
Why no aquarium has a great white shark
There are some shark species that seem to
do okay in aquariums. You’ll see a lot of nurse sharks, zebra sharks, some reef sharks
and sand tiger sharks. But not the great white. For decades, aquariums have tried to contain
the world’s largest predatory fish. Institutions like Marineland, SeaWorld and
the Steinhart Aquarium repeatedly took in white sharks during the 1970s, 80s and 90s, at times
drawing huge crowds. But they never lasted long. Some needed help swimming. None of them would eat. The longest one lasted was just 16 days. A 1984 report by the Steinhart Aquarium put it this way: “In most cases it could be said that all these
captive sharks were merely in the process of dying, with some taking longer than others.”
They had constructed an elaborate transport tank with a harness and IV fluids, but still
couldn’t keep the sharks alive. It wasn’t until 2004 that the Monterey Bay
Aquarium proved that it was possible to keep white sharks for at least six months. It took
a massive effort, and no one’s done it since. JON HOECH: Our approach was one of sort of
a systematic, logical sequence of things leading up to our success and it started with designing
a tank. The Monterey Bay Aquarium had a million gallon,
egg-shaped tank, 35 feet deep, designed for open-ocean animals like tuna and sharks. So
you need a big tank. You also need a small shark. Adult great whites reach 15 feet on average. The Monterey Bay Aquarium nabbed one in 2004
that was 4 feet, 4 inches, less than a year old. That made it easier to move and easier
to keep. JON HOECH: When they’re young they feed
on fish. And as they get older they transition to feeding more on mammals. And so we were targeting
the age bracket where we knew we were more able to feed their natural diet.
And once they collected the shark, they didn’t take it straight to the aquarium. Instead,
the Monterey Bay team set up a 4 million gallon pen right there in the ocean.
That way they could monitor the shark and see if it would feed before they moved it
into a transport tank to travel from southern California where the sharks were born up to the aquarium.
Sharks, like all fish, need to have water continually passing through their gills in
order to get oxygen. Most species can open and close their mouths
to pump the water through. But white sharks and a couple dozen other species don’t do
that. To breathe, they have to move forward through the water with their mouths open.
That’s why white sharks start to weaken as soon as they’re caught in a net. And
that’s why they needed a custom built transport tank with mobile life support.
JON HOECH: Everything from oxygen sensors and video cameras and lighting and filtration
systems that were needed for what turned out to roughly be 9 to 11 hour transport time. Aquarium attendance jumped 30 percent while the shark was on display. After 6 and a half months, they decided to release it because it had killed 2 other
sharks. Over the next 6 years, the aquarium displayed
5 more baby white sharks – some they paid fishermen to hand over, some they caught themselves.
Their stays ranged from just 11 days up to 5 months. The Monterey Bay Aquarium had succeeded
in doing what no one else could. But it did take a toll on the sharks. They
developed visible sores from bumping into the sides of the tank.
SEAN VAN SOMMERAN: We actually snuck in with photographers and took pictures of the sharks
as they were beginning to attrit and fail due to the constant scraping against the walls
basically. As we viewed it, it was a vase of flowers that would be kept for the visitors.
Historically, aquariums kept sharks that lived near the seabed or near reefs. That makes
sense – it’s easier to recreate those habitats in a tank. But in recent decades,
aquariums have wanted to bring in bigger, more pelagic sharks, those that spend time
roaming the open ocean. They’ve even been able to exhibit the largest
shark in the world, the whale shark, if they have a big enough tank.
But pelagic sharks are used to being able to swim long distances without obstructions,
changing directions only as they please. So the faster-moving sharks like the
white shark, mako shark, and blue shark, they have trouble with walls when they’re
put in a tank. That’s what was happening with the Monterey
Bay Aquarium’s sixth white shark in 2011. They decided to release it after 55 days and
its tracking tag revealed that the shark died shortly after being released. They’re not
sure why. But since then, they haven’t tried bring in
another great white shark. JON HOECH: It’s just a very very very resource
intensive program and we felt like we had accomplished our goal of introducing the general
public to a live white shark. It took a huge, carefully planned system to
keep a white shark alive. And even then, the sharks didn’t quite fit there.
We can’t seem to stop trying though. Earlier this year, an 11.5-foot great white shark
was taken to an aquarium in Okinawa, Japan after getting caught in a fisherman’s net.
It was the only adult white shark ever to be put on display, and within 3 days it was dead. I wanted show you a great resource online
called the Biodiversity Heritage Library – it’s the product of a couple dozen
museums and libraries all agreeing to scan millions of pages from books related to biodiversity.
