As sharks go, LeeBeth is something like a long-haul trucker with gills and giant teeth. Swimmers at the beach might not be excited to see the 4.3m white shark, but scientists following LeeBeth’s movements are thrilled that her epic journey could provide valuable clues to help the species, and they are curious where she will go next.
White sharks, often referred to as great whites, were made famous by the 1970s hit movie Jaws. They roam the ocean searching for their favorite food, marine mammals, and were once hunted without discrimination.
Some scientists believe growing populations of seals in parts of the Atlantic Ocean are helping the sharks, which were designated a protected species in 1997.
Photo: Chip Michalove via AP
Since getting her tracking device near South Carolina in December last year, LeeBeth has traveled more than 3,200km south and into the Gulf of Mexico, the scientists monitoring her every move said on Monday.
They watched as she made history late last month by traveling further into the Gulf than any previously tracked white shark. A signal showed her off the coast near Matamoros, Mexico, just across the US border from South Padre Island, Texas.
The shark’s presence so far west indicates that this part of the Gulf of Mexico could also be important to other white sharks, said Megan Winton, a scientist with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy in Chatham, Massachusetts.
International cooperation is important to protect the sharks, whose worldwide populations are recovering from decades of overfishing, she said.
“We don’t know how many white sharks travel that far west, but it’s a good indication they do,” Winton said. “There are only a handful of sharks that have been tracked west of the Mississippi.”
The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy collaborates with the Massachusetts state government to tag white sharks, with more than 300 tagged so far. Thousands more have been tagged by other organizations worldwide, Winton said.
The conservancy paired up with fishing charter Outcast Sport Fishing of Hilton Head, South Carolina, to tag LeeBeth.
Chip Michalove, who owns Outcast, said LeeBeth turned out to be an advantageous shark to tag, as she had sent more signals back from the tracking device than most. The tracker sends a signal whenever the shark breaks the surface of the water.
“Not only one of the biggest sharks we’ve caught, but she’s the best-pinging shark as well,” Michalove said. “We definitely hit a home run with LeeBeth.”
The last time LeeBeth checked in was on Thursday last week, when tracking data showed the shark to be about 160km off the coast of Galveston, Texas.
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