We have a Great White

[wonrib00]

Before I tell you the story, I have to give a little background. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a non-porfit organization and since we are we get the chance to help fund a lot of really good causes. A little over three years ago there was to be a project that was known as the Great White Shark Project. This project in a nut shell was designed to capture a GWS, put it in some sort of holding pen, see if it would feed, and hopefully we could learn a thing or two along the way as we still knopw very little about the animal. When we determined that it would be Southern California where we would go, we started to let all the fishermen know that we were going to be in the area. Well last year was the second year in the project and we had a GWS in a pen made for tuna with a capacity of about 4 million gallons. We were able to get the GWS actaully feeding on salmon steaks in the pen. Time ran out, we had to give the pen back to the owners, and so we tagged the shark and let it go back into the wild.

Year three, this year. At the start of the summer, we purchased our own four million gallon pen (that can be made smaller - that will come into play later) and packed up and went to So Cal. Early on we had two GWS delivered to us in good health by fishermen (cought in nets). Those were not to our liking, so they were tagged and realeased. Along came GWS number three and it was exactly what we were looking for. It was a 4' 4" female that weighs 62 lbs, and about a year old. We had her in that pen for 25 days. Every day we would make the pen smaller and smaller. Finally we got the pen to about the size of our million gallon tank. The problem with the water in So Cal right now is, it was very merky. We put lines in there that had different foods on the end for the GWS to eat on. We never once saw it take the food, but the lines were coming back with nothing attached to them, so we knew she was eating.

So the decission was made to send down the 3,000 tuna transport and attempt to bering her to her new home in Monterey. The trip went off without a hitch. Nine hours later she was ready to be put into her new habitat. But the real excitement does not come until today.

The GWS went into the exhibit on Tuesday September 14th, and on Wednesday the 15th, the Monterey Bay Aquarium made marine biology history, again. At about 11:30 AM the GWS was offered a salmon steak, and she took it. No GWS in the history of attempts has ever taken prepared foods, or live foods for that matter. So she was offered a second helping, bang, she took that one as well. We fed her four times. everyone that witnessed this feet was in absolute elation. I want to put some pics up, but there is a very strict no photography rule ight now. We want her to get used to her new enviroment, and that will never happen with flashbulbs going off in her eye the first couple of days in there. I will try to get some pics up on Friday, but dont hold me to that. I would love to describe to you about how she looks, but no words would do her justice. Sorry for such a long post.

[Tat2dBrownDude]

Sounds interesting, keep us up to date with any happenings and I wish ya'll success.

If the Great White works out there I may have to setup another Nano tank for one at my house, are they reef safe? =)

[AL ur Pal]

Dont be sorry! Thats Awsome. Im really looking foward to the pics and more news. Good luck with her! :)

[thirst]

That is an amazing feat. The Atlantis aquarium also wanted to do just that, keep a GWS. I'm glad the Monterey Aquarium was able to get it done! Good job!

[@LVIN]

wow...that's cool. i hope you come up with some pics!

[Morbo]

Love to see some pics = )

[wee-reefer]

Very interesting and exciting! This may open the door for an awesome educational exibit and as the only one in captivity, bragging rights! :) Best of luck with the new lady!

[Sharpy]

Wow! Very cool! I can't wait to see the pictures. I hope you are able to learn much about this animal and share it with the rest of the world.

[Daddyo]

That is so very cool. Let us know when it's open to the public. I'd definitely drive up to see a great white.

[z28cam]

Very interesting. How was the shark transported. what does a four million gallon tank look like :D

[fishinchick]

And to think I've been toying with the idea of getting up there to see Monterey Aquarium. When will she be on public display??? I'd really love to see her!
Congratulations guys. Hope she stays healthy!

[SDRotary619]

Next step is a billfish! I am out in those waters all the time fishing. Was it near Catalina islands by any chance? I always see the tuna hatcheries out there. Congrats on a great feat.

[spleen93]

Go figure, this story was on our local news last night - it's a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be (read this post first before and had mental image of a GREAT white shark. Forgot how small a 4'4" shark would be. :)

Spleen

[JumboShrimp]

wow! I also heard that no GWS has ever been kept in captivity for more than a week? Is feeding the reason? Thats really great and good luck... Do you think this will be in the news? I'd like to read more....

[wonrib00]

z28cam: we have a 3,000 gallon tank on the bed of a truck we call a tunabego as it is suually used for transporting tunas, but we have had other sharks, anchovies, sardines, dolphinfish, al kindas of cool stuff. It is made of fiberglass and has all sorts of high tech devices on it. There is carmera looking inside the tank, O2 tanks, its own filter, heater, chiller, just about enerything for a tank, except for a calcium reactor. It is fixed to a trailor and can be hooked up to a big rig. The four million gallon pen is just a big net for the most part. It has a side walk so that you can walk around the whole thing. Small fish are free to come and go. It is anchored to the bottom of he ocean so it doesnt float off.

fishinchick: she is on display as we speek. The quarinteen (sp)facitlty we have is not large enough to house and animal such as a GWS. The million gallon tank was pretty much the only choice we had.

SDRotary619: she was cought of the coast of So Cal, in the Huntington Beach area in Orange County.

spleen93: When she went on display in the morning, we called all the press we usually do when we have something going on. There are usually 30 or 40 reports and their cameras. We had two show up for this press conference. Looks like others are going to be late on the story.

JumboShrip: there are a few reasons why GWS dont last on display. Most aquariums (us included back in 84) are contacted by fishermen that have captured one in their nets and offer it to us. More than likely all the aquariums and zoos that have had them were totally unprepared. Taking an amazing animal from the ocean to straight to a tank, really isnt the best idea without giving it limited space first. That is why we started out with a large pen, and kept shrinking it, to see if it would react well.

[wonrib00]

everyone can lear more about it here (http://montereybayaquarium.org/news/Default.asp?bhcp=1)

You can also see the tank she is in at this site (http://montereybayaquarium.org/efc/efc_hp/hp_obw_cam.asp)

The tank she is in has the camera inside the exhibit. The music that you hear is actaully playing when you are looking at the exhibit itself. You will see her swim by periodically, but the best picture you will see is the turtles' butt. The picture is not the best in the world as it is in a pretty dark tank. The picture to the left of the binoculars is the main viewing window that is 52' across and seamless, no braces inbetween the sheets of acrylic.

[pi]

Congrats! Cannot wait to see the pics!

[sesegal99]

Here'e the article.......





A young great white shark took a historic chomp out of a salmon fillet at Monterey Bay Aquarium on Wednesday, becoming the first of the fearsome and fascinating predators to eat in captivity outside the ocean.

News of the shark snack came as aquarium researchers were briefing reporters about the arrival Tuesday evening of the 4-foot-4-inch, 62-pound female in the million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit. The veteran scientists reacted with the thrill of proud parents as a throng of staffers cheered.

"Wow!" said Randy Hamilton, the aquarium's vice president for animal husbandry. "It doesn't get any better than that.''

Their reaction was a mixture of pride and relief, because all previous attempts to hold great whites in captivity have ended with swift starvation or release of the shark. The longest a great white has survived in an aquarium is 16 days.

Monterey aquarium officials say it's critical that they be able to study a shark in captivity, to unlock the mysteries of a powerful predator threatened with extinction and to counter the pop image of the great white as a monstrous eating machine.

"If we succeed in the long-term exhibit of a white shark, we can raise awareness about the threats they face and mobilize public support for white shark conservation,'' said Cynthia Vernon, head of the aquarium's conservation programs. "Given the way white sharks have been demonized in popular culture, a change in public attitude is critical if we want to assure their survival.''

No one was suggesting that great whites are cuddly creatures.

"This is the only shark species in California responsible for attacking human beings,'' said John McCosker, a senior scientist at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and a leading expert on great whites.

However, McCosker added, "What I have discovered in my career is that the more people understand about white sharks, the more they . . . demystify them, the more people's children demand that we protect these animals -- even though they are dangerous to deal with.

"There was a time when we started in this business when the only good shark was a dead shark,'' he said. Now, he added, researchers know that such predators are vital to "keeping the ocean in a much better, healthier state. Where the great whites have disappeared, the whole ecosystem has collapsed like a house of cards.''

Researchers hope the Monterey aquarium's great white will help them understand how sharks feed -- and possibly why they mistake surfers and divers for seals. "We'll understand their behavior and be able to more to predict what it is that makes them tick, so we're not on their menu,'' McCosker said.

For now, however, the aquarium's top priority is to ensure the immediate survival of the year-old great white -- aquarium officials aren't giving it a cutesy name -- which is the only one in captivity in the world.

For two years, aquarium researchers have been tagging young great whites with electronic monitors off Southern California in an effort to learn more about their behavior and breeding habits. The tagging yielded the surprising finding that some great whites -- long considered coastal homebodies -- journey thousands of miles from California to Hawaii.

In July 2003, Monterey researchers captured another small female and kept it in a large, netted pen off Malibu for five days, where they had the rare success of getting the shark to feed in captivity before it was released.

The shark now on exhibit in Monterey was accidentally netted by halibut fishermen off Huntington Beach (Orange County) on Aug. 20. It was transferred to the aquarium's ocean pen for three weeks until researchers were convinced it was feeding and healthy enough to be trucked north in a 3,000-gallon tank- on-wheels.

"The well-being of this animal is very, very important to us,'' said aquarium veterinarian Michael Murray, who told of pulling the truck over on the freeway to make sure the shark was OK. Even now, aquarium staffers are baby-sitting the shark around the clock.

Several researchers said Monterey scientist David Powell, who has been involved in four unsuccessful attempts to exhibit great whites over four decades, has hit upon a possible breakthrough for achieving their survival in captivity.

After the frustration of watching apparently healthy sharks refuse to feed, Powell decided that the creatures were being stressed by immediate transfer from accidental capture in a fishing net to an aquarium.

He came up with the idea of a halfway house for great whites, placing them in the ocean pen until they adapted and began feeding.

"Needless to say, I am really delighted with the result that we've got now,'' Powell said.

The young shark hardly seemed a fierce hunter Wednesday as it glided around the giant Outer Bay exhibit. When voracious, 300-pound bluefin tuna zoomed like torpedoes for squid dumped into the tank by staffers, the shark dived for the safety of the bottom.

Officials said they don't expect the shark to eat its fellow tank residents, because other varieties of shark in captivity tend to prefer already killed fish to hunting for themselves. On Wednesday, the great white scarfed nearly two pounds of salmon from a pole held by an aquarium staffer.

"It certainly isn't as frightening as the movies,'' said Robert Beck, a retired teacher visiting from Buffalo, N.Y. "She's just a baby.''

[wonrib00]

I found a better part on our website that shows some video (http://montereybayaquarium.org/cr/whiteshark.asp) the links are to the right of the page and at the top.

[WifesaysImnuts]

That's one of the coolest things I've ever read. Congratulations.

[CH]

Very, very cool! Hopefully I can make the trip down next month when I'm in San Francisco.
Congrats!

[grigsy]

awesome. cant wait to go to Monterey to check it out.

[williams-crist]

I must say that I'm slightly jealous. It sounds like you have the coolest job!

Don't get me wrong I love my job. But I love marine biology, love fish and love to learn!

Congrats! Keep up the good work and remember your working hard for all of us wannabes!

[wonrib00]

Thanks everyone for the kind words you have given, and thanks for the best wishes. Everyone at the aquarium is very excited about it was well. Ya, I have prolly one for the best jobs in the world. I get to walk around the Holly Gounds of the MBA and talk to guests about different exhibits, adn I get paid to do it!!! Ya, its ok. One thing that I didnt mention about this whole ordeal is that if the animal ever starts to look like she is not going to make it, we will determine if she can make it on her own in the wild and release her if at all possible. We have released a number of animals and they all have done very well. Main reason for this is, very little human contact.

[gqjeff]

AWESOME sums it all up....

[bgoode]

Congrats! This has been a dream for many people for a long time. I just hope that she continues to feed so that scientists can learn more about her and the public will learn that she isnt the deadly killer Jaws has made Great Whites out to be. I only wish this had happened a few years ago when I lived closer to the aquarium.

[Entropy]

Very cool! It looks like a trip to the aquarium is in order very shortly! Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work!

[vester_72]

Is that size exhibit large enough to hold the shark when it reaches 16-18ft?

I ask because i am very curious and would love the opportunity to see a full-grown White Shark someday. . . without going to South Africa :)

[sagitariuscbc]

sorry if this has already been posted.
a small video clip can be found here.
http://cbs5.com/news/local/2004/09/15/Great_White_Shark_on_Display_in_Monterey.html

[donald altman]

wow... Me and the Wife are going to take our first anniversary honeymoon to SanFran.. you can Bet that the MBA will be on our tour lists.

