It looks like everyone’s favourite shark may be sticking around the South Shore until this fall.
This is the second year Hilton the Great White shark has been tracked to the area – he’s currently near Port Mouton.
OCEARCH the non-profit organization focused on tracking great white sharks and other apex predators says the South Shoer may be a breeding area.
Chris Fischer, founding chairman of OCEARCH, says their goal is to help scientists learn more about the elusive creatures.
“The sharks are so large the science community has never been able to really have safe access to them and study them and leverage the latest technology to figure where they’re mating, where they give birth and how the babies move around.”
Fischer, founding chairman of the organization, says sharks are an important part of the local ecosystem.
“Lots of big sharks means lots of lobster lots of fish, no sharks means no fish, no lobster, they are the wolf, they are the lion.”
Hilton gained popular with his Twitter account last year, which Fischer says is a helpful way for OCEARCH to educate the public.
There’s a lot of chatter about whether or not I’m in Nova Scotia to mate. Come on everyone, can’t I just be here because of its beauty?
You should enter for a chance to come here on expedition with @OCEARCH to see what I mean https://t.co/xPT3JuuROW#SharkWeek #SharkWeek2018 pic.twitter.com/zOwZW4fULO
— HiltonTheShark (@HiltonTheShark) July 24, 2018
The group tries to give all of the sharks their own personality as a part of their awareness campaign.
The Great White will likely be in the area until this fall.
The hope is that Hilton finds a mate, which OCEARCH can then track as well and maybe discover where the sharks have their babies.
A crew from OCEARCH is on their way to the area to study Hilton further.
Story by Brittany Wentzell
Twitter: @BrittWentzell
Email: wentzell.brittany@radioabl.ca
