CHANDELEUR ISLANDS, La. — Bella, a female juvenile great white shark, has left Florida behind — and has now been tracked cruising the waters near Louisiana.
On Sunday, March 22, the 10-foot-2-inch, 729-pound predator was pinged about 7 miles east of the Chandeleur Islands, according to OCEARCH.
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OCEARCH took to Instagram with a post titled "NEW WHITE SHARK HOTSPOT IN THE GULF?" highlighting the area as one of the most shark-dense regions of the Gulf.
Bella’s recent movements suggest that this region near the Chandeleur Islands may be an emerging hotspot for white sharks, an area where they haven’t been frequently recorded before.
Tiger shark Hanna also pinged near the Chandeleur Islands from August through October of last year.
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And this March, like Bella, many of OCEARCH’s other tagged sharks—such as Goodall, Mira, and Ripples— have been active in the Gulf near Florida.
Typically, every winter, these sharks make their way south along the East Coast, chasing warmer waters.
Bella was recently tagged and released into Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, on July 18, 2025, by the Tancook Islands Marine Field Station Team, in collaboration with the OCEARCH science and fishing teams and Dr. Nigel Hussey of the University of Windsor.
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She helps provide valuable data on the movement and behavior of white sharks, including their seasonal presence in AtlanticCanada, as part of a broader research effort to support the conservation of the species in the western North Atlantic.
"Her presence in these waters adds valuable data to the growing body of research about how white sharks use Canadian coastal habitats during the summer and fall months," OCEARCH said.
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Named in honor of OCEARCH’s biggest followers and supporters in Florida, Bella, meaning "beautiful" in Italian, carries great meaning as it reflects the dedicated global community that drives this vital work.
The organization notes that Bella’s journey goes beyond science; it represents the shared effort required to protect the species.
Bella and other sharks and sea animals like her can be tracked in real-time using the free OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker app.
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