Overview

• Contender, a roughly 14‑foot, 1,653‑pound male, surfaced near Natashquan, Quebec, on September 29, with a brief z‑ping recorded on October 2.
• Researchers say he is working seal colonies through late summer and fall to build fat reserves before a seasonal move south toward Florida.
• Tagged in January about 45 miles off the Florida–Georgia coast, he later pinged near Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, and off Nantucket before reaching eastern Canada.
• The satellite tag transmits only when his dorsal fin breaks the surface and is expected to operate for up to five years, limiting continuous but enabling long‑term tracking.
• Scientists value this mature male for migration and life‑history insights, with next spring’s location viewed as a potential clue to long‑sought mating grounds.