A satellite-tagged great white shark has been tracked in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, highlighting the seasonal movement of the species into Canadian waters during the summer months.

The shark, named Bella, was detected near the northern edge of Quebec‘s archipelago, according to tracking data from marine research organisation OCEARCH. Her latest satellite transmission was recorded on 6 July at 10:51 a.m., providing researchers with another data point in an ongoing study of great white shark migration across the North Atlantic.

Tagged in Nova Scotia

Bella was tagged and released on 18 July 2025 in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, by the Tancook Islands Marine Field Station in collaboration with OCEARCH scientists and marine researcher Nigel Hussey from the University of Windsor.

The satellite tag allows researchers to monitor the shark’s seasonal movements, migration routes and feeding behaviour as part of a long-term effort to better understand great white sharks in Atlantic Canadian waters.

Great Whites Visit Canada Each Summer

Although often associated with warmer oceans, great white sharks regularly migrate into Canadian waters during the summer and early autumn as sea temperatures rise and prey becomes more abundant.

Sightings in Atlantic Canada have become increasingly common over the past decade, with researchers emphasising that the presence of great white sharks is a natural part of the region’s marine ecosystem.

Canada’s Largest Shark Is Even Bigger

Despite Bella’s impressive size, the great white shark is not Canada’s largest shark species.

That distinction belongs to the Greenland shark, which inhabits the cold waters of the Arctic and North Atlantic. According to Oceana, Greenland sharks can grow up to 6.4 metres (21 feet) in length and weigh more than 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds), making them among the largest predatory fish found in Canadian waters.