"Twenty five. Three tons on 'em."
Posted on 02/07/2025 5:53:06 AM PST by V_TWIN
Researchers are tracking what is believed to be the largest shark ever tagged by OCEARCH in the southwest Atlantic, with its last pings off Florida’s east coast.
The white shark, named Contender, was originally tagged on Jan. 17, 2025, approximately 45 miles off the coast of the Florida-Georgia border and has generally traveled southward along the Gulf Stream.
According to biologists, the shark is nearly 14 feet long and weighed an impressive 1,652.8 pounds when researchers found it.
The shark’s tag will transmit real-time data to researchers, providing insights into his movements and behavior over the next several years.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Florida shark ping!
1,652.8 pounds.
We’re going to need a bigger grill.
I'd like to know how they weighed it.
Simple: They weigh the ocean with it, then without it, and subtract.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Aot_lvPG4IY/maxresdefault.jpg
The researchers were swimming? I guess you have to be a good swimmer to be recruited into the group.
Why is a research group swimming off the coast of Florida? /sarc
Google the name of the research ship. Their website has a pretty good description of their operation and mission.
And I guess they tare all the handlers...
If it’s a female, up the weight by a third...
/ducking now
14ft? That’s a puppy.
Is this the same as the Great White shark? 14' is a piker. That's the largest they've tagged?
With that said, never get off the boat!
While deckhanding on a charter boat off the Washington coast in 1979, a customer accidentally snagged a Soupfin Shark that was about half the length of our 50 foot boat.
We all looked at it and came to the conclusion it was about 22 feet long.
Not very fat, though, a pretty skinny creature. So not as weighty as this specimen, but lots longer.
It eventually accelerated towards the horizon and snapped the line.
Seems like all the biggies have stopped pinging. Katherine, Cindy...
They haven’t managed to get a hold of Big Blue out in the Pacific yet. Would love to see how much that one weighed.
Whoopsie! My skipper mis-identified it. It must have been a Basking Shark:
What is the largest soupfin shark ever recorded?
ChatGPT said:
Soupfin sharks (Galeorhinus galeus) are typically smaller sharks, with males reaching up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) in length and weighing around 60 pounds (27.2 kilograms), while females can grow up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) and weigh up to 100 pounds (45.4 kilograms).
wdfw.wa.gov
While specific records of the largest soupfin sharks are limited, there have been notable catches. For instance, an angler in Southern California caught a 69-inch (approximately 5.75 feet) soupfin shark, marking it as a significant catch for the species.
forum.nanfa.org
In Washington state, the largest recorded soupfin shark weighed 55 pounds, caught by Hudson Barnum in Westport, Grays Harbor County, on July 26, 2023.
wdfw.wa.gov
Given the limited data on the maximum size of soupfin sharks, it’s challenging to determine the absolute largest individual ever recorded. However, these examples highlight the substantial size some individuals can attain.
Sources
You said:
Are there much larger sharks off the coast of Washington that look much like the soupfin shark?
ChatGPT said:
Yes, off the coast of Washington, there are several larger shark species that share some physical similarities with the soupfin shark. The two most notable ones are:
Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus):
Size: These sharks are much larger than soupfin sharks, growing up to 40 feet (12 meters) in length.Appearance: They have a similar body shape with a wide, crescent-shaped tail and a blunt head, much like the soupfin, but they are much larger and have a more prominent gill slit.Habitat: Basking sharks are often found in cooler waters along the Pacific coast and can occasionally be seen off Washington.
White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias):
Size: Great whites can grow over 20 feet (6 meters) in length and are significantly larger than soupfin sharks.Appearance: They share a similar overall body shape with soupfin sharks (sleek and streamlined), but they are much bulkier and have a conical snout and a much larger mouth.Habitat: While they are more commonly found in Southern California, great whites are known to migrate and are sometimes spotted off the coast of Washington.
Both of these species are much larger than soupfin sharks, with the basking shark being the largest of the three and a filter feeder, unlike the predatory nature of great whites.
Might be a record for Florida waters?
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