[downset]

you made yahoo news!!!!

[Fishers]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040916/ap_on_sc/great_white_shark

This is a link to the story.

[FalsePerc]

Congrats on the shark! Keep us updated!

[Rendos]

That is awesome! I hope she lives a long life...I know she is in the best of care.

[Scuba Dog]

I have always loved and been fasinated with the montery bay aquarium, Have been going there off and on for over ten years now, and I live in Arkansas! Also i have dove those waters often and it was always in the back of my mnind that a GWS might be looking at with couriosisty what a funny looking seal lol, well I wish you the best of luck with the shark....and Im wondering if you have had any divers voulenteer to clean that tank yet lol

[Dz99ls]

very cool i hope all goes well this could be an awsome learning experience

[Johnsteph10]

Congrats....now get past the 2 week point and it will be historic!! Good luck!

[Pez Vela]

Just another video clip......

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/news/Default.asp?bhcp=1

Mike

[Gerard Alba]

Well cool.

[fishdoc11]

Congrats! Very cool, I hope she keeps eating well and yes I released the little bull in my avatar.
Chris

[BM15]

thats awsome iam going to check her out tomorrow.
thanks for the info

[yessongs]

Great job wish you success. IMO lamnoid sharks dont do well in captivity.
Good Luck!

[wonrib00]

bgoode We dont want her to just live in the exhibit, we want her to thrive, and so far she is doing so. (Getting up on soapbox) That is the mission of the aquarium, to inspire conservation, no matter what animal it is. Sharks, espically the GWS have a very bad rep. Just to throw a number at everyone, last year there were about 10 deaths due to shark attacks. In the same year, there were over 150 people that died from falling coconuts.

vester_72 It is very unlikely that we will keep her that long, at least that is how it looks right now. The exhibit is about 65 feet across at the longest point. But we could have a whole new wing dedicated to her ;)

sagitariuscbc Thanks for that clip, I had not seen that one before. The guy in the bowtie is like the most respected and most knowledgeable shark researcher in the world, or something along those lines. This funny thing is, if you look on the tunabego, they chipped the aquarium logo off the side of it before they went down south.

Scuba Dog Well you can put your nerves at ease, because we only get the big ones up in Monterey, and the juveniles stay down in So Cal. It is funny, about half of our voulenteer divers are not wanting to go in that tank anymore, the other half cant wait to get in the tank. I am not sure how we are going to do the cleaning, but something will be worked out, very soon.

donald altman My I recommend that you come on a week day if at all possible? We are anticipating a very lasrge number of people on the weekends for a long time. :lol:

[keithr]

congrats!! my fiancee had sent me that article yesterday. we already bought our tix online and will be down there on sunday to see her. can't wait.

[MargaritaMan]

And I just watched the "sharks under glass" in High Def last night that mentioned that project. Glad to hear it was successful. So when does the Moorish Idol project start? MM

[Scuba Dog]

wonrib00

LOL Im sorry I ment that i did all my diving in montery , a few sites in the bay actually and out at point lobos, Glad to hear that this project is doing well, i hate it that i mised out , was there last may and the 1st of june, might be a year or two before I can make it back down that way..a day or two of diving goofing off at the aquarium, and then heading of for the traditional bucket of boat trash at bubba gumps, actually its the carmel wheat microbrew that keeps me going back there....

[wonrib00]

MargaritaMan I am willing to start the Morish Idol project any time we can get a lot of memebers to donate funds ;)

I tried to get some pictures tonight, but there are just too many people to get a decent one. I will be going to work early tomorrow to avoid the crowds. We have lifted the no photography policy and she has responded very well. We were afraid taht the flashes would make her turn twards the flash, making her hit her nose on the acrylic, but this did not happen once.

A funny story about feeding on Thursday. We are using a long piece of bamboo with the salmon steaks at the end. On Thursday, the GWS bit down on the steak, taking some of the bamboo with it! Now I dont know how many of you hvae ever tried to break bamboo, but when you snap it over you knee, it splinters. When a GWS bites down on it, it breaks clean off! SO she had this pices of bamboo sticking out of the side of her mouth and it looked stuck. I can not repeat the things that were said by the husbandry staff as this is a very family orientated environment, but they were displeased. It took them just a couple of minutes to net her and take the bamboo out of her mouth (everyone still has their fingers and hands). So they tried to feed her right after the ordeal, and she accepted food right away. The plan as it stands right now is to feed once in the morning and once in the afternoon. She has continued to feed every day since we got her, and the husbandry staff is watching her every 15 minutes of the day, around the clock. She is in great hands.

[wonrib00]

Scuba Dog I have never been diving in this area, I am honestly too afraid of what I cant see. But I agree about the bucket of boat trash. Havent visited any brewerys here locally. When you are in town next time, next round is on me...:D

[skylsdale]

Hm. Not sure why I don't share everyone's excitement in this whole thing...

[Scuba Dog]

wonrib00

Cool we will definitly have to do that...Used to have some divemaster buddys around there, but i think some might have moved on up north to british colomba for the diving.......but Ill check with my wife and see when out next trip is out west...since we both still have family in the area there....

[MikeG]

Is the shark swimming "normally?" From my limited knowledge, GWS are thought to be very sensitive to electromagnetic fields. So much so that the re-bar in the cement walls of the tank confuse the fish to a point where they cannot avoiding swimming into it. The fish becomes injured, refuses food, and wastes away.

I not sure if this theory has been disproved. I hope it has and that you, and others, are successful in studing this fish before it becomes too late. I believe this misunderstood animal is being over-fished, and we do not yet understand what our actions will entail.

Best of luck,

[orion80]

I have been fasinated by sharks my whole life and have seen how badly they have been demonized by the public, my fellow reefers and I all live in Regina,Saskatchewan,Canada, and we would all like to wish u and the staff at M. Bay all the best in your continued success of the GWS Project. HOpefully we can begin to learn all of their amazing secerts. I am sure u all will be praised in the history books. So keep up the good wrk, and when playing with sharks, play safe, LOL

Adie
Regina,Saskatchewan, Canada

[wonrib00]

skylsdale You are not alone in not being too thrilled about the situation. I too shared your concerns when we got the animal. My dilema was a little bit different in the fact that I would not be able to be excited about it with a guest as ALL the GWS in the past have died. But after seeing her eat in both the pen and in the exhibit, and seeing her swimming normally, I know that she will be ok. Like I said, our husbandry staff is taking notes every 15 minutes around the clock to ensure her well being. Not to sound like someone who is trying to convince you that ithis is the best thing under the sun as you are definately entitled to your opinion, but you should really contact the aquarium. Our Public Relations Department wants to hear from those that are not completely comfortable with the idea of it all or even just the project. The Monterey Bay Aquarium takes care of all the animals on exhibit no matter the animal. We have a surgical vet on staff and has done many procedures on a lot of our animals. You can call M-F 8-5:30 831-648-4800.

MikeG This where we get into the learning part of the project. How does a GWS swimm? What is "normal" swimming for her? Honestly we really dont know. We have a good idea as we have had a few in the pen before this one and studied their swimming, among the countless other things. She is displaying the same swimming patterns/activities that the other GWS in the pen were displaying as well. I asked the very same question about the electromagnetics. Truth is, on that we really dont know either. We are leaning more twards the fact that they are not affectd by it as much as we thought, and this is the reasoning behind that: When she was in the pen (displaying the same type of swimming behaviors as the other GWS) we were watching her swimming closely. From what we saw then to what we have seen now, there is no difference. She has not been rubbing against the acrylic or the tiles at all. She comes close to it, but she sees it and has avoided both so far. Could it be the design of the tank? Maybe. Could it be that she is young and will become more suseptiable to that sort of thing later in life? Maybe. We dont know the answer to a lot of those questions for now. But all are reasons why we are taking part in this project, and hopefully she will be with us for a very long time so we can answer them.

[MikeG]

Thanks for answering my questions, and best of luck in your research.

[yessongs]

If and when its metabolism begins to shut down can it be released in time?

[bgoode]

So does she have a name yet?

[wonrib00]

yessongs That is obviousaly a major concern for us. That is why we are watching how much she eats. If her health does go down hill, she is a short drive to the So Cal area. If the husbandry staff feels that there is nothing we can do for her and a drive to So Cal is out of the question, and the only way that we know she will live, we will roll her out the back door and into the ocean. In our bay there are all kinds of animals that would be very suitable for her to eat.

bgoode SHe does not have a name yet, and they are not going to give her a name. I am glad becasue when ever I name any of my fish, no matter how long I have had it, they awlays die within a week of nameing it.

[Razing Kane]

allready planning the trip.

[yimmerz]

what guy in the bowtie? MBA already has Moorish Idols and they do fine

[NewSchool04]

What do you plan on learning about a Great White Shark that is 4 foot long and living in an aquaurium that we don't know already? I'm not part of the tang police but if there was a GWS police, I think they might be knocking at the tank right now. This is simply a ploy to get people to come to the aquarium and see something that shouldn't be there. You and all the people at Monterey should be ashamed of your selves. When this shark dies in the next . . . ? . . .days/months, then what type of article are you going to write?
Explain to me why this is necessary, how a 4 foot GWS in an aquarium can help science in any way? What are you looking for, what secrets will this unfold?
Pure marketing and $$$$ is what I say and I think it's sick!
I'm going to say it one more time. . You should all be ashamed at what you're doing!

[Kolbenschlag]

NewSchool,

While I agree with the fact that the aquarium is going to make a lot of money, I do not buy your argument that money is the only motivation for this project. I don't think that's a fair assumption to make.

Also, I see no reason why professionals studying an animal in the name of science should be ashamed of themselves. And this is not just any animal this is a great white shark, one of the most mysterious and intriuging marine animals. Not much is known about them, and hopefully, this can provide some insight into how they live.

As to what secrets this might unfold, well, time will tell, if any at all. The goal of science, however is to gather information about the world that we live in. I'm sorry but as long as the animal is not being harmed, I cannot see how that is wrong.

That being said, if the shark becomes sick or stops accepting food, it should be released back to it's natural environment. This is a world famous aquarium we're talking about and I'm sure they have people who know well enough how to take care of this shark. If they sense a problem, they will act, either by trying to correct it, or releasing the animal.

wonrib00
--Being a marine biology major, I am really excited to see how this plays out. I wish the you and the aquarium the best of luck in this project, hope everything goes smoothly.


andrew

[spleen93]

newschool4 - then how do YOU propose that we learn more about GWS?? It's very difficult to study GWS in the wild. As they have mentioned numerous times, if they see a decline in the shark's health, they are prepared to release the shark back into the wild. How are we going to learn more about this type of shark without studying them more? Honestly, this type of outrage from someone who keeps aquariums seems a little misplaced.

Spleen

[maxxII]

NewSchool,
Sharks are being studied for an enourmous number of reasons, from ecological to medical (for humans) to environmental etc....
Studying these animals can help in dealing with them in their own environment, and how they interact and effect our environment in return. Nobody disputes the fact that these are apex predators, however what isnt known about them is significantly more than what IS known about them. Hopefully this will allow the marine science community to learn much much more about these animals.
Yes, there probably will be an increase in MBA visitor traffic, and slightly higher revenues as a result, and there will be bragging rights for a little while. But, if think that these are the only reasons for attempting to keep this shark, your sadly mistaken. I doubt very seriously that MBA is anywhere close breaking even on what they've laid out in expenses for this lil venture. you think your tank is expensive...how about trying to buy the truck mounted tunabego???
Look at it this way....
When people first started keeping corals in an aquarium, very few people were successful. It was incredibly expensive, and alot of folks said they should just be left alone in the wild. Because nobody knew how to do it, and what the animals requirements were. Now we have people growing their own corals in green houses in their own back yard. I can buy corals that have never been in the ocean from either coast to put in my tank here in the midwest! All of this has happened BTW in ther last 15 years, because of people studying, researching, and documenting what they found.
MBA will publish their results, and findings so that other aquariums and scientists can pick up the torch and run with the knowledge so that successful studies can be completed.
So before you go trolling for big response, think a little beyond your own boundries.

:)
Nick

[bizneil]

honestly newschool04 you should be ashamed at yourself for being completely oblivious to whats going on around you. oceans and reefs are dying, largely in part by our (humans) naive ways. why WOULDN'T you want to know every thing there is to know about any given species, so that in the event of them completly dying out and being wiped from the face of the planet, you couldnt atleast ATTEMPT to introduce more animals of the species into nature. we need to look at the big picture here. and as much as my heart BLEEDS at the thought of us gambling (?) with this young GWS' life, imagine what we will learn from it in order for us to help not only the GWS, but other shark species as well, to multiply, and truly thrive (although it looks like they have everything pretty much mapped out as best they can, in case of any emergency where the shark's health and well being is at stake). ANYWAYS, i wish this project the best in its search for knowledge and the WELL-BEING of creatures they take under their wing. ignore the pious babble of those incoherant 'accusers'.

