Nearly 12-foot long great white shark ‘Freya’ tagged off Outer Banks

OUTER BANKS, N.C. — Researchers tagged a great white shark caught off the Outer Banks this weekend. The shark is nearly 12 feet long and weighs a whopping 883 pounds.

Researchers with Ocearch said she put on quite a show before they were able to get her tagged.

They are on a mission to tag and research sharks along the Carolina coast. This is OCEARCH’s 40th expedition around the world, but the first for the Carolinas.

In honor of Women’s Appreciation Month, the crew named the fish Freya, which means “noble woman.”

Ocearch’s founder Chris Fischer said Freya is the first white shark tagged in the area.

“Huge breakthrough for us, getting that first white shark in North Carolina,” he said. “Now you know you can. She came into the back of the ship and kind of cruised around for a while. She put on quite a show before we were able to get her into the cradle and got all of our research projects handled, about 23 of them for about 40 different scientists.”

Researchers ran about two-dozen tests on Freya before releasing her back into the Atlantic Ocean.

“Our first and really, I think, the first spot tag and fully worked up white shark in North Carolina history,” said Fischer.

To learn more about Expedition Carolinas and track the sharks in real time, you can click here.

Researchers track eight great white sharks off the coast of the Carolinas Researchers track eight great white sharks off the coast of the Carolinas

Cox Media Group