They’ve got a bunch of great albums on Flickr, including one that’s all about sharks.
Some of these go back to the 16th and 17th centuries, back when the naturalists used to call sharks “sea dogs” which is funny because as we now know sharks were roaming the oceans for about 300 million years before the first mammals showed up.
hmm.. sounds like we shouldn't hold animals captive, research or for show it doesn't matter if its harming the species
Imagine humans in an empty tank doing nothing but being watched.
Not a vegan btw I just feel bad
Maybe don’t put them in tanks?
😒
It has to move just to breathe? So how do they sleep?
I hate zoos and aquariums with big fish! They need there environment! But cheetahs are almost extinct! People are moving houses to there environment!
How come they aquarium are not facing any charges, and how come they get permission to do it. Yes they achieve their goals of displaying shark but at the expense of shark life.
The Monterey bay aquarium got another great white a couple years ago. They had it for a while, and released it later, but it ended up dying shortly after it was released.
Wow the shark at the end was probably years old and after 3 days it died
The "great"cannot be minimized thus the deaths in captivity. Words truly have definite meaning.
The shark died a short while after they released it. And they DON'T know why???? It doesn't take a genius to figure it out, does it?
You know how the keep them a live ? leave them in the sea
Scumbag humans thinking they are Entitled to the natural land and it’s life forms.
I actually got to see the white shark in 2011 i guess i was lucky to see that
High intelligence and compassionate creatures should be kept in the ocean. Whales, Sharks, Dolphins, etc…. leave them in their HOME.
Why do humans keep wanting to put animals in cages or tanks? Let them run free!
Shark dies, well we know they can't survive there. Lets try it again to make sure😒
Have you seen Jaws 3-D? It's a sucky movie, but there's your answer.
Blackfish left the chat…
Don't waste your time. It's just that great white shark dies in aquarium.
I mean , why are we trying to keep these animals captive anyways? Why do we keep any animals captive? There's reasons they don't last long so leave it that way.
300,000,000 YEARS HUH 😂😂😂😂
There should be no animal or mammals or fishes or any kinda animal in captivity. It's bludy disgusting .
Orh they could just leave the alone, I don’t come to your house and take ur nan and put her In a cage. No didn’t think so
Nobody NEEDS aquariums or zoos
Why not just have animal breading stations that are well kept for when humans notice a species population starting to shrink?
Dat moray eel tho
they dont live in tanks thats why
The obsession humans have with taking animals from its natural habitat. “We achieved our goal of exposing the public to sharks”. The shark died Bob. What an achievement.
Why can’t we just drag it there?
*fisherman caught shark on net
"hey let's put it in tank"
Bruh. The GA aquarium is making an entire exhibit just for sharks…including a great white
Man it’s almost like putting them in captivity is harming them, most of the time fatally. Hmmmm, oh I know, let’s try again
I agree fully
Lies to the Law
Is not ok to do to anyone
So dont bring it. And just dont touch it
I have a great white in mine.
It saddens me to see that we as an intelligent species cannot see the forest for the trees. Just leave them alone. If you want to see a white shark, go to the ocean
and see them where they live. Experience their world in their setting.
Poor sharky
scam that's a megladom
Wow Great Whites evolved themselves so far ahead into the future that they are aquarium-proof!
These sharks are minding their own business but humans still feel the need to send them to an early grave by putting them on display, smh.
Hello everyone, on the topic of taking animals out of their habitat and putting them on display for our amusement or worse, keeping them for medical supplies please take my advice: do not visit a zoo in developing nations unless you want to be scarred for life. Vietnam, China (although not developing their record for animal cruelty is not great) don't do it!
try keep people in a large confined area, oh wait that's schools and office buildings
I hate this mesuring. Why dont you all count in cm/m/km…..
Useless ,
Howabout keeping bluefin tuna
IF YOU WANNA SEE A SHARK RISK YOUR LIFE NOT THEIRS
Omg, stop trying! Use holographs or sum
Aquariums are revolting establishments and the people that run them aren’t true marine conservationists…but the day they put a great white shark or even a blue whale (which I’ve actually heard almost happened once) in that environment, is the day we stuff them in with the poachers, trophy hunters and the seal clubbers…
This is not a success! this is killing the sharks 🙁
I can only imagine imagine if we're still around how appalled our ancestors will be that we trapped nature in cages and zoos for our entertainment.
