Country singer was part of expedition that caught 17-foot shark northwest Atlantic
Country singers aren’t often part of the conversation when it comes to shark research, but a young singer with three Top 10 hits to his name was part of the crew when OCEARCH caught a 17-foot, 3,500-pound shark off Nova Scotia.
Jordan Davis — known for hits like “Singles You Up” and “Take it from Me” — was doing a favor for longtime friend and shark expert Chris Fischer when he agreed to fill an open crewman’s position on the ship.
The expedition made headlines when the crew announced capturing the largest great white shark ever tagged in the Northwest Atlantic.
Among Davis’ jobs were to help measure the heavily scarred shark from end-to-end. It was 17 feet, 2 inches, about the size of a Ford F-150 pickup.
“Once the shark came in and we could get eyes on it from the ship, I knew that this was going to be a different one,” Davis said in a video shared this week by OCEARCH. “The blood starts pumping. You start getting fired up and you can tell the rest of the crew is getting fired up and just adrenaline takes over.”
Davis is seen in the video helping “work up” the shark, which involved assisting scientists in pulling parasite and muscle samples off the shark.
“Just being on the lift with an animal like that was just very special,” Davis says in the video. “I can’t wait to get back to Nashville and actually say: yes, this really happened and I was this close and had hands on to this beautiful animal.”
The shark, believed to be 50 years old, has traveled just under 2,000 miles since being tagged Oct. 2, and is currently off North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
The trip marked Davis’ fourth time on an OCEARCH expedition — and the country crooner said he’s pining for more. The nonprofit tags and tracks white sharks as part of a research project to uncover their traveling, mating and nursing habits.
“Growing up in Louisiana and being an avid outdoorsman ... a passion for the environment was instilled very early. I went to LSU (Louisiana State University), and I graduated in environmental science. My path led to music, and music is something that I’m extremely passionate about, but my love for the environment has never, never died out,” he says in the video.
“It was an easy connection (with OCEARCH). I’m a fan. I love what you’re doing. You’re leaving the world a better place than it is now.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Country singer was part of expedition that caught 17-foot shark northwest Atlantic."