Contender, the largest tagged male great white shark in the Atlantic Ocean, has been identified travelling up the US and Canada coastline. The shark, which is nearly 14ft long and weighs over 1,650lbs, was last pinged off Nova Scotia, Canada, on July 11, after being tracked off North Carolina and Maine.
This movement coincides with a surge in shark sightings, including 16 off Rockaway Beach in New York City during July. Scientists indicate that rising ocean temperatures, attributed to the human-driven climate crisis, are changing the movement patterns of several shark species.
Shannon Barry, a researcher at the Florida Institute of Technology, noted evidence of a northward movement due to warming waters, increasing the chances of shark sightings. She highlighted that bull sharks, for instance, are moving up the US east coast and can venture into low-salinity environments near shore, potentially increasing human-shark interactions.
While shark attacks remain rare, with 65 unprovoked bites recorded worldwide last year, the shifting distribution of sharks is seen by some researchers as a significant indicator of environmental change. Neil Hammerschlag, executive director of the Shark Research Foundation, stated that global heating is pushing sharks into new areas, such as tiger sharks moving north of Cape Cod, which was previously very rare.