading researchers and institutions to generate previously unattainable data on the movement, biology and health of sharks to protect their future while enhancing public safety and education.
