Critics Call for Release of White Shark That Killed Tankmates
The great white shark being held for research at the Monterey Bay Aquarium has killed two smaller soupfin sharks in recent weeks, leading critics of the shark program to demand that the aquarium release the shark back into the wild.
By Linda Orlando
In May 2002, the Monterey Bay Aquarium launched a three-year study of young white sharks off Southern California, hoping to learn more about the life history of great whites. One of their goals was also to determine whether or not it is possible for an aquarium to exhibit a white shark in captivity. Now their Young White Shark program is coming under fire from critics who say the program is cruel and harmful to the sharks because they are not suited to captivity.
During the first three years of the program, the staff captured and tagged six sharks to track their movements and patterns, and one young shark was held in a tank for several days before being released. Last fall, a young white shark was captured inadvertently in a net by a commercial boat fishing for halibut off the Orange County coast. The shark was brought to the aquarium, where it was tagged and held in an ocean pen until September 14. Because the shark remained in good health, she was transported to Monterey and placed in the Outer Bay exhibit. Staffers wanted to see how she fared, to determine whether she would thrive in the million-gallon exhibit. So far the shark has been kept for almost six months, and no other great white has stayed alive for more than 16 days in captivity.
However, this week the shark attacked and killed a soupfin shark that shared her tank, the second such attack in recent weeks. One of the soupfin sharks at the Monterey Bay Aquarium was attacked by the great white and killed February 23, and the second died Tuesday from injuries received a day earlier during an attack. Marine biologists at the aquarium believe the great white attacked the smaller, slower sharks accidentally, as a reflex when they collided, and not out of anger or predatory instinct. Their assumptions stem from the fact that the shark has not attacked anything else in the tank, including barracuda, sea turtles, tuna, and hammerhead sharks. However, two other soupfin sharks have been removed from the tank as a precaution.
Because of the soupfin killings, critics of the exhibit are calling for the aquarium to release the great white shark, saying that great whites can’t adjust to aquarium life and the shark cannot survive it. According to Sean Van Sommeran, executive director of the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation in Santa Cruz, the shark’s nose is raw from repeated contact with the barrier walls. He called the million-gallon tank "really just a bucket," and added, "This animal is injured and becoming agitated. They really have huge travel migration routes. This type of animal typically travels 50 miles in a day."
Aquarium officials counter that the animal is constantly monitored and is healthy, saying that she swims calmly with a steady tail beat and investigates the Outer Bay exhibit regularly. She eats normally and easily takes food from a feeding pole offered to her, and she is routinely examined by staff divers wearing stainless steel chain mail suits on top of their wetsuits. The shark weighed 62 pounds when she arrived at the aquarium, and she now weighs 88 pounds and is 5’ 3" long. Over 700,000 visitors have come to see the shark display, and researchers are constantly gathering data on its biology and behavior. They say that the information they gain will help them in conservation efforts for wild sharks. They believe that the best way to inspire people and educate them is to show them the real thing in captivity, which is something that has never been done before.
Despite critics calling for the animal’s release, the aquarium plans for her to remain in the exhibit as long as she continues to show signs that she is doing well. If the aquarium veterinarian and staff determine at some point that she will not continue to thrive in the multi-species exhibit where she is currently housed, they will release the shark as long as they are sure she would survive a return to the wild.
In May 2002, the Monterey Bay Aquarium launched a three-year study of young white sharks off Southern California, hoping to learn more about the life history of great whites. One of their goals was also to determine whether or not it is possible for an aquarium to exhibit a white shark in captivity. Now their Young White Shark program is coming under fire from critics who say the program is cruel and harmful to the sharks because they are not suited to captivity.
During the first three years of the program, the staff captured and tagged six sharks to track their movements and patterns, and one young shark was held in a tank for several days before being released. Last fall, a young white shark was captured inadvertently in a net by a commercial boat fishing for halibut off the Orange County coast. The shark was brought to the aquarium, where it was tagged and held in an ocean pen until September 14. Because the shark remained in good health, she was transported to Monterey and placed in the Outer Bay exhibit. Staffers wanted to see how she fared, to determine whether she would thrive in the million-gallon exhibit. So far the shark has been kept for almost six months, and no other great white has stayed alive for more than 16 days in captivity.
However, this week the shark attacked and killed a soupfin shark that shared her tank, the second such attack in recent weeks. One of the soupfin sharks at the Monterey Bay Aquarium was attacked by the great white and killed February 23, and the second died Tuesday from injuries received a day earlier during an attack. Marine biologists at the aquarium believe the great white attacked the smaller, slower sharks accidentally, as a reflex when they collided, and not out of anger or predatory instinct. Their assumptions stem from the fact that the shark has not attacked anything else in the tank, including barracuda, sea turtles, tuna, and hammerhead sharks. However, two other soupfin sharks have been removed from the tank as a precaution.
Because of the soupfin killings, critics of the exhibit are calling for the aquarium to release the great white shark, saying that great whites can’t adjust to aquarium life and the shark cannot survive it. According to Sean Van Sommeran, executive director of the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation in Santa Cruz, the shark’s nose is raw from repeated contact with the barrier walls. He called the million-gallon tank "really just a bucket," and added, "This animal is injured and becoming agitated. They really have huge travel migration routes. This type of animal typically travels 50 miles in a day."
Aquarium officials counter that the animal is constantly monitored and is healthy, saying that she swims calmly with a steady tail beat and investigates the Outer Bay exhibit regularly. She eats normally and easily takes food from a feeding pole offered to her, and she is routinely examined by staff divers wearing stainless steel chain mail suits on top of their wetsuits. The shark weighed 62 pounds when she arrived at the aquarium, and she now weighs 88 pounds and is 5’ 3" long. Over 700,000 visitors have come to see the shark display, and researchers are constantly gathering data on its biology and behavior. They say that the information they gain will help them in conservation efforts for wild sharks. They believe that the best way to inspire people and educate them is to show them the real thing in captivity, which is something that has never been done before.
Despite critics calling for the animal’s release, the aquarium plans for her to remain in the exhibit as long as she continues to show signs that she is doing well. If the aquarium veterinarian and staff determine at some point that she will not continue to thrive in the multi-species exhibit where she is currently housed, they will release the shark as long as they are sure she would survive a return to the wild.
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