Contender<\/a>, weighing at more than 1,600 lbs, was first fitted with a satellite tracker by OCEARCH, a global non-profit organization that researches large marine animals in January, around 72 kilometres off the Florida-Georgia coast.<\/p>\n According to a social media video from Chris Fischer, founder of OCEARCH, the great white has travelled nearly 1,400 kilometres from Cape Cod, Mass., to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in around 73 days, covering an average of 19 kilometres a day.<\/p>\n \u201cA white shark moving into the Gulf of St. Lawrence at this time of year is not unusual at all,\u201d Fischer said, adding that very few of the tagged white sharks have shown movement to that part of the Gulf. <\/p>\n Contender\u2019s last movements were recorded on Oct. 2, in the form of a \u201cZ-ping\u201d \u2013 a location signal that is not strong enough to determine the exact location and is sent only when the shark spends a brief amount of time at the surface.<\/p>\n Researchers have found that great whites like Contender have a wide range of migration patterns, from the eastern Gulf of Mexico to the southern coast of Newfoundland, according to a study from December 2022.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf we look at the sea surface temperature layer on tracker, it looks like Contender is in an area where the surface water is about 50 F (10 C),\u201d Fischer said. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s most likely drawing Contender into this area, is probably the food supply. There are both harbour and gray seals in this area,\u201d he added. \u201dThere\u2019s also an abundance of school fish.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6PDJI2GQ4JFEZAPY7CSQT7PGGU.jpg\")
OCEARCH In this Sept. 7, 2012 file photo, the research vessel Ocearch has set her anchor as the crew begins their search for great white sharks on the Atlantic Ocean, spending two to three weeks tagging sharks and collecting blood and tissue samples off the coast of Chatham, Mass. (AP Photo\/Stephan Savoia, File) (Stephan Savoia\/The Associated Press) <\/p>\n