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HALIFAX — Researchers looking for a possible great white shark mating site off Nova Scotia are having a successful expedition so far, after tagging their third mature male great white shark on Saturday.

Scientists with the marine research organization Ocearch found “Hal” — named for the people of Halifax — lurking off the southern coast of Nova Scotia near West Ironbound Island.

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Chris Fischer, the organization’s founder, described the four-metre-long apex predator as having a bit of an attitude, posing a challenge to the scientists looking to tag it and collect samples.

“It was highly determined; I’ve only dealt with a few sharks ever like Hal,” Fischer said in an interview from the Ocearch vessel off the coast of Nova Scotia.

“He really tested us from a power standpoint … he was just a really impressive, powerful animal.”

The great white appears to be in perfect mating condition, Fischer said: he’s healthy, full-bodied, mature, and free of blemishes. Fischer said the semen sample they collected from him indicates he may be ready for some companionship.