40 Days For Great White

October 24, 2004

Release from: Andreas von Bubnoff
Monterey Bay Herald

She breaks a world record every day just by staying alive and staying where she is.

The young white shark on display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium has survived there for 40 days -- more than twice the previous longevity record for a white shark in captivity, 16 days.

Curator Jon Hoech said the nameless creature also behaves and swims well and continues to feed regularly, eating salmon fillets, mackerel and vitamins about once every two to three days. She may have gained about 10 pounds since she arrived weighing about 61 pounds, he said.

"We don't have any indications at this point of ill health," Hoech said.

Hoech said that if there is any indication that the shark's health is deteriorating, she will be released to the ocean.

All previous attempts to keep sharks in captivity failed, he said, in part because the animals were too stressed.

Hoech described the way sharks were caught previously as "scramble, get together, go get it." Scientists would retrieve the shark, "put it in a tank and hope it goes well."

This time, it has gone much better because the shark had time to recover for several weeks after it was caught, he said.

The aquarium staff kept the shark in an ocean pen -- a net reaching 25 feet below the surface of the ocean -- for 25 days after a fisherman accidentally caught it Aug. 20 off the Southern California coast. When the staff thought the shark had had enough time to relax, it was transported to the aquarium in a 3,000-gallon tank.

Another reason she is doing so well, Hoech said, is that she is less than a year old and small -- 4 feet 4 inches. Bigger sharks can be difficult to handle.

"The bigger they get, the more problems they have navigating in their transport tanks," Hoech said, adding that this shark's young age probably made it easier for her to adapt to her new surroundings.

The shark has attracted crowds about 50 percent larger than at the same period a year ago, said Rachel Gomez, an aquarium spokeswoman.

Attendance between Sept. 15 -- the day she arrived -- and Oct. 20 topped 197,000 visitors.

Mary and Bob Shaw said they came from Palo Alto on Friday to see the shark. Mary Shaw said she was surprised to see the shark swimming around peacefully.

"It's startling to see it swimming around other fish and not going after them," she said.

The shark doesn't eat the other fish because she is fed regularly, Hoech said.

Most visitors, he said, view the shark in captivity as a positive thing, according to surveys of visitors. But not everyone agrees.

"We are not in favor of having animals in captivity for public display," said Michelle Thew, chief executive of the Animal Protection Institute in Sacramento, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the protection of animals. "This is essentially about profit and entertainment."

But aquarium spokesman Ken Peterson said the aquarium is also a nonprofit and that some of its proceeds go toward shark research, such as work for sharks in the wild to study their habits. Increased knowledge of sharks will help with conservation efforts, Hoech said.

"If we understand shark biology and population, we better understand how to manage them in the wild," Hoech said.

Researchers know surprisingly little about sharks. For example, Hoech said, it's not known where they breed or how old they get. He said researchers hope that by watching the shark in captivity they can eventually learn what they eat, how fast they grow and more about their behavior.

The aquarium's Gomez said the shark exhibit is also about raising public awareness about sharks.

"If (the visitors) see the shark, they'll become a little more connected and worry about their survival in the wild," Gomez said.

One visitor who may have developed a stronger connection with sharks was 10-year-old Robert Tiemstra, 10, of Oakland, an aquarium visitor on Friday.

"I am not creeped out anymore," he said.