[Scuba Dog]

Im definitly interested in the GWS project at MBA...its a fine instution 1st class IMO the premere aquarium I have had the privilege to visit over the years and I ahve been to some nice ones, moody gardens the aquarium of the americas also....and as a diver , especally one the dives the Home waters of the GWS it would be good to get some more knoledge of this apex preditor...I have been in kelpf forrests off of montery and its always in my mind that Im Swimming around in there backyard...just would liket o see one up close , but I would rather not be in a cage dive where there bated in..

[wonrib00]

NewSchool04 I honestly do feel your frustration, like I said before, I had a hard time with this whole project. But you kind of responces are the ones that we want. We hear from all the people that are for it, we also want to hear from those that are not. There has been an increase in admission in the first week we have had her on display. But as a non-profit organization that means very little for the pople that are on the board of trustees (as most are already rich) or to the employees. The only thing that the increased revanue is going to do is to allow us todo more research on other things that are in the ocean. I hope that clears up the financial part. As far as what we can learn from a four foot shark...what do you know about a four foot GWS? We dont know much more, which is why we are doing it. From about the age of two to about the age of 10 there is even less information on the GWS. Most research has been done on the adults. We at the aquarium have always been on the forefront of marine biology greatness. We are able to keep animals that others can not. The funny thing is in the same tank with the GWS, there are Ocean Sunfish (we were the first to keep them successfully), Galapagos Shark Only two on display in the world outside of Hawaii, we have both), and tuna (only other aquarium in the world that has them on display in in Japan). So take solice in he fact that we do take great care of our animals. Like I said in a previous post, please contact our RP department.

yimmerz There is a clip on our website that I had posted earlier that shows a guy in a bowtie that is very excited. Their is currently no Morish Idol project in the works at MBA. The ones you may be refering to in the 900 gallon reef tank in the Splash Zone are Bannerfish/Poor mans Morish Idol.

spleen93 Dont forget about aquaculture.

I dont want this to turn into a bashing thread, PLEASE. There are two kinds of pople in the world it seems, there are those that are in favor for keeping a GWS, and those that are not in favor of it. That is what RC is all about getting different idea out in the open. Please do not Flame someone because of thier beliefs. I know that what was said was not really aimed dircetly at me, but aimed at the idea of keeping the GWS. His opinion, however unpopular it has been up to this point on this thread, is still his opinion, and our PR department still wants to talk to anyone that has any problem with this project at all. We are expecting criticism(SP?), that helps in the long run to be more open to both sides of the issue.

[SilverShark]

Wow, I think that is amazing. wonrib00 - I hope things work out very well and the shark continues to thrive.

The Great White being my favourite animal (well fish) delights me to hear that one is doing well in captivity. It gives people the chance to see such an amazing creature without having to go on special dives or to watch movies and I would love the opportunity to see one in real life.

Please post some photos as soon as you can. :)

[invincible569]

That is good news!!!! I did hear about this before and am really happy that its staying alive. I know they are hard to keep. Capturing a great white is just like any other animal. We try to understand its course of life and needs for better survivability. And also for us to prevent human death.

Dont feel ashamed for the trophy you guys have. A lot of people on here tend to be ignorant and never want to learn new things. Thats just something you have to put up with. Dont stop any of your goals because someone doesnt FEEL good about it. They are not professionals with great whites. Heck, Im sure they've killed corals and fish in their tank.. hypocrite? Better yet, ask them to visit Sea World and ask them to let all their fish/animals go back into the wild. LOL

Education people, Education!! Dont be ignorant.

[NewSchool04]

Nothing can convince me that this is right. What can be learned by keeping a GWS in this type of environment? This shark will die, and will die soon and the one thing that will sure to be learned is that you can't keep a GWS in captivity. Problem is that it's already been tried, many times all without success. Big ego's under the name of science equals dead GWS.

[invincible569]

Originally posted by NewSchool04
Nothing can convince me that this is right. What can be learned by keeping a GWS in this type of environment? This shark will die, and will die soon and the one thing that will sure to be learned is that you can't keep a GWS in captivity. Problem is that it's already been tried, many times all without success. Big ego's under the name of science equals dead GWS.

Whats your point? Go talk to your local fish market and tell them to stop selling seafood! Get over it.

[odoprelude]

The difference between MBA and the past attempts in keeping a GWS is that MBA has already taken all precautions and used the past experiences to avoid any detriment to the animal. I mean if the MBA can't properly care for a GWS, no one can. I rest easily in the thought that the shark will be cared for with it's health being held in the highest regard. I say congrats to the staff at MBA and hope that we can learn a lot of this elusive apex predator.

[njmar1]

I agree. Definitely a worthwhile project, and I hope that it works out. Education for the public is also key to reducing the destruction of this species.

[bgoode]

NewSchool04-
There are many things that can be learned from this shark. Metabolic rates, growth rates, and behavior to name a few. Yes, many other people have tried too do this before, but MBA has learned something from each one of these attempts. The outer bay exhibit that she is in was designed so that things that were problematic with previous gws exhibits are no longer a problem. The MBA is al about education, not profits. Like wonrib00 said, it is a nonprofit organization. They have nothing to gain from this except knowledge and maybe some bragging rights. The people that are watching this shark are some of the best aquarists/scientists around. If they sense that anything has changed, behaviorally or if she doesn't take a salmon steak, I'm sure they will release her. Nobody has anything to gain letting her die on exhibit. That is the last thing that will happen.

[onefin]

Wow let us know would love to see pictures.

[goddard123]

What are MBA's specific research objectives and what are the specific questions that they are going to ask? And more importantly, what specific actions will this new found information allow them to take. It would be nice for the public to hear this information and would show a commitment to the scientific process.

-Rachel

[maxxII]

Originally posted by NewSchool04
Nothing can convince me that this is right. What can be learned by keeping a GWS in this type of environment? This shark will die, and will die soon and the one thing that will sure to be learned is that you can't keep a GWS in captivity. Problem is that it's already been tried, many times all without success. Big ego's under the name of science equals dead GWS.

Well, there is no point in bothering to explain the facts, Newschool04 has obviously made up his/her mind what the truth really is.
I honestly dont have an issue with your beliefs, its a free country. My eyebrows are raised by how rabidly you posted them. Histrionic zealots tend to cause people to move to a comfortable, (safe) distance and avoid further discussion with them.
I would recommend in the future that you try to present your views in a less emotional or strident tone, that way you don't alienate your audience immediately and you can be a more successful voice for a differing viewpoint. Just a few pointers.
Nick

[spleen93]

Agreed. And my comments were not intended to be a flame - more like confused as to where this viewpoint was coming from. People DO certainly have the right to voice their opinion but at the same time, others have the right to take exception to those voiced opinions and ask for clarification. :)

The aquaculture point is a good one but if we're being honest with ourselves, this hobby still relies on wild caught/harvested specimens to a great deal. Luckily, that's changing slowly ...

Spleen

[wonrib00]

NewSchool04 I am not trying to convince anyone what we are doing it right or wrong. I am just trying to keep people informed about what we are doing and the progress of the GWS and the project itself. Unless your name is Yoda and you live in the Degobah System, you can not see its fate, none of us can. For the hundreth time, the animals well being is our main focus. You have already written her off as a gonner when she is doing so much better than any GWS in the history of the world has ever done in captivity. (Getting back up on soapbox) The funny thing about it is, the seafood that you are eating has a lot product called bi-catch. Bi-catch is the sealife that is not the target of the catch, but usually dies for a number of reasons. Bi-catch can be aything in the ocean, sharks, tuna, seastars, turtles. How do you think we got our GWS. BI-CATCH. What does that tell you? More GWS are being killed needlessly every day from bi-catch, than by aquariums. While we are at it, where do you get your livestock from?

goddard123 This is a link with a few general (http://montereybayaquarium.org/cr/whiteshark.asp) things we are trying to do. This is anoter link (http://montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_whiteshark/whiteshark_conservation.asp) , But the thing that we are tyring to get across as well is these are not the human eating machines that everyone portrays them as. Too many Jaws movies. Have they preyed on humans, sure. If you are looking for a numbered list, I dont know that one exists, except for the obvious ones that people have already mentioned. You may want to contact our PR department, they may have some information that I dont have. Our mission statement is to insipre conservation of the worlds oceans. So we are hoping to inspire to choose seafood that is not as harmful as other options. When an apex perdator is taken out of the wild, there is an unbalanced shift in the food chain. We learned this with wolves a number of years ago.

spleen93 Ditto. I try to get aquaculture when possible, but in a the case of a GWS, you just cant find them in the LFS, and we dont want to get on to that subject here, do we?

[Tahoe Ocean]

well, I think the project is worth my donations that I make every year as a member of the Mont. Bay Aq. We have the family membership and you can bet we're going to do our darndest to get there and see her. Awesome!

[keithr]

i went and saw her today. absolutely amazing. she looks extremely healthy. think we even saw her eat a bit today. the shark gave everyone plenty of opportunity to see her, swimming back and forth in front of the glass for a long time. seems to know she's a star.

we got some decent pics and i'll post them in a bit.

[wonrib00]

Here she is....

[wonrib00]

:) One more time....

[wonrib00]

ok, so im an idiot, will have a small enough file tommorow....

[krel23]

shark

yesterday, i took a trip down to mbay aquarium. as soon as i walked in through the member entrance, i went straight for the outer bay exhibit. i maneuvered pass the jellyfish exhibit and was welcomed to the sight of about 100 people crowding the 1 million gallon tank.

I busted out my digital camera and was set to take pictures of the great white. I've been a huge fan of sharks and other aquatic life for a long time. And i knew that my only real chance to see a white shark was either diving off the faralon islands or perhaps travelling to s.Africa to witness "breeching" behavior.

For a long while, i didn't really see the shark. I saw lots of yellowfin tuna. some baracuda. a new suprise was the addition of 2 baby mola (ocean sunfish). My previous visit left me dissapointed when i discovered that their 800 lb resident mola was removed from the exhibit. But these two little delights were quite a treat.

Finally, after about 15 minutes of waiting around. i saw her.

The shark was characterized by her white nose. and graceful posture. she was cruising. even at a meager 4 feet 4 inches, she looked awesome. her white underbelly contrasted to her gray gave her such a huge presence. As she swam by, dozens of cameras went off. everyone wanted to see Mbay's new princess.

I was esctatic.

I must have been on my tip toes for a good half hour. overall, i snapped about 30 pictures of the shark. But only 3 came out decently. I was a newbie with my digital camera and was still messing with the flash settings.

my best pictures of her. enjoy

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v487/krel23/DSC00303.jpg">

[heedicus]

frel23
thanks for that shot, wow what a incredible animal!
Go MBA you guys rock!
tren

[wonrib00]

Heres our little girl...I hope....

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/33198shark-low.jpg

[gatohoser]

Hey sorry Nathan i just noticed this thread after posting about it myself! Man is she awesome. I saw her feed today. She really hits that water with some power but shes still too small to compare to those gigantic tuna you got! Couldnt believe that feeding frenzy could create waves for so long in 1 million gallon tank lol.

[dbrown]

is she still eating?

[wonrib00]

Hey Carlos, whats happening? All is well, dont give it a second thought. I am so inept at posting pics on this site. I will hopefully have some good pics tomorrow as I can have access to the exhibit when no one else is around.

[wonrib00]

[B]dbrown Yes she is still eating. She did not feed on Saturday, mostly because she is a little pig and ate so much the previous days. She didnt eat this moring, but she did this afternoon.

[invincible569]

Originally posted by wonrib00
[B]dbrown Yes she is still eating. She did not feed on Saturday, mostly because she is a little pig and ate so much the previous days. She didnt eat this moring, but she did this afternoon.

How long has it been now? Has she been in captivity longer than 14 days? Was the last 14 day shark eating too?

[niko5]

Wow that is awsome I hope I can go out there and see that some day.

I dident see anyone else ask but im curious.. how long did it take to drip acclimate her?

[mmmmsushi]

That is one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. Too bad she's 3000 miles away.

I'm curious if the Great white would have such popularity if it wasn't for 'Jaws'. I think she would just be another shark to most people.

