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OCEARCH has tagged their largest-ever great white shark off the Maritime coast and named her after a legendary Mi’kmaw grandmother figure.
As part of an expedition down the Northwest Atlantic coast to track the shark population, the U.S. based shark research non-profit, say they tagged Nukumi (pronounced noo-goo-mee) on Friday morning near West Ironbound Island in Nova Scotia.
Chris Fischer, founding chairman and expedition leader of OCEARCH, said finding a shark of Nukumi’s size is “interesting.” The shark measured at over five metres long, weighed 1,606 kg and is assumed to be over 50 years old.
“She actually is likely a proper grandmother,” Fischer told CBC News.
Several Canadians boating in the Maritime waters or relaxing by the beach have reported an increase in sightings of great white sharks along the coast, with videos of the apex predators popping up along the Nova Scotian coast during the summer. In August, authorities temporarily closed down Queensland beach for a couple of days after several beachgoers spotted the trademark shark fin perilously close to the shore.
