By: Olivia Armstrong, Follow South Jersey News Reporting Intern
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — An 883-pound white shark named Freya was spotted off the coast of Ocean City and Atlantic City.
Freya, an 883-pound sub-adult female shark whose location is being tracked for research purposes, was spotted off the coast Ocean City at 9:28 a.m. last Friday and again near Atlantic City about an hour later. The shark measures out to 11.26 feet in length, and she was first tagged off the coast of Onslow Bay, North Carolina in March of this year.
Her name was chosen by SeaWorld, and it translates to “Noble Woman.” At the time of publication, Freya’s most recent spotting was off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. She’s being tracked by OCEARCH — a data-centric organization that helps scientists collect information about the ocean. OCEARCH aims to help the ocean return to its normal balance and abundant population through research, education, outreach, and policy. It has tagged more than 400 animals, and its team of nearly 200 scientists works to track and collect information about the animals.
Freya was named in homage to the noble female researchers on both Expedition Carolinas and on all past research expeditions who are working to uncover crucial shark insights related to their species’ conservation. She began moving north on June 4, which is when she was spotted off the coast of the northern part of North Carolina, and she’s traveled all the way up to Martha’s Vineyard in the three weeks since then.
If you’re curious about Freya’s location, you can keep tabs on her location here to see all her latest pings.
