The first tagged great white shark from Guadalupe Island to have been tracked into California waters was near San Miguel Island on Friday morning. San Miguel, west of Santa Barbara, is the northernmost of the Channel Islands off Southern California. A day earlier the adult female shark, named Arden Grace, had been approaching San Clemente Island, the southernmost island, and appeared to have been headed for San Diego. Below is that story, posted Thursday:
The adult female shark (pictured) is named Arden Grace.
"Have you got a SCUBA trip lined up at San Clemente this weekend? If you do you might want to watch your back," MSCI posted on its Facebook page .
Another post reads: "This is a strange time of year for her to be in the coastal region. We've never had a female in our cold winter waters at this time of year, and we've never had one of our Guadalupe white sharks swim to California...
"She's headed towards San Diego now! Will she make it or turn around?"
(Those who wish to follow the movements of sharks tagged at Guadalupe can do so via the MCSI's Expedition White Shark app , available through iTunes.)
Great White sharks in the northeastern Pacific are known to have site fidelity during the fall and early winter to either Guadalupe Island or Central California elephant seal rookeries, such as the Farallon Islands west of San Francisco.
During this time of year, however, the vast majority of adult white sharks from both aggregation regions are hundreds of miles offshore, in areas stretching as far as Hawaii.
Interestingly, sharks tagged at Guadalupe Island have never visited Central California white shark aggregation sites. In 2008, an adult female white shark tagged near the Farallon Islands was tracked to Guadalupe.
--Note: Given Arden Grace's new position, the CMSI on Friday posted this on it Facebook page: "Maybe she'll be the first mature female to ever connect Guadalupe Island population to the Central California population??"
