Mississippi
Where is LeeBeth, the massive great white shark that swam off Mississippi Coast?
‘I feel like if we have a dead whale this spring she might be on it. That shark is so large, there’s only a few things she’s interested in (eating) and it has to be large.’
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A 14-foot, 2,600-pound great white shark that was caught and released off the coast of South Carolina was tracked for months with a GPS tag that was placed on her. She made an incredible journey to Mexico and then turned back, passed by the Mississippi Coast and swam to Nova Scotia where her GPS unit stopped transmitting.
It was a journey that was never before documented and she made headlines everywhere she went.
Will we ever hear from her again?
“The last time we heard from her was in October,” said Megan Winton, research scientist at the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. “She was still in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
“She spent months in that area, and October is when sharks that are in Canada begin to move. That’s the last time we heard from her.”
How great white shark LeeBeth is tracked
LeeBeth was caught in December 2023 by Ed Young, pastor of the Dallas-Fort Worth mega-church Fellowship Church. Young was fishing with Chip Michalove of Outcast Sport Fishing based in South Carolina. Young named the shark after his daughter who died in 2021.
LeeBeth was outfitted with data collection devices including a GPS tag that transmitted her location whenever she breached the surface. There’s also a device that collects data such as depths that will at some point release, float to the surface and transmit the recorded data.
The final device is an acoustic transmitter. It will communicate whenever it nears acoustic receivers that are placed in the water by various research groups. Its life expectancy is 10 years.
The battery life in the GPS tag is generally about a year, but LeeBeth breached the surface so often that she transmitted her locations far more than other tagged great white sharks. That probably reduced the life-span of the battery.
“It’s likely the battery has died at this point,” Winton said. “She was pinging like crazy.”
Big sharks need big meals
LeeBeth’s travels could be followed through the AWSC Sharktivity app. Michalove, who has helped AWSC tag many great white sharks including LeeBeth, followed her closely.
“When she stopped pinging, I felt like I was gut-punched,” Michalove said. “She was like a kid to me.”
Even though LeeBeth’s GPS transmitter hasn’t sent a signal in months, Michalove said there’s a chance he’ll see her again. He said she likely has a set pattern of migration and will be off the coast of South Carolina this spring.
“I’ve studied her track over and over just trying to figure her path,” Michalove said. “I’m pretty confident I’ve got her down.
“I feel like if we have a dead whale this spring, she might be on it. That shark is so large, there’s only a few things she’s interested in (eating) and it has to be large. Fingers crossed I see her again and sooner than later. And, hopefully, not while I’m swimming.”
Why is LeeBeth being tracked?
The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy studies the protected sharks. Winton said decades ago, the great white population was down about 80% from historic levels. Through protections, the population appears to be rebounding.
Winton said the group mainly focuses on the Cape Cod area. She said that’s because rebounding seal populations in that area are attracting the sharks in summer to feed on them and place the sharks near people.
With Cape Cod becoming a hotspot for white shark activity, Winton said the data collected from tagged sharks helps the group with outreach and education on managing interactions between humans and sharks.
As far as education and outreach go, LeeBeth has been instrumental due to her record-breaking travel from Mexico to Canada and the attention she has drawn.
“She’s quite the ambassador,” Winton said. “She has been such an interesting shark to follow.”
Have we heard the last from LeeBeth?
Maybe. Maybe not.
LeeBeth was tracked for thousands of miles as she traveled to the Gulf of Mexico where she appears to spend winters feeding on giant squid and then to the Gulf of St. Lawrence north of Nova Scotia where she spends summers feeding on seals. Last winter’s trek took her 20 miles south of Biloxi.
Both Winton and Michalove said they think she’s back in the Gulf of Mexico right now. While that is most likely true, knowing she’s in the Gulf isn’t quite as exciting as seeing her exact locations on a map in real time.
Although not the same, the acoustic transmitter may provide insight into her whereabouts. When she swims near an acoustic receiver, the units communicate. Some automatically transmit the detection, but most store the information and need to be pulled up periodically to download it.
“Hopefully we’ll be hearing from LeeBeth for the next nine years,” Winton said.
And there’s also the remote possibility that Michalove could catch her again and outfit her with a new GPS unit.
“The ocean is enormous and the odds are against us, but I’ve had recaptures before,” Michalove said.
Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.