Also is there a White shark? As opposed to a GWS? Is there a Great Blue shark as well as a Blue shark? Was the Great added on as they started to scare the crap out of people? Or perhaps the Great was always part of the name and white was really the optional word because, Great Big Shark sounded dumb?:D

[yessongs]

wonrib00, Those are great pics. How much does a 4' GW eat a day?

[wonrib00]

invincible569 SHe was put into the tank last Tuesday for display on Wednesday. So I think they are starting the counting on Tuesday. The record is 16 days. This is the first GWS to ever feed in captivity, which is why we are all so excited.

niko5 We didnt have to drip acclimate her at all. SHe was in a holding pen out in the ocean. This is going to be off subject for a second here. The really cool thing about the MBA is that it is a semi-open system. We suck water right out of the ocean. Maker water changes so much easier. We bring in water at the rate of 2000 gallon a minute during night time. During the day we turn of the pumps going to the ocean and recirculate the water as it has a lot of nutients in it. If you ever come in the morning and look at the Kelp Forrest exhibit you will notice that it is very merky looking. When we bring the water in, it goes right into that exhibit and then overflows to all the other exhibit from there. The Water to the million gallon tank is heated to 68 degrees (So Cal water temp). So there wasnt too much to be worried about. I am sure that the water perameters were not exact with So Cal water, but I am sure that the aquarist had that in mind when they put her into the tank.

mmmmsushi Right now she is concerned to be a White Shark. I think that with age comes Greatness. I dont know the name they were using before Jaws came out, maybe Peter Benchley can better answer that question. Too bad he is not on this forum...A funny part about it is, if you look at her, she is prodominantly blcak/gray on top, (kinda hard to tell from my crappy pic) which is why she can disapear in that tank so well. Like that stated earlier by krel23 (great pic BWT), didnt see her for 15 minutes, that is not uncommon.

[wonrib00]

yessongs She has eaten about 8 lbs total since we have gotten her. She is being offered food twice a day, and if she is hungry, she eats, if not someone else gets the food. Is eight pounds the average for a GWS to eat, not sure, one of the many question we want to answer. But for an animal that is only 62 lbs (when she went on exhibit), kinda seems like a lot to me over a 6 day run.

[mmmmsushi]

Thanks wonrib00. So she's considered a White shark..

As far as 'Jaws' goes I'm sure the Great White name was around before the movie. It's the popularity that goes along with the name that people know now. Even those folks that know nothing about the ocean know what a Great White Shark is. Heads perk up and people think... oh.. dangerous.

Not that we'd be able to answer it here... But... Would this GWS (does she have a name?) be so popular if the 'Jaws"movies hadn't created a star out of a species of animals. Without Peter Benchley, the white shark would just be a shark to most people.

[yessongs]

Over a pound a day. Seems like a lot, i hope it is.
You said its the only GW to eat in captivity, i thought there was a small GW back in the late 60s that was eating live snapper.

[SilverShark]

Thanks for them photos, really wish I could come see her :(

[Mark]

I think the biggest benefit to such a display is that it generates interest, compassion, and support from the community for an animal that has been demonized in literature and film. Great Whites are dwindling, and such a display could bring about awareness.

[invincible569]

Originally posted by Mark
I think the biggest benefit to such a display is that it generates interest, compassion, and support from the community for an animal that has been demonized in literature and film. Great Whites are dwindling, and such a display could bring about awareness.

Excellent point!!

[maxxII]

Definately very impressive. Glad to hear that she's still eating and doing well.
Nick

[wonrib00]

mmmmsushi She does not hav e aname, and will not have a name. There are other animals that do have names at the aquarium, but they are a lot easier to replace if something happens to them. My thought is, here at home all my fish do well until I give them a name, no matter how long I have had them. Once I give it a name, gone in a week. All GWS start out as White Sharks, people just add the "great" later in the sharks life.

yessongs I have heard the same thing, but I dont know if it is ture or not. I know that ours is the only one to ever feed on perpared foods for sure.

Mark And that is where the conservation message we are tying to send to our guests comes in.

I forgot to bring my camera this morning, I will hopefully get some shots Wednesday.

[yessongs]

True or not im very happy the one in MBA is eating. I remember reading that story of the GW from the 60s a few years ago, this was the only info i could find earlier today.

"I am sure you already know the history of whites in captivity to date, so I won't go over old ground. Manly Marineland in Sydney probably had the best record of success even though it didn't set a record beyond 21 days (SeaWorld San Diego) [21 days not correct, should be 16 days, Mike Shaw personal communication April 2003 and Ian Gordon agrees]. In 1968 a fishing boat off Long Reef, Sydney caught a white shark by hook and line. It was a 2.3 mtr long male who fought the line hard and was eventually landed off long Reef Point in the early hours of the morning. The shark was dragged around to a sheltered beach called Brown Water where the fisherman contacted the aquarium manager. The shark was tethered to the boat while a truck was dispatched from the aquarium arriving about an hour later. The shark was dragged into the beach and shipped via road on the truck back to the aquarium in a open water tank with no filtration. This process took about 45 minutes, when arriving at the aquarium it was stretchered up two flights of stairs to the top of the aquarium, out of the water, and dumped into the top of the tank. The old (now demolished) Marineland tank was 2 stories high and 18 feet deep, holding approx, 1 million ltrs of water. It had a central artificial reef and multiple marine occupants ranging from turtles to Grey Nurse sharks.
With little diver help amazingly the shark started swimming around the aquarium with little problem avoiding the obstacles. The shark swam around happily in the tank for 7 days with no problem still avoiding the walls of the tank. This was amazing in itself as the construction of the tank was poor, with little distance between the aquarium walls and the steel reinforcing rods that supported the concrete structure. The window frames, 72 in all - 36 top and 36 bottom, posed an even greater electrical barrier, as they were glass internals bolted to the walls with an protected bronze frames.
After about 3 days the shark started feeding in captivity on live snapper that were plentiful in the aquarium. The divers started to be concerned with the apparent interest that the shark showed in them whilst in the water. After a reported close call by one of the divers , it was decided that the shark would have to go out of the aquarium. As no one was game to catch it, it was decided that the shark had to be power headed. It was advertised in the media ( remember this was the 60's ) that the killer shark was too dangerous and would have to be killed at a certain time on a particular day and sales went through the roof. On the fateful day 10 days into the shark's captivity a group of divers entered the water with power heads loaded. The shark took 7 shots before it died on the bottom of the aquarium. Although this sounds like a great pub yarn it actually happened and magazine articles ensued with the sharks death as headlines in 1968.
The shark was feeding and avoiding the walls of the aquarium which would have been leaching considerable electric interference. If it hadn't have been the bad old days of the 60's the shark may have survived for who knows how long in the aquarium".

[keithr]

Okay, here's my pics from yesterday. This is the first time I'm uploading pics to rc so it may take me a couple tries.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/8470whiteshark1.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/8470whitehark5.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/8470whiteshark3.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/8470whiteshark4.JPG

hope that worked.

[spleen93]

That's a very sad story ... :(

Keith - nice pics!

Spleen

[invincible569]

How long has she been in captivity now?

[niko5]

Whos the girl swimming up behind the shark? hehe

[wonrib00]

yessongs Thanks for the story. It is very unfortunate that with all the positive movements in the 60's, GWS research was not one of them. That is a good size as well, about seven feet. It sounds like we used a lot of methods they did as far as transportaion goes.

keithr Those are some great pics of her (no floks her eyes dont really glow):lol: You must have been down in that crowded mangled mess of people for a long time for pictures that good.

invincible569 I think they started the official counting last Tuesday (the 14th) as she was put into the tank that day for exhibit on Wednesday. So we are on day seven, and she is still feeding.

niko5 That is our of our volunteer guides. Our guides do a great job and we put them through a 16 week course to make sure they know what they are taking bout before they get to work on the floor. No one has actually been inside the tank yet since the GWS has been in there.

I am not sure if I have gone over how we are going to clean the inside of the tank yet ( as I have repeated this about 100 times in the last week), if I have I appologize in advance. Back when we had our Oceanic White Tip (the only one that has ever been on exhibit anywhere in the world) in that tank our divers had to be very careful around him/her. There would be two divers facing the glass cleaning, and one diver watching the shark. All three were at no more than a arms length away from eachother, and the diver in the middle had a long prod that was electrafied. If the shark made any agressive move or action twards the divers, it would get the business end of the prod. We never had to use it on her, but the divers safety was the obvious goal. ANY time a diver going into that tank, they are filmed by cameras at the top (not the grainy ones you see on the website) so if anything happens at all, we will know how to maybe prevent it from happening again.

[niko5]

Thats neat... but I sure wouldent want to be in there cleaning the tank with that white shark swimming around :)

How much other stuff is in that tank? are yall worried it will start eating other fish?

[wonrib00]

niko5 We have bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, californain barracuda, two seaturtles, palagic rays, ocean sunfish, soupfin sharks, galapagos sharks, hammerhead sharks, a school of anchovies and sardins, and pacific bonito. As of this second she is not picking on anything, and nothing is picking on her, both really good signs obviousally. As time goes on will she eat other fish in there? More than likely. With my position at MBA, I get monthly enrichments with one of the curators and it was broken down like this. The pacific bonito are a major part of the GWS meals when it is smaller. Our pacific bonito are too big for her to eat right now. Could she bite the hell out of one right now, you bet. If she wasnt eating, they were planning to go down south and pick up bait fish (bonito) that were small enough to eat. The anchovies and sardins are more of a waste of her time to eat, but the tuna, hammerheads, and baracuda seem to like them in there a whole lot!! We are hopeing to keep her fed well enough so she wont eat anything else in there, but predation is part of her genetic makeup. About three months ago when we were having an enrichment, we started asking questions about the GWS. The curator said "honestly if it comes between a pacific bonito and the GWS, bye bye bonito". It will get real interesting when she reached the age when she goes from fish to marine mammals...

[Scuba_Dave]

So, do you play the theme song from Jaws in the background? :D
Awesome shark, wish I was out there.
I've been diving in New England & I've run across 3 sharks that have been finned & tossed back to die. It's a sad sight :(
Havne't seen a live shark underwater up here, but have in the caribbean. One diver just about jumped on a shark as he was going of the boat - he never saw it
They are beautiful creatures!

[Scuba Dog]

Yeah I was wondering when the switch from feeding on fish over to mamals occures at what age size? And if the shark continues to do well and grow if MBA will build her a whole new exibit tank....one that would be reminisent to the local GWS habitat....

[wonrib00]

Scuba_Dave We do not play the Jaws music in the background. That is not really the message we want to get across with the addition of this animal. People for the most part are scared to death by this animal, and playing on thier fears is not a way for MBA to gian the acceptance of the GWS. We are still playing the same music that has been playing since we opened the exhibit back in 1996. Besides we have enough guests singing it for us anyway. :rolleyes: Its a no win situation sometimes. Oh well, one step at a time.

Scuba Dog One of the other questions we want to answer as well. Truth is we are not sure. What makes them go from fish to mammals? When does this occur? We dont know really. The Outer Bay wing we added back in 1996 cost $56 million, and that is a two story facility with a million gallon tank. I seriously doubt that we would make an enclosure just for her for a few reasons. First being that we dont have marine mammals to feed her, nor would we want to feed her. Second, that would be too costly. Third, we do own the land on the back side of the Outer Bay Wing (OBW), but in Monterey there is a construction freeze on Cannerey Row (where MBA is located). Plus the flow of people going around the million gallon tank would be a nightmare. More than likely, she will end up back out in the bay, away from the otters.

[dwake]

Great thread. Please keep the updates comming. One question. What happened to the Oceanic White Tip? I saw it about 3-4 years ago and was blown away you had one, then when we were up there earlier this year, noticed it was gone. What happened?

[wonrib00]

edit

[wonrib00]

dwake She developed a bacterial infection and eventually died. The husbandry team did all they could with giving her injection every day, but in the end she just couldnt hold on. Everyone was crushed. We had that animal on display for three years. All this happened back in November, or there abouts. Releasing her was not really an option because of the fear of spreading the bacteria to other animals in the wild.

[niko5]

wouldent it not be a good idea to get bate bonito to feed he that would just give her an idea to go for the big one :P either way if i was that shark ied have to be eyeing the tuna :P

Also wouldent it be bad to raise her there then put her back out in the ocean? could she still hunt and feed herself? would she come back home? :)

[wonrib00]

niko5 The only way we would encourage her to eat live food is if she stoped eating the salmon steaks. We hope to keep her well fed so she wont eat anything else in there. But that is not to say she wont be eating whatever she wants in that tank.
We have put a few animals back in the ocean. The most recent was the Ocean Sunfish, about a year ago now. On the side of the million gallon tank there is a pen that we can put any of the animals into. We put the Sunfish in that pen which is about 10 feet deep. Took a big net and a helicopter lifted the Sunfish out of the water and put it back in the ocean. Any animal we realease back into the ocean gets a tag so we can monitor where it swims and all sorts of other things. Animals that we release seem to adjust back to life in the ocean very easily.

