Posted on 03/31/2005 10:18:48 AM PST by SmithL
MONTEREY, Calif. - A great white shark that survived longer than any other in captivity was released back to the wild early Thursday because it was growing too large for its tank and beginning to prey on other fish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The shark, captured off the coast of Orange County on Aug. 20, was kept in captivity for 198 days and was the first to regularly eat outside the wild. Despite a half century of attempts to keep a white shark, the previous captivity record was 16 days.
"The larger she grew, the more that human safety and animal welfare concerns became a factor in our thinking," said Randy Hamilton, vice president of husbandry for the aquarium. "It's more risky to handle a larger animal."
The animal also had killed two soupfin sharks earlier this year, although at the time aquarium officials weren't sure whether she was hunting. After close observation this week, researchers noticed she was starting to exhibit true hunting behavior.
"We've been watching to see if she was actively hunting other animals in the exhibit," Hamilton said. "When we saw clear signs on Monday, we decided an immediate release would be best."
Aquarium staff released the shark shortly before sunrise Thursday in the waters south of Monterey Bay. During her stay in Monterey, she had grown from a length of 5 feet and weight of 62 pounds to 6-