Is it me or I just wants to break the glass and then they learn their lesson to not keep animals in captivity
Aquarium
Ah yes, enslaved ocean
why not cage the human animals that are bent on jailing these ocean animals, and see how long they will last. That would be a worth while study.
They need space to swim and breathe properly. Metals disrupt their senses such as their lateral line. It creates an electrical charge they see as prey and they will run into walls with metal joints and viewing frames.
Taking a shark/any animal/fish/ whatever you can think of, is like putting a human in
a claustrophobic place where it is difficult to breath. 🤦🏻♀️
I was just at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
NOT worth it. Leave them be.
sis there ocean ain't here for no thing
I want to see these sharks. Amazing
If people are so curious to see white sharks and sea life – How about this: Instead of bringing the animals to us – YOU go to them. Go diving and your experience will be so much more than it could ever be in an aquarium and it does not hurt the animals you want to see.
Wild animals are not supposed to live in a cage.
Maybe some things just aren't supposed to be kept in a cage.
And while watching, that song keeps playing.
They need to migrate, produce, make their runs around the world, so to speak!
The most amazing thing is it must have still been profitable for them to have bothered. The general public will always take a spectacle over morality.
A Street Shark would survive .
Why? There is no reason too…
We shouldn't have great whites in captivity it is not good for them
do we even need to ask?
Hey I'm feeling suicidal and the glass of the aquarium is breakable by the great white shark, let's try keep a shark.
sharks are becoming endangered, please don't keep them captive for our amusement..
what nobody here comments about is the interest of science into why they do not survive in an aquarium.
they are not just caught for entertainment, but also for science! everybody is interested in WHY the great white does not survive in captivity, however nobody found an answer yet. and it will be hard to find that out without actually capturing a specimen (they are not endangered). if – for any weird reason – we will ever have to save the species by capturing a few great whites, then we would not know how to do that (something similar has been done for some other species already)
There shouldn't be any aquarium with any fish. That's just slavery with extra steps!
The whole concept of keeping animals in captivity is pretty cruel and barbaric. They belong in their natural habitat. If you want to see a wild animal you can watch documentaries or see them out in nature. Using animal cruelty under the guise of education and/or entertainment is wrong. I went to an aquarium once, and couldn't help but feel sorry for all the poor creatures. They don't deserve that. Sure it was neat to see the animals in person- but it's not worth it knowing the reality of how they're living.
5 montos? 198 days is 6 and half months. Just be honest and people with brains will believe you too.
Next. Blue whale in a tank. Lol
I feel bad for fish, but not sharks they must not swim in the sea while i do
How u just leave them in the ocean
How bout u just leave them in the ocean
this is so incredibly sad. why must humans always take animals out of their natural habitats for our own gain and profit. just stop putting them in tanks and we can observe them from a distance in the wild
Just simply let them stay where they belong to. U know that tank is not for them.
Ushaka Marine world in Durban has great white sharks in there aquarium
Aliens: *Traps humans for entertainment *
Humans: *shocked pickachu face*
Why does this even need to be explained???? Oh yeah …Millennials
I saw a baby great white at the Monterey bay aquarium when I was a kid until they put it back in the ocean because it was eating all the fish
Great white sharks are one of the lucky ones I guess for not being able to sty in captivity
Monterey Bay Aquarium
You cannot contain greatness
So sad.. people can be really selfish. smh
When i was around 4 i used to always go to the monterey bay aquarium, i had always been obsessed with fish and the ocean. Seeing the great white shark was so school back then, i never knew all the work that went in to it
Anyone seen Jaws 3? Remember the gigantic underwater tunnel system they made so people can see the real ocean?
Why haven’t we done that and stop taking these animals out of their habitats?
Uhm wow let’s keep killing
please let them be. there are enough of them on tv
It goes 2 show how diseganged most people are from their own nature. Murder for amusmement.
I fully agree about not keeping a Great White in capitivity, but stop with all the bleeding heart BS. We all have to go sometime, plus those sharks wouldn’t think twice about taking your legs off or killing you or me if it wanted too. Everything science did in this video was about education, not entertainment.
all these institutions should be ashamed for giving so many attempts to force anciently wild animals to conform to our newfound humanly desire to view them.
Jotaro Kujo Is crying
So it's like a prison but with no privacy,
Zoos and aquariums should be banned, it is sick how humans capture other animals and interfere with nature all to make some money
How about we leave Mother Nature flourishing as it is, rather than disrupting it and destroying the cycle like we’ve been doing since the dawn of our existence?
Not true. We had a great white shark in the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I proved you wrong.
It's much more badass when they hunt and move in the wild anyway