16-foot great white shark tracked to Central Coast
Photo of a great white shark named Annika from Marine Conservation Science Institute.
– SAN SIMEON – A mature female great white shark, named Annika, is currently lurking just off the coast of Central California, according to a report released Monday from the Marine Conservation Science Institute. She is more than 16 feet long, has just finished 17 months offshore in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and is thought to be pregnant and preparing to have her pups.
In 2009, Annika was captured at Guadalupe Island, Mexico, so researchers could attach a satellite transmitter to her dorsal fin, allowing them to track her movements after she was released. The research team, led by Dr. Michael Domeier and Nicole Nasby-Lucas, have been studying the great white shark population off Guadalupe Island since 1999. Their innovative research approach allowed them to make a major breakthrough in the field of shark science: they were able to track the entire 2-year migration route of mature females, a route that is a result of the two-year reproductive cycle of female great white sharks.
Current location of a 16-foot great white shark named Annika.
The researchers have been following Annika for nearly six years, but this is the first time she has ever visited the beaches of California. This is the pupping season for great white sharks, but in the past Annika has pupped off the Pacific coast of Baja California at about this time.
So what’s Annika doing now? Annika’s tag is reaching the end of its battery life, so the researchers do not get very many location points for her. It’s unknown if Annika may have pupped in Mexico before traveling to California, or if she has decided to give birth in California this time around.
The public can learn more about Annika, and where she may go next, by downloading the Marine Conservation Science Institute’s iTunes app, called Expedition Great White. It’s the world’s first app that allows the public to track tagged sharks in near real time.
