A great white shark rarely seen this far west in the Gulf of America has been detected off the Mississippi coast, surprising marine researchers tracking its movements. The great white, a 12-foot, nearly 1,000-pound female named Ernst, represents one of the westernmost documented movements of the species in the region.
Researchers confirmed that Ernst was detected near the Chandeleur Islands off Louisiana in mid-January before pinging again south of Horn Island, Mississippi, on Jan. 30. The shark was previously spotted near Gulf Shores, Alabama, a location experts described as unusual for great white sharks in the Gulf. OCEARCH, a U.S.-based marine research organization, has tracked Ernst since tagging her in October 2025 in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia.
Following the tagging, Ernst traveled thousands of miles down the U.S. East Coast. “She cut right over to lower Maine from Nova Scotia, migrated right down the coast, and has moved around Miami and the Keys and all the way beyond the Florida Panhandle,” OCEARCH founder Chris Fischer said. He noted that her westward movement is rare, adding, “For the majority of the sharks, this is pretty far reach.”
Fischer also pointed out the shark’s proximity to shore. “It’s kind of unusual to see her so tight to the beach there, which is a great sign for the region because this is a signal that there’s a lot of life and a lot of biodiversity,” he said.
OCEARCH continues to monitor Ernst using satellite technology that tracks her location when her dorsal fin surfaces. The organization says her journey highlights the importance of ongoing marine research and conservation across the Gulf of America.