[wonrib00]

Just found out that for our 20th anaversery we are going to have Peter Benchley signing some books and talking to guest as well. If anyone is interested he will be there Saturday October 23. He is going to be giving a speech on sharks, twice, once at 11 am and once at 1 pm. Of course they will be talking about our new addition as well I am sure. I have some pics of the "tunabego", the transport that brought the GWS to the aquarium, I will post them when I get home.

[wonrib00]

I found a picture of it, you can see it here (http://montereybayaquarium.org/aa/timelineBrowser.asp?tf=56) It gives you a little perspective on how big it really is.

[wonrib00]

I had mentioned how we removed the Ocean Sunfish, here is a link to the pic that was tanken when it was removed. (http://montereybayaquarium.org/aa/timelineBrowser.asp?tf=72)

[keithr]

thanks for the link to the pics and mba history.

can't believe the mola grew over 800 lbs in one year. and i was worried about putting on ten lbs. :)

[Aquaguru]

I can't wait for the things your going to learn while the GWS is in captivity. I just watched the vidoe on it feeding and it is an amazing creature and can't wait for things we're going to learn about it

Also are you feeding it anything else to it other than salmon steaks. And do you have a schedule for its feeding times.

[nbd13]

wait so is the great white still alive or what?

or is she sick?

thanks!

Nick

[wonrib00]

this is the tunabego...this is the way that our gws was transported to the facility
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/33198tunabegolow.jpg

heres our little girl again...
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/33198shark1low-med.jpg

[wonrib00]

heres her behind....before her fluke, her body widens out a lot like a tuna. A very distinct characteristic of a GWS. None of the other sharks in the exhibit are like this, they are all tapered.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/33198shark3low-med.jpg

[Meckel]

I went with Gatohoser last week and we got tons of pictures and videos of it swimming around. If I get time tomarrow I'll fiugre out how to post them all.
Also we got a cool behind the scenes tour of some of the aquarium. Went behind a random wall behind the jellyfish display and got to touch all the jellyfish swimming around.

[wonrib00]

Aquaguru Right now we are just feeding salmon. I am sure that we will vary that a little bit as time passes. We have actaully gone to a third device to feed her. The first one, she bite off some bamboo, the second one that I didnt talk about goes like this. They made a noose and put part of the steak in the noose, only bad thing about this is when she ate the steak, she got the noose as well. Good thing it was a cotton based fiber and posed no threat to her at all, even if she had swallowed it. The new feeding poll if a combo of the two previous ideas, where now there is a little bit of a lead so she wont be so close to the poll.

nbd13 I didnt work today, but as of yesterday she was in perfect health. I would have gotten a call by now if she was taken off exhibit.

If you look at the tunabego, there are two small windows that are covered up by doors. The aquarium logo was right inbetween the two doos, before they scraped it off. The last picture is a good shot, you can still see where the "umbilical chord" was, right inbetween the front of the pectoral fins. Since we are all up on our fish anatomy;) notice that there are no claspers, which makes it a female.

[pmipunisher]

congrats but im dissapointed if only i went there about 3 weeks later i would have seen it now i need to go back up there i also have my eyes set on being in marine biology and am working toward that goal im in 10th grade now and taking the hardest and most advanced science and math classes i can right now any suggestions to help me out on my way???

[gatohoser]

lol Meckel i already posted a thread. Go add your pictures onto it.

[wonrib00]

pmipunisher I can offer the same words of encouragement that everyone else can offer. I am going back to school as well. It is hard after being out of high school for almost 10 years and now going back. The Marine Biology field is very competitive. People will find a great job in that field and never leave. Our senior marine biologist at the aquarium has been there since the place opened, he just retired about four months ago, but still volunteers. If you plan on coming back up, let me know.

[toccata]

If I recall correclty didn't the Curator (forgot his name maybe scott) go on TV within the last 10 years on the Discovery Channel talking about a GWS the MBA had? If also recalled correctly didn't the exhibit have to be closed and the shark died? I will have to go back and try and research this, I just remember seeing this program.... How long does the MBA plan to hold the shark?

[sjfishguy]

I think this is great, the only concern I may have is if you have success with this one specimen, and it is really just luck, not really care, other aquariums are going to reproduce your results probably at the expense of many small whites.

By the way, the widening before the tale (often called the shark's keel) is not a distinct characteristic of great whites, but rather a characteristic of sharks in the family, including makos and porbeagles (probeagles actually have two keels). The one true characteristic that distinguish a white from other members of the family is its triangular teeth. Others have more ragged teeth. Just thought I would add a little more.

[blaze4300]

i really enjoy this thread and have one question. i know that itis natural seawater being pumped in but i am just really curious about the water parameters in the holding tank. i guess you guys already test for everything in that tank daily anyway and just wondering if you could post the results....

[Aquaguru]

I'm gald to here that it is takind to feeding in different ways, maybe this means that it is getting more comfortable in captivity and will be there for a long time in good health.

[pmipunisher]

thanks for your encouragement i dont think ill be up there anytime soon because its about a 5 hour drive from here and last summer i made my mom drive me out there just to see it so ill beg her to take me this summer good luck with your white shark

[wonrib00]

toccata I am not sure, we have three curators, two men and one woman, none by the name of Scott. It was a very bad decission by the old curator to even bring in the GWS we had back in '84. We are/were definately more prepared for it this time around. The GWS that we had the first time around was in out Monterey Bay Habitats tank, about 335,000 gallons. It is actaully made a figure eight shape. I am not sure abot it closing down, I will dig around a little and find out what I can and let you know. Right now we are on a day to day basis with her. If her health goes south for any reason what so ever and we can not do anything for her, we go to So Cal, no questions asked. The health of this animal is of the untmost importance not only to her, but to us as well as she is helping us learn from her.

sjfishguy We can not control what other aquariums do. If they ask how it was done, we will be honest with them. We feel as a conservation group that if there is another organization out there that can crack a code that we can not, so be it. This is not a race of who ever does it first does it right, it is a race against a great animal being wiped out, mostly because of a movie. In ten years would we like to be the ones to say "we are the main reason the GWS is in better shape now that it was then"? SUre we would, but our is the best that we know, and we are modifying it pretty much every day. About the tapering, I ment to say in our exhibit. The other sharks in there taper to the fluke, so when she swims over head, you can see the shadow and it looks like no other shark in the exhibit. Thanks for the clarification.

blaze4300 Which holding tank as you refering to? If you are taking about the four millin gallon pen, that was right in the ocean. Water, small fish, plankton, etc, could flow right through it. If you are refering to the transport that brought her up from So Cal, she was only in there for about 8.5 hours. We sucks water out of the ocean, in she went and off we went. The "tunabego" has its own filter on it, and all parameters are sent into the cab of the truck wile it is moving. We actaully almost didnt make the trip because about 20 minutes before we were to leave, the camera crapped out on us. We had to make scheduled stops ever 30 minutes to make sure that she was doing ok. If she started looking bad, we would have turned around. If you are refering to the tank that she is in, it gets about 56 gallons a minute. We heat up the water coming from the bay (from 55-60 to about 68), and the excess flows back into the bay. We have a Great Tide Pool, that is always full of water, and no one knows why...our overflow.

Aquaguru We are encouraged ever day that we are allowed to have her. One really great pice of news is that on Friday (I think, maybe it was Thursday) she accepted makerel supplemented with vitamins. So we are already starting to mix up the diet a little bit. She doesnt seem to care.

[inkwachemis]

Hi,

I've been following this thread for awhile now and I just wanted to say I think this is great news. How long are you planning on keeping it for? I heard that you plan on releasing it in a couple of weeks even if it's in good health. Is this true? Or do you plan on keeping it much longer? thanks!

[gatohoser]

Hey wonrib when is our next meeting?

[wonrib00]

She has been on display now through her 12th day and all is well. We did however implement the no flash photography rule. Guests are more than welcome to take video or pictures without flash. Since we are doing this now, we are offering pictures at a very inexpensive rate in the bookstores, or we can e-mail a high quality digital photo to you at no charge. Everyone at that wing that works there is given little cards with a place for the guest's e-mail. We did this for a couple of reasons. Fisrt being, the GWS would spend a couple of days at the top, with a lot of flashes. Then the next couple of days at the bottom, with a lot of flashes. So the flashing ws obviouslay following her. But the other animals in the exhibit was starting to get a little tired of it as well. We feed the whole tank every day at 11 am, but the major feeds are Tues, Thurs, Sat and Sun. Today we had signs up saying "please no flash photography". We also had someone coming over the loud speaker saying not to use flash photography. Of course there is always that one jackass that thinks the rules dont apply to him/her. The great part about the story is, it wasnt the aquarium staff that jumped on the disrespectful guest, it was the crowd. They booed every time a flash went off. I am glad to see that our message about this animal is getting across to them and that they are sticking up for us.

[wonrib00]

inkwachemis That is just a rumor. We plan on keeping her as long as we can. If the time comes next week, next month, or next year that her health detearerates, back she goes. So, is there a time table that we are looking at? No. We are on a day to day exhibit with her, but we anticipate that we will have her for quite a while.

gatohoser I dont know, I e-mail Lynn and I havent heard back from her yet. Hopefully we will hear back from her today or tomorrow.

[Mmaggicc2]

Thanks for all the updates ! I feel like I have the "inside track" on this very important accomplishment. Mary

[inkwachemis]

Originally posted by wonrib00
inkwachemis That is just a rumor. We plan on keeping her as long as we can. If the time comes next week, next month, or next year that her health detearerates, back she goes. So, is there a time table that we are looking at? No. We are on a day to day exhibit with her, but we anticipate that we will have her for quite a while.

gatohoser I dont know, I e-mail Lynn and I havent heard back from her yet. Hopefully we will hear back from her today or tomorrow.


Thats awesome. thanks for the info. Has anyone swam with it yet? anyone clean the tank yet? I hope to visit soon. thanks

[niko5]

Can i get a photo emailed to me? :)

[mmmmsushi]

Has anyone heard the news story on the GWS that is in a lagoon or something like that up in Mass.?

[wonrib00]

Actually, yes. My wife's Aunt lives in Cape Cod, and works for Woods Hole Oceanigraphic Institute. We saw just a little bit of info here, as this area is a buzz with the one that we have. Something like a 12 or 15 footer and they dont know why it is in that area. She is sending the newspaper article on it.

[inkwachemis]

Originally posted by wonrib00
Actually, yes. My wife's Aunt lives in Cape Cod, and works for Woods Hole Oceanigraphic Institute. We saw just a little bit of info here, as this area is a buzz with the one that we have. Something like a 12 or 15 footer and they dont know why it is in that area. She is sending the newspaper article on it.

Have you heard any updates on that?? We they able to get it back out to sea?

[Aquaguru]

I wonder what kind of health it is in and how long it has been living their. Anyone else know any information on this story.

[maxxII]

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/greatwhite24.htm
http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/greatwhite25.htm
http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/playingtag28.htm
http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/sharkgawkers28.htm


These are the most informative atricles I could find so far....
Nick

[Micki]

That is too cool! Thanks for the articles Maxx! Please add more when you get them!

[Telecaster]

Awesome.

[wonrib00]

maxxII Great articles, thanks a lot. Sounds like they are using the same device that we are in tracking the GWS.

[maxxII]

Hopefully theirs does what its sposed to and swims out to sea....
Nick

[dlancz]

Congrats

[wonrib00]

Just a quick update. Day 15 is in the books, and she still looks great. She still hasnt develpoed a swimming pattern, which is good. As I am typing this we are tieing the record. She has been in there just over two weeks, but I swear she gained a lot of weight.

[marinelife]

any new pictures of her

[wonrib00]

I havent taken any, since they put up the ban on flash photography. I know my camera will take photos without flash, I just dont know how. If you go to the MBA website, they have pics that you can d/l there. They were taken before the ban was put back up.

[Gerard Alba]

Congrats keep on the good work.

[Aquaguru]

Great articles Maxx thats pretty cool that it has came that close to shore.

[Micki]

Hey Maxx, any more articles?

[maxxII]

according to this one, its a stubborn booger, and just wont cooperate w/ those pesky humans on shore.....
Hopefully the one at MBA has better manners....
http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/expertsshark1.htm
Nick

[Micki]

Wow, stubborn for sure! Please send more if you get them and keep us up on the progress!

