11-Foot Great White Shark Tracked Off New Jersey Shore

An 11-foot, 761-pound great white shark named Dold was spotted off the coast of Monmouth County, New Jersey, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the film Jaws. Tagged by OCEARCH in February near the Florida-Georgia border, Dold is tracked via a satellite tag on its dorsal fin, which pings when exposed above water for about 90 seconds. As a subadult male, Dold has traveled nearly 3,000 miles along the East Coast as part of his seasonal migration, providing researchers with critical data on great white shark movements and behavior. Named after SeaWorld conservationist Christopher Dold, this shark's presence highlights the growing white shark population in the region and underscores the importance of scientific monitoring and beach safety awareness. OCEARCH has tagged about 100 great white sharks over the past 15 years, including larger sharks like Contender, a 13-foot, 9-inch male last seen near the Outer Banks. Despite Dold's proximity to popular beaches, sharks generally do not frequently interact with humans, and sightings mostly serve as a reminder of the apex predator's role in ocean ecosystems.