Great white shark tracked in Long Island Sound for "first time ever"

A great white shark that was tagged last year off Nova Scotia was detected Monday in Long Island Sound. Ocearch, an organization that electronically tracks aquatic life, announced on Twitter that it was monitoring the nearly 10-foot long great white in the sound "for the first time ever."

Ocearch posted a picture of "Cabot," a nearly 10-foot-long fish swimming near Greenwich, Connecticut. The shark was spotted last week off the North Carolina coast.

According to its Twitter bio, the shark is named after explorer John Cabot after SeaWorld solicited suggestions from Nova Scotians.

Shark experts say it measures 9-foot 8-inches long, weighs 533 pounds and is likely looking for smaller fish to eat.

Chris Fischer, Ocearch's founding chairman and expedition leader, says the group was "quite surprised to see this one so far to the west."

The group says Cabot's presence could be a sign of environmental improvement.

"This is something to celebrate," Fischer said. "I know they've been working hard in the sound to clean it up and to get life to come back to the region and when you have an apex predator like Cabot move in to the area, that's a sign there's a lot of life in the area and you've probably got things moving in the right direction."

Speaking with CBSN, wildlife expert Jeff Corwin agreed with Fischer's assessment. "Their populations are increasing. The waters in some areas — which people may find hard to believe — are healthier now," Corwin said. "A healthy, more robust ecosystem; better buffet means more diners at the aquatic diner."

Corwin said that this isn't always the case and adds that "in the last 40 years, we've lost 66% of all our planet's nature."

Last week, Cabot was among a cluster of great whites spotted off the coast of North Carolina. Great whites can tip the scales at up to 4,000 pounds and grow to be 17 feet long, and their numbers on the Atlantic Coast are on the rise.