[szwab]

I realize it may be a threat I'm just curious as to why they are so adamant for him to get out of there. I for one would rather know where it is that to chase it out and have it come back without knowing. Sounds like it likes it there.

ohh and I'm sorry but if there is a GWS nearby you won't find me in a kayak sounds like someone is looking to get a Darwin
award :)

please keep us posted!!!

[jwm2k3]

wonrib00,

someone posted (on another board) that it was being released soon. Is this true? Or are you keeping it till it needs to be released?

[szwab]

last posted here was they were going to keep her unless there were health issues that couls not be dealt with.

[wonrib00]

szwab I think they are worried because they rarely found that far north, if I remember right. They have the same thought that we do, the safety of the animal. They dont want anyone to hit it with a boat, and for God sake, no sport fishermen!

jwm2k3 We are on a day to day basis right now. If she looks good enough to have on display today, we keep her for another day. There is so much we dont know, she could stop eating today, tomorrow; whatever she does, we are going off her actions. With that said, I dont anticipate her leaving any time soon. Will we realease her? Sure, it is a lot better than her dying in our exhibit, sepecially if she stands a fighting chance out in the wild. At some point she will go back out in the ocean, but no time soon. How long, we dont know. Depends on how fast she grows/ continues to eat/ doesnt eat anything in the exhitib/ stays adapted to the exhibit. There are a lot of things we are watching.

[wonrib00]

So, today is day 17!!! And we all know what that means!! I didnt see anything on our website, but the local news crew said that she ate yesterday, not sure how much. In the local section of the Montery County Herald, there is an update that is posted everyday with a pictue of our "little pumpkin butt". It gives updates, if any, and if she ate yesterday or not. Talk about pressure!!

[Henna Ojisan]

I was down there and saw it this weekend and WOW, beautiful creature. My best wishes for the sharks health and the pursuit of science!

Way to go MBA!

[Maximus]

Hey Won,
I also am from Salinas. That's great news. I hope to see it soon.

[wee-reefer]

Wow, this thread just makes me smile. MBA's commitment to keep her healthy, and on display if she remains healthy is quite impressive and very conscientious. My hat (if I wore one) is off to you guys!! :D

[invincible569]

Looks like you guys made history starting today (18th day)!!! I bet everyone is happy over there! Champagne for everyone! :)

[jwm2k3]

Thanks for the reply, wonrib00. There are rumors floating around and I figured the source was better (you)....

[wonrib00]

invincible569 History was actually on day 16, that was the old record held by Sea World. With day 18 complete, we are simply looking tward the future now. She is feeding regularly, infact she fed again today. I have a feeling that we will have her for some time to come.

jwm2k3 Rumors...they are a fun thing, dont you think? Espcially the really good ones that have no merit at all. If I could tell you some of the rumors I have heard at MBA, something about a whale shark and...wait I have said too much already. I hear the MBA police coming down the hall.:D Gotta go!!

[invincible569]

What do you guys have planned for the future? Will she remain in that same tank? Will her environment change such as other animals in that same tank? Will feeding change? What temperature water is she in? Has she ate any of the other fish?

by the way, theres no reason to release her back. there's work to be done on studying this animal. You really think that the ONLY captive GW will be released because someone cares for the animals freedom over years and years of research that scientists can accomplish instead of being out in the ocean in the wild? cmon people! lets get real.

[bler]

all I can say is WOW, congrats !

[kayl]

amazing! I need to make another trip out to Cali!

[wonrib00]

invincible569 Long term goals, I dont know if we have really set any. But obviousaly we want to keep her as long as possible. Having the only GWS in the world puts little bit of pressure on the aquarists, not only by the public, who for the most part are supportive; but also by environmentalists that dont want to see us have the animal as well. I am sure they are ready to jump down our throats if somthing does go wrong. She will remain in the same exhibit as long as we have her, for a couple of reasons: First being that we dont have another exhibit that is large enough. This is the biggest exhibit we have as far as gallons and swimming room go. Second reason is we dont want to have to put any unwarrented stress on her by moving her unless absloutely necessary. Her environment will not change at all. I know the aquarists were looking to get a Dolphinfish (Durado, Mahi Mahi - all the same animal), but that was before the addition of the GWS. Other than that the exhibit will stay the same.

Fedding has actaully already been altered in there with the addition of the GWS. We used to feed the tunas four times a week (Tues, Thurs, Sat and Sun) about 160 lbs of squid. Now in addition to that feeding, we do light feeding the other three days, about 90 lbs or so of squid. As far as feeding her goes, we are still offering her twice a day, once in the morning, once in the afternoon. On a side note: we fed her on Sunday along the back wall (so the public can not see in fear of flash photography being taken) a piece of salmon and she bit down on the food and swam with half hanging out of her mouth right up to the window and started munching her food. Eyelids rolled back, teeth came out, people all yelled. It was awesome. She bit the salmon steak in half and one of the tunas came along and ate the other half that she didnt get into her mouth.

The temperature of the water is about 68 degrees. It is bay water heated up as the water out out our back door is 60 degrees on a really warm day. The exhibit is more of what we get during an El Nino, so most of the animals in the exhibit can be found in Southern California regularly. She has not bitten any of the other animals in the tank yet. All are too big right now for her to tackle in one chomp. Could she take a bite out of anything in that exhibit? You bet your prized coral she can. We are hoping to keep her well fed to where she will not be eating our exhibit, but we are interested to see how that all plays out as well. Are salmon steaks better than live tuna (and everything else in there) to a GWS, we shall see.

There is work to be done, yes. But at the same time we dont want to take the life of an animal that can be reproducing an already decreasing population, especially since it is a female. And at some point she will out grow that exhibit. When will that be? Good question. I belive that is question number 568 of 1,467 what we have.;)

Once agan, sorry for the long post everyone, but I believe in answering good questions with good answers.

[Reef This]

This gives me insperation to catch a GWS and put it in my 55. :)

Great job. :)

Now I remember what I was going to ask, does she try to catch the Tuna's at all?

[GSchiemer]

Originally posted by Reef This
This gives me insperation to catch a GWS and put it in my 55. :)

Great job. :)

Now I remember what I was going to ask, does she try to catch the Tuna's at all?

In the post right above yours:

She has not bitten any of the other animals in the tank yet. All are too big right now for her to tackle in one chomp. Could she take a bite out of anything in that exhibit? You bet your prized coral she can. We are hoping to keep her well fed to where she will not be eating our exhibit,...

[fins2right]

I've been trying to stay tuned to this thread and saw the feature on the Today Show this morning, congratulations! I was curious if the red flashing light was something at the aquarium or perhaps something to do with the TV production (sorry if this was discussed is in one of these pages and I overlooked it). Thanks,

[wonrib00]

fins2right We dont have any red flashing lights anywhere in the aquarium, so I am guessing that it is the tv carera. I have noticed that a lot of digital cameras are putting out the infra red light to judge how far way she is. Great little addition to cameras when flash is not allowed. The red light doesnt seem to bother her at all. I dont know if its because she cant see it, or if it is because it is not bright enough to bother her. BTW we are now on day 21.

[toccata]

Just a article posted from time.com

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101041011-709055,00.html

[wonrib00]

Good article, but I hate how every report that I have heard from Time, to The Fresno Bee, to Good Morning America, all of them fail to say anything about how we were actually doing research on them. When you read the stories, they also fail to say that this is the thrid GWS we has this summer. They make it seem like we pulled her in spur of the molment. Oh well, what are ya gonna do?

[maxxII]

I'm glad to see that MBA's GWS is doing well. kinda reading between the lines, seems like she is being less finicky about what she eats. Maybe you guys are just feeding her a larger variety...I dunno.
Evidently New England was able to coax their GWS back to the ocean. Amazingly enough it was done w/ old time fishing methods, and a few high pressure hoses??????

http://www.capecodchronicle.com/chat100704_1.htm
http://newscenter.mind.net/wed/cf/Uus-whiteshark.RQEI_EO5.html

I found other articles about the shark getting back to the ocean, most were re-hash....
Oddly enough, the only mention of the high pressure water streams was in the first link.....its too weird to make up, but why didnt anyone else report it?
Nick

[Dz99ls]

any new updateS?

[wonrib00]

Sorry for the delay in responce I was on vacation. No real new updates, other than she is still doing well. Yesterday was day 33, and it seems as though she is really packing on some weight. I have talked to a few guests that saw here when we first up her in there and have seen here now and they are saying that she is putting on weight as well. I will try to get a hold of one of the aquarists and find out how much she has grown, if they even know. On a cool side note, we added about 10 Dolphinfish (Durado or Mahi-Mahi) a couple days ago. They are all on the small side about two feet of so.

[CH]

I had the chance to visit the aquarium last week while on vacation to San Francisco. Very cool to see in person. She seemed to be right at home and looked very calm. I'm glad I was able to get to see her!
Congrats and good luck!

[kayl]

Sweet! :-D

[wonrib00]

It is funny when taling to some of the guest, they are disappointed that she is four feet long. Of course I go into my little talk about the birth and all that and how keeping a large one that is already adapted to what it is eating would be next to impossible, they are still disapointed.

[BlueCorn]

I'm heading down with the family this weekend for the 20th Anniversary Member's Party. I can't wait to see it!

wonrib00 - Will you be at the event?

[wonrib00]

Oh God, you are going to try to brave the huge crowd this weekend!?! I will be there. I will be one of the people waering the khaki vests that say Guest Ambassador on the back. If you check our website, we have all sorts of events going on, Peter Benchley will be there (Jaws author), cake if you come early, George Lopez (commedian), live music, all sorts of stuff. It will be interesting to see this weekend with how the weather has been going here.

[laugh]

Just out of curiosity how long was the previous "record" for keeping a GWS in captivity? Sorry if this has already been answered in a previous post. BTW great job and good luck!

[maxxII]

16 days was the previous record, and that was back in the 60's.
Nick

[laugh]

Has no one tried since then? Or have there just been many failures until now?

[maxxII]

There have been attempts since then......none were successfull.
Nick

[wonrib00]

The previous record was actually back in 1981, early 80's anyway, that was held by Sea World in San Diego. I think the one you are confusing is the one in Austarilia that was in the late 60's that had one feeding on its exhibit, Cod I think it was eating. They let it go after only 10 days. It is too bad that so many movements were made in the 60's, the GWS was not involved.

[laugh]

So what was the record in the early 80's

[Bamm Bamm]

I went last weekend and checked it out.. I was hoping it would've been bigger and scarier looking can't wait until it gets like that=) Really impressive animal..

[Dell'Oro]

Wonrib,

A couple of questions re your feeding of the shark. I had the opportunity to go cage diving off South Australia in Feb of this year and noticed a couple of things.

1. We were using both tuna and salmon as baits, and the sharks seemed to find the tuna far more attractive (higher oil content maybe?). Have you tried feeding any tuna, and with what results?

2. The sharks seem to feed and be more active mid afternoon (about 4pm). Early in the day they did not seem anywhere near as interested, wheareas in the afternoon you would usually have several circling the boat, even without bait in the water. Do you find a different feeding response on your morning and afternoon feeds?

And before anyone bothers to ask, it was AWESOME!!!!

Just a teaser:
http://paulspics.bigpondhosting.com/photos/48578a1b9e6ed5ac99c01c347e513063.jpg

Thanks for a fascinating thread. I wish you all the best with the research.

For all the naysayers out there, so many of these stunning animals are being killed by the fishing industry, whether by accident or design. I would be far more happy to risk the loss of one specimen in the name of science, than I am to see the huge wastage that goes on by way of bycatch in commercial fisheries. If people are seriously concerned about the conservation of these and other marine animals, there are far better areas to target. Just my 2c (worth about US1.4c at today's rates)

Cheers

Paul

[wonrib00]

laugh Yes, the previous record was in the early 80's. We put ours in on Sep 14, so that would make today day 38, I think.

Bamm Bamm The problems with a larger one are a couple fold; first being that a larger one is already eating what it wants. We felt that a younger one would be more accpeting of perpared foods. Second, larger GWS switch from eating fish to marine mamals, bad for the conservation part of things at the aquarium. Third, larger one would be a bit harder to move from the transport to the tank itself.

Dell'Oro We have not offered tuna, mostly becasue we dont want her getting any bright ideas about eating one. They may offer other types of fish down the road, but I doubt that it will be anything that is living in the exhibit.
I would say that she seems more active in the afternoon, but I am not 100% sure on that. I would have to ask one of the aquarists that has been tracking her movements. As for the feeding part, I am not sure, that is a good question. I would assume that being more active in the afternoon she would eat more, or be more likely to eat. But I will have to ask someone directly involved and see if there is some kind of chart (which I am sure there is) that shows any corolation of feedings. Nice pics.

