A female great white shark named Miss Pawla has been spotted off the Alabama coast by researchers at the University of South Alabama. The shark is approximately eight feet long and about 15 years old, with researchers estimating that she won’t reach maturity until at least 30 years old. Miss Pawla was seen on two separate occasions while researchers were monitoring fish movement near Alabama’s artificial reef zone. The first sighting was captured on underwater cameras in mid-April during a survey with researchers from Mississippi State University and Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Institute, and the second sighting came ten days later. By May 3, she was no longer seen in the area.
The Director of USA’s Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Dr. Sean Powers, mentioned that spotting a great white shark off the Alabama coast is rare, as they typically stay in the cooler waters off New England and California. Great white sharks are sometimes seen in the deeper areas of the Gulf of Mexico, but the reef where Miss Pawla was spotted is only approximately 150 feet deep. This marks the first documented sighting of a white shark in that area recorded by scientists. Powers stated that researchers have surveyed over 1,000 artificial and natural reef areas in the last 10 years, providing scientific data to help the State of Alabama manage its offshore fisheries.
Recent sightings of great white sharks in coastal Alabama, including one caught by fishermen and another that washed up dead on a Florida Panhandle beach, suggest that the species may be more common in the northern Gulf of Mexico than previously thought. White sharks have distinctive scarring patterns on their heads and fins, making them easily identifiable. Scientists name the sharks in order to track their movements. Miss Pawla, being a new record, was named by the university, and researchers are also tracking a 12-foot tiger shark named SouthJaw, also after a USA mascot. White sharks are federally protected and must be released alive if caught in Alabama’s waters due to their importance in the marine ecosystem.
The University of South Alabama emphasizes the richness of Alabama’s marine ecosystem and the importance of sharks within it. White sharks are an integral part of the ecosystem, and their protection is crucial. The federal protection of white sharks means that they must be released alive if caught in order to ensure their continued conservation. Researchers at the university are working to track and monitor various shark species, including Miss Pawla and SouthJaw, in order to better understand their movements and habits within the northern Gulf of Mexico.
In conclusion, the recent sightings of a great white shark off the Alabama coast by researchers at the University of South Alabama are significant, as white sharks are rare in the area due to their preference for cooler waters. Miss Pawla, an approximately eight-foot-long shark, was named after one of the university’s mascots and was spotted on two separate occasions near Alabama’s artificial reef zone. The presence of great white sharks in the northern Gulf of Mexico may be more common than previously believed, as evidenced by recent sightings in coastal Alabama. These sightings provide valuable data for researchers working to better understand and protect marine ecosystems, including the federally protected white sharks. The University of South Alabama is committed to conservation efforts and the importance of sharks in the marine environment, and they continue to track and study various shark species to further their understanding of these apex predators.