Once in a while it pays to check in with OCEARCH, the group that tags sharks and tracks them up and down the East Coast. It reminds us that there are beings swimming in the ocean while we eat funnel cakes and play claw machine on the boardwalk. Turns out we had a recent ‘ping’ that a shark had surfaced not far from Toms River.
The sounding shark is called Freya, and is estimated to be about 11 feet long and weigh around 800 pounds. From the OCEARCH page on Freya:
Freya is a sub-adult female white shark and her name was chosen by our partner Sea World. The name translates to “Noble Woman”. Freya was named in honor of the noble researchers of the Carolinas Expedition and all past research expeditions who strive to uncover crucial information about sharks related to the conservation of their species.
Its last ping was July 3 at 11:20 p.m. off the coast of Jersey. Its first ping was on March 24, 2021 in waters off North Carolina. Since then, she has traveled along the East Coast, going as far north as Maine and as far south as Florida. OCEARCH says she’s covered 4,600 miles!
Another very large white shark recently swiped off the Jersey coast: an adult male named Scot, which weighs over 1,600 pounds and stretches over 12.3 feet. He didn’t come as close to shore as Freya. He’s another traveler, though he’s been from Nova Scotia, Canada, to the Gulf of Mexico.
Here is Scott:
OCEARCH is a non-profit organization that has tagged more than 400 animals since 2007.
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