Earlier I said that I would find out if she has grown much, and I got a answer that was kinda vague. Yes, she looks as though she has grown, have we weighed her, no. To actually weigh her we would need to physically get her onto some kind of scale. But one of the ideas to avoid any type of contact and geta reading is with the use of lasers. The idea is to shine two red lazers at her, one at the tip of her nose, and one at the fluke, then take a picture of her. I am guessing that they have a program or something on the computer that can give them an accurate reading from the picture and the lasers. Hopefully they will some concrete infomation soon.

[Dell'Oro]

Just get in there with a tape measure!!! ;)

There was a case here when a great white got into a tuna pen about a year ago. They figured out how to free it after a week or so, and said at the end that it hadn't taken any of the fish whilst it was in there (not quite sure how they could be sure of this). Don't know whether it wasn't eating due to stress or not, but it seemed odd at the time. Hopefully your exhibits will be safe!

Cheers

Paul

[needyreefer]

wonrib00: at school we watch a news channel type show called Channel One in the morning, Fridays main story was about Great Whites on the endangered list and they talked about Monterey Bay and your guys' great white. They interviewed somone from there and had some footage of the shark. After the show I had to explain to everyone how I knew the whole story long before this. lol

[needyreefer]

wonrib00: at school we watch a news channel type show called Channel One in the morning, Fridays main story was about Great Whites on the endangered list and they talked about Monterey Bay and your guys' great white. They interviewed somone from there and had some footage of the shark. After the show I had to explain to everyone how I knew the whole story long before this. lol

[mikeo1210]

Thanks for the thread/info. I feel fortunate to have seen her in person. My friend (a member) and I are hoping to go during the week w/o the crowds and see her eat. That'd be so cool.

[wonrib00]

needyreefer I am glad that I could give you a little back ground before everyone else. Hopefully she will make and positive impact on everyone that sees her and they will change the perceptive they may have on sharks.

mikeo1210 You are very welcome. Might I reccomend a Tuesday or a Wednesday, around two in the afternoon for your visit. That is usually a good time as the school groups have gone home, and it is not as busy right in the middle of the week. It is very doubtful you will get to she her eat anything at all as we do the feeding in the back of the exhibit where you really cont see what is going on. Main reason is we are still haveing these jerks take flashphotograpy, even though there are signs all around, and a recording that is played over the PA. We feed her there because people will want to take a photo of her eating, and more than likely a flash will be used. We dont want her to associate a flash in the eye with a meal.

Dell'Oro You said to just get in there, and we did! On day 39, that being yesterday (Sat), we send two divers into the tank that had the GWS in it. There were two reasons for the dive. One to do a little cleaning, and to collect scientific data (say you have swam with a GWS in captivity). The divers were two of our aquarists that have been directly involved with theproject from day one. They of course were wearing metal suits. One of the tings that was a little suprising was that they did not take the pord in with them. They instead used a mallet. The GWS paid no attention to them at all. Her swimming was the same with them in there as it was with them out of there. It seems as thoug we think on new things to throw at her that may stress her out, but she has responded very well to every single thing we have done to her, except the flash photography.

In talking to some of the staff in husbandry, we are starting to get varying views on how old she is. The numbers we are starting to hear are 4 months, 6-7 months, and the 9-12 months. Not sure if I have said this part on the thread or not, but you can still see her "belly button". She has a scar on the underside of her. If you were to make a line from the front of one pectoral fin to the other, right in the middle about two inches forward from that line you will see a divot that is about an inch to two inches big.

[wonrib00]

There are no real updates at this time. We did send divers in again on Wednesday the 27th. The GWS seemed to pay no attention to them at all. She doesnt seem to mind the bubbles coming up from underneath her at all. Today is day 44 if my math is right. I dont really think we are keeping track anymore as we know she is doing great.

Story time: I reread the post and did this this story so I will tell it. About a month ago I was talking to a guest and his lady friend. In talking with her she said that this was the second greatest molment of her life while looking at the GWS. I know that what we are doing is great, but I think she needs to get out just a little bit more. I didnt even ask what the first greatest molment was.

[notoriousB]

Originally posted by wonrib00
there is an update that is posted everyday with a pictue of our "little pumpkin butt".

so you LIED! You did name her!! :p

:D just read this whole thread, awesome to see her healthy and eating in captivity. :thumbsup: for a long healthy life for little pumpkin butt.

[mikeo1210]

Originally posted by wonrib00
We did send divers in again...
:eek:

[inkwachemis]

Are you guys gonna be scared to dive in there when it gets bigger? Can you technically house a 10ft+ GWS in that tank? Or would it be too cramped?

[Putawaywet]

Originally posted by wonrib00
Main reason is we are still haveing these jerks take flashphotograpy, even though there are signs all around, and a recording that is played over the PA. We feed her there because people will want to take a photo of her eating, and more than likely a flash will be used. We dont want her to associate a flash in the eye with a meal.

Gee, what a small world. I'm in husbandry down at LBAOP and after we pulled off the big Weedy Sea Dragon birthing we literally had to station education people at the tank to verbally warn people about the flash. Apparently, people can no longer be bothered with someting as trivial as abiding by a 18" sign that says.... "please, no flash photography". Then again, that really no big surprise considering there isn't a day that doesn't go by that I don't have to ask someone to get down off one of the exhibits or to please not put their hands in a tank. Although, there is a part of me that secretly hopes you start offering an upgraded ticket for an extra special shark encounter. You know, for those extra special guests that you have to deal with :D

All jokes aside, glad to hear she is still doing well. A bunch of our people are coming up to do a job shadow next month with some of your husbandry staff. I believe it's going to be a 3 day stint or so. They gave eveyone their choice of areas and strangely..... open water got picked each and every time - go figure :)

Keep up the good work.

Brett

[wonrib00]

notoriousB Shhh, dont tell the husbandry folks or the PR people ;)

inkwachemis Ya know its funny how most of the hard core divers just cant wait to get in there no matter what size she is. Some of the divers dont care either way, and while others will not get in there no matter what. SO to really answer your question, out ot our 135 volunteer divers and our hole husbandry staff, I am sure we can find someone. At some point they will switch from the mallet to the electric prod, so safety should not be an issue even if she did show some sort of agression twards the divers. Of course this is all speculation that she gets that big. We dont really have goal of 10 feet, we dont really have any goal other than to keep her as long as we can. The exhibit at its longest point is 90 feet and at its shortest (from front to back) it is 54 feet. So I am not too sure that a 10 footer would be a good fit for that exhibit. I am not sure that she will get that big, especially with all that we dont know, change in diet, change in behavior, the list goes on. Do we hope we can keep her that long? Sure, as long as she stays healthy.

Putawaywet We darn near have to post someone by the Leafy Seadragons as well. Next year or so when one of our temp exhibits goes out (Jellies or Sharks), we are supposed to be to doing seahorses. One that I would love to see is the Weedy. Having Weedys and Leafys in two different exhibits back to back would be awesome. We are going to try to crack the code on the Leafys at the same time. Our husbandry folks are great, whoever they get, they will not be disappointed. Although they (your people) may be a little disapointed if they are looking for a great view from the top of the million gallon tank. The best thing I have seen there is the turtle feedings, as they have to do those by hand. The facilites are nice and open, but the view of the exhibit itself kinda bites, no pun intended.

[inkwachemis]

Originally posted by wonrib00
notoriousB Shhh, dont tell the husbandry folks or the PR people ;)

inkwachemis Ya know its funny how most of the hard core divers just cant wait to get in there no matter what size she is. Some of the divers dont care either way, and while others will not get in there no matter what. SO to really answer your question, out ot our 135 volunteer divers and our hole husbandry staff, I am sure we can find someone. At some point they will switch from the mallet to the electric prod, so safety should not be an issue even if she did show some sort of agression twards the divers. Of course this is all speculation that she gets that big. We dont really have goal of 10 feet, we dont really have any goal other than to keep her as long as we can. The exhibit at its longest point is 90 feet and at its shortest (from front to back) it is 54 feet. So I am not too sure that a 10 footer would be a good fit for that exhibit. I am not sure that she will get that big, especially with all that we dont know, change in diet, change in behavior, the list goes on. Do we hope we can keep her that long? Sure, as long as she stays healthy.

Putawaywet We darn near have to post someone by the Leafy Seadragons as well. Next year or so when one of our temp exhibits goes out (Jellies or Sharks), we are supposed to be to doing seahorses. One that I would love to see is the Weedy. Having Weedys and Leafys in two different exhibits back to back would be awesome. We are going to try to crack the code on the Leafys at the same time. Our husbandry folks are great, whoever they get, they will not be disappointed. Although they (your people) may be a little disapointed if they are looking for a great view from the top of the million gallon tank. The best thing I have seen there is the turtle feedings, as they have to do those by hand. The facilites are nice and open, but the view of the exhibit itself kinda bites, no pun intended.

thanks for the response. another thing I'd be scared would be it jumping out of the water! I've seen some sunning footage of a white shark leaping outta the water to catch seals. thats pretty scary to try to contain something that has a potential to do that. But I think I'd be great if you can keep this on a really long term basis.

[gatohoser]

That would have to be quit the jump. The water in the tank is about 10 feet or so below the ground up top right? I seen it but i cant remember too well. I know its at least 5 feet up.

[wonrib00]

inkwachemis GWS can get a lot of air when going after prey in the wild. Some can atain six feet no problem. Just think of an animal that weight 1 to 2+ tons getting out of the water six feet. :eek: We actually have already taken precautions with the tuna. If you look at this link (http://montereybayaquarium.org/cr/whiteshark.asp) and click on the first video clip that says "shark feeds on first day", you can see a net that has been set up all along the perimeter of the exhibit. That net fence has saved many a flying tuna during feedings.

gatohoser If you look at the viedo from above, you can see in the first 10 seconds of the video that the guy feeding the GWS, his feet are where the top of the white blocks are. The white blocks are about a foot to a foot and a half from the top of the water. You may have been thinking that the fince was part of the tank itself. We have to keep the water that high so the water can go into the overflow. Anyone that has a sump in their tank can aquate their tank with the million gallon tank, just on a little smaller scale at home.

I was talking to on of our web guys and I asked him how many hits had the site gotten after adding the GWS. Before the GWS: 20,000 a month, after GWS 800,000 a month. :smokin: ya, smokin. Talk about generating some enthusiasm.

[bgoode]

And how much have the live webcams slowed due to this surge of viewers? I know I watched it for quite a while those first few days.

[wonrib00]

bgoode They have slowed down quite a bit. There are times I try to watch them at home or at work, and the quality of them is just not worth watching.

OK, real science was done yesterday on accident really. One of our tuna sustained a fatal wound yesterday during the feeding of the exhibit. The wound was not inflicted by any animal in the exhibit. The tuna has a deep gash and blood was coming from it at a good rate, enough so all the guests that were there could easily see it. But the reaction of the sharks is what was interesting. We thought that the sharks would go right after the tuna (the GWS more so), but none of them seemed interested at all. The bleeding stoped after about 10 minutes or so while the tuna kept swimming. The aquarists said that the tuna would not make it to the morning, but seemed to be unaffected by the wound. None of the sharks picked on tuna all day long, and as of closing last night, the tuna was still in the exhibit. There are all kinds of ways this information can be interpreted, but we think that since our animals are fed well, it doesnt send them into a frenzy like they do out in the wild.

[hogpark7430]

with it being Halloween you think the stage would have been set for a awesome display of aggression, more evidence that these animals aren't mindless killers.

Respect them don't fear them.

[spleen93]

Originally posted by wonrib00
OK, real science was done yesterday on accident really. One of our tuna sustained a fatal wound yesterday during the feeding of the exhibit.

OK, I'm confused - so did the tuna live through this or not? I agree that the sharks' behavior was very interesting considering the blood in the water.

Spleen

[mebarryb]

Sharks are not the blood thirsty eaters that they are portrayed as. They are more stealth like in there hunting/feeding aproach.
If hungry yes the blood will atract them to the "near" scene, it does not make them charge right after whatever is bleeding.
If they are hungry and the prey is wounded it might make them strike faster.
With blood in the tank if they are not hungry they might not pay much attention to it, dont feed them for a few days or so then you might see more of a stalking of the prey and a strike after it.

If you have ever seen a show where sharks feed they usally always come from outa sight to strike there pray, they do not very often "show" themselves to what they are hunting before hand.

[wonrib00]

spleen93 The tuna lived through the trauma, but was taken out by the aquarists then next day. It was taken to a place called Tuna Research Conservation Center. TRCC is a joint project shared by MBA and Hopkins Marine Station (owned by Stanford). We actually had the aquarists drop a net infront of it was it was swimming. It took five aquarits to take the animal out.

mebarryb Exactly, and now we know it is true for captive animals as well.

[invincible569]

Originally posted by mebarryb
Sharks are not the blood thirsty eaters that they are portrayed as. They are more stealth like in there hunting/feeding aproach.


Thats one thing I hated as movie's/media would make any animal seem as if its evil. Heck, arent humans evil?

[Putawaywet]

Heck, even the ever popular Flipper is evil if you get right down to it. There was some research in the past that showed sub adult dolphins routinely traveled in groups (pods??) and would harrass and even kill other baby dolphins for no appearent reason. They were likened to marauding gangs that would strike for the thrill of it.

Back to the topic of sharks.... we had a somewhat large grouper (a couple hundred pounds) in our shark lagoon and he was inadvertantly injured during one of the feeds. Really only a minor scratch with just the faintest hint of blood showing. A few of our black tips did seem to show a little interest with one kinda shadowing him from above for a brief period. This went on for several hours before, without any warning whatsoever, the sandtiger rocketed up from below and literaly cut the grouper in half. This immediately triggered the black tips who pounced on what was left in what I heard described (this occurred right in front of the public) as an unbelievably violent and fast attack. The whole ordeal was over in less than a minute and everyone was litterally so stunned at how fast it had occured that they were speechless.

And all of this was with several feeds a day, the last one only a few hours prior.

I learned 2 things from this: Wild animals are totally unpredicable and I highly doubt anyone can say with any real certainly what they will or will not do given a specific situation. And 2, Sharks are blinding fast and if it wasn't for our advance intellect we'd be pretty far down on the evolutionary food chain.

Brett

[wonrib00]

invincible569 I have talked to a few guests and they all have asked why she wasnt/isnt swimming at the top of the water with her dorsal fin out. I do all I can not to laugh or smirk. But it does show how movies/media portray sharks as you pointed out. For every human that is killed by sharks, there are millions of sharks that are killed every year. Is that justified, no, but we shold be looking at the opposite side of the coin as well.

Putawaywet This went on for several hours before, without any warning whatsoever, the sandtiger rocketed up from below and literaly cut the grouper in half. This immediately triggered the black tips who pounced on what was left in what I heard described (this occurred right in front of the public) as an unbelievably violent and fast attack.
That is not good. Sharks main jobs are to take care of the sick and injured fish. Do any animlas in the ocean want inferior genes being passed on? No, it is bad for the species as a whole. I know we try to pull off the "perdation doesnt ever happen at the aquarium" vibe, but it does, and I tell guests that predation happens becuase that is life in the ocean, just like our tanks. But keeping that from happening too often and out of the public view is the trick. Especially when it involves blood. Seems less harmful when the fish is gulped down and no blood trail.

[mebarryb]

>>For every human that is killed by sharks, there are millions of sharks that are killed every year.
-------

Better yet, The White Tail Deer kills more humans then sharks every year.
But because of movies "Bambi" is a much safer animal then "Jaws".

[ZoominRex]

I just got back from a weekend in Monterey this weekend. I saw the GWS in person and she is gorgeous! Of course at 4'4" she is dwarfed by many of the tuna that share the pen with her but ALL her Great White Shark features are there.

[thaoctopus]

That is SO cool. I'm gonna plan a trip to take my girl over there. I open this thread everyday for new updates!!

[wonrib00]

I think I had posted that we were trying to get an accurate length and weight on the GWS by using lazers. When we sent divers in (which we have done quite a few times now with no aparent stress added to the GWS, she seems to not care they are there one way or another) they were too far away, and the lazers didnt go through the water as red light is the first light to be absorbed. SO that was a good idea, but didnt really work out.

This part is all personal observations and is no way scientific. I was talking with a fellow aquarium employee that was was taking home movies of the white shark, and asked if he thought she had grown. We both agreed that she had and thought of a way to show it. We took his camcorder and took a still portrait of her from about 10 feet away with the plaques at the botom of the exhibit in the same frame. If you have never seen the exhibit, we have plaques that are at the foot of the acrylic that have info about the animals, pics, weight, length, diet, that kind of stuff. Well we waited until she was close to the glass and close to the plaques, then took a picture that was perpendicular to us. We measured the length of the plaques to be 15.5", and she filled up about 4 of them. It is kinda hard to tell becuase of her length, you are not going to get perfect angles for the front half of her or the back half of her, but this is the best we can do for now. I am going to have him put the pic on photoshop, do some cutting and pasteing so we can line her up with the plaques perfectly and get a better estimate. For all those that havent done the math, it would be 5 feet, 2 inches. Of couse she wasnt right up against the acrylic, at her closest point she swims about 4 inches away, that being her fluke moving her along. Her being that close really doesnt distort her size as it is not the acrylic that alters the size, it is the water.

[ZoominRex]

I would kill to work at Monterey Bay Aquarium. Looking for any janitors?

[wonrib00]

ZoominRex We are always looking for new employees. If you call our Human Resources department, you can find out if there are any opening right now. But I must worn you, working there isnt really considered work.:lol:

[wonrib00]

Today is day 61, and there really isnt much new. Our GWS had a fairly beat up nose when we got her, and probably from the ocean net as well. At any rate, the scaring on her nose has healed quite nicely. She has a very small ammount of white on her nose now and she is not as easy to see when swimming in the back of the exhibit. We have run into a small problem when feeding. The other animals in the exhibit are more interested in the salmon now instead of the squid that we usually feed. So feeding her has taken a new approch. The Dolphinfish (Mahi-Mahi, Dorado) have become a pest when feeding her. So the aquarists are throwing small ammounts of food into the tank to get them away while the aquarists feed the GWS. Her overall appearance looks great and most of the scaring on her body (from gill net) has disappeared. I will try to get some new pics up as has packed on a lot of weight.

[mikeo1210]

Wait till she finds out how good that mahi-mahi tastes. Thanks for the update.

[imholte]

She doesn't look 4 feet long. I can almost see her being 15 feet.

And I just moved from Palm Springs to Oregon. You know what that means. Road Trip.

Very beautiful. I hope this exhibit brings awareness to the white shark and so we can learn more about them. Really applaud you policy that if she starts not to do well that you will release her, that is miles ahead of what they did before. all i can say is awesome

[imholte]

Are there laws restricting other aquariums from doing the same? Does this mean that sea world will have a white shark soon?

[wonrib00]

mikeo1210 I agree with you in that Mahi does taste good. GWS tend to eat their pray in one or two big chomps. All the fish in there are too big for that as of right now. She would have to be about 10-12 feet or so to get her whole jaws around the smallest fish in there, the Pacific Bonito. I am not sure if they are going to allow her to get that big as we will have problems taking her out if/when she gets that big. Plus, at some point she will switch from fish to marine mammals, and no one knows when that will be.

imholte She does look longer than 4 feet, personally I think she is closer to 5 feet or so, just by going off her length compared to the length of the tuna, and the plaques at the bottom of the exhibit. Any time you want to come down, let me know. I am always willing to meet fellow reefers.
Bringing awareness is the main point of this project. To show that she is not in there eating everthing in sight. We have had 10 seperate dives in that exhibit with her in there, and not on one occasion did she show any interest in the divers. Of all the sharks in the ocean, the GWS is the most likely to become extinct during our lifetimes. It is more laikey than the Dusky shark in Florida. Since that is ture, we want this one reproducing in the wild. For her to spend her finals days in our exhibit would be a waste.
There are no restrictions on getting GWS as of yet. They are not a threatened species as of now. People are still buying their teeth and jaws. A set of jaws like hers would command a price of about $10,000. The larger ones up to $40,000. This is the main reason that GWS are disappearing. How does an apex preditor dissapear in large numbers? Humans. (Sorry for the tangent). There is nothing stopping any other aquarium from getting a GWS. All they have to have is the time (we spent three years), the money (I think the initial grant was a million), exhibit large enough to house the animal (one that has no corners, we think this is a big reason of success as well), a transport to get it to the aquarium, an ocean pen, employees to do the work, have aGWS that is in good health when cought, getting it to eat while in the pen, and dedication. I am sure that the dedication is not a problem, but the other factors may be lacking for most places. Now that I have told the secrets, I dont want to see anyone putting a GWS in thieir pools at home:D When our GWS goes back, we hope that some other institution can go a little bit farther than we have/did. That is how we learn from animals that we dont know anything about. I am sure if someone from a different aquarium called us up, we would hand over our notes so they could do the same thing. It its not about haveing the only one in the world, we were just the first to get to this point.

[wonrib00]

On a very bitter side note, did anyone else hear baout what happened at the Long Beach aquarium. Hopefully our friend Putawaywet can shed some light on what happened. Some people, regradless of age should be strung up by thier toes and make an example out of.

[Dino]

While I haven't responded to this thread before I have been reading it since the begining with much interest. I must also say it is amazing what you guys have acomplished so far. Anyway, this thread (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=466924&highlight=some+people+shark+killers) discusses the incident at the Long Beach aquarium. I would like to here though was has happened to them (the kids) since they were caught...

-Dino-

[kayl]

what happened?

[odoprelude]

what happened?

[odoprelude]

OMG! those b@st@rds....

[wonrib00]

Yesterday was day 75 and everything is going well. We have noticed a little rubbing on her fluke. It is more than likely from when she is swimming close to the acrylic, her body doest rub, but the movement of her tail back and forth is getting the acrylic a little bit. The rubbing is not life threatining, adn we expcet this wound to heal well. We have started doing programs about how she came to the aquarium in the auditorium. We are showing video of her in the net pen, transfering her to the tank, feeding, all kinds of stuff. There is not much new to me, but more than there is on the website. The book store has gotten in a book(16 pages is actually a pamflet) abot how she was obtained and the steps we took. The cost is $10. It pretty much says what has been said here, but it is good for those that dont have access to the aquarium or this thread.

[thaoctopus]

thx for the update

[bgoode]

Thanks for the continued updates.

[K9]

Well, I didn't take the time to read the whole thread, but got the gist of it. 75 days in captivity so far is incredible! Plus, the videos on the Web site are breathtaking to say the least! I wish the Miami Seaquarium could do something cool like that one day so I could go see it. Unfortunately, California is a little bit of a hike for me :D. Best of luck with her and I hope the researchers can learn more than ever before.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, as mentioned many times in this thread. However, IMO with so many sharks killed meaninglessly in the world today, I think keeping just one more in captivity won't hurt considering the vast amount of knowledge we'll be able to obtain. If young people have the opportunity to see wonderful creatures like this in aquariums now, in the future they'll grow into adults who release them back to the ocean after catching them.

Major kudos and best of luck to everyone involved with the GWS project.

[pm_devin]

Does it have a frickin laserbeam attached to its head?

[maxxII]

BBBBBWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
Sorry, it was just that funny to me.
:D
Nick

[wonrib00]

pm_devin No she doesnt have laserbeams coming from her head, mostly because we would have to worry about Mini Me trying to hump the lasers on her head as well. If that happened we would have a whole of problems on our hands!!;) I love the Austin Powers movies!

[sjfishguy]

The reason those jaws command such a high price is because it is currently illegal to catch gws in the US. I am sure the aquarium got very specific permission from the government for this exhibit. Just wanted to make it clear not anyone can just go out and catch a gws if they want

[wonrib00]

sjfishguy I tend to disagree to a point with you. I feel that the real reason is because the movie Jaws. The Dusky shark is just an endangered and they dont comand a large price for their jaws on the black-market, mostly because no one knows what the Dusky shark looks like or knows anything about them. I know that the GWS was listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which is supported by the U.N. We obtained ours back in August and the GWS was listed October 13 by CITES. Can you believe that out of 166 countries that belong, 34 felt that the GWS didnt belong on the list? But one of the real reasons for shark populations declining is they are being cought as bycatch, just like how we got ours.

One of the aspects that I havent talked about yet which I have been meaning to discuss in the water that leaves the exhibit. We have had animals get sick before and the bacteria is obviously in the water. We have giants UV steralizers that denature any and all water that flows back into the ocean so we dont spread disease to the ocean. This part is imporant becuase if the GWS or any other animal gets sick to where they are spreading it to their tankmates, they wil not go back into the ocean. I think that is the only reason that we wont not release the GWS, if she were spreading a disease.

[invincible569]

How long does it take for a GWS to reach full mature status in bodyweight/length? Are you guys going to start planning for this if you end up keeping her? Or will she be ok where she's at now?

what about adding a new GWS? Ive watched the GWS show on Discovery and they say that they think that GWS's work together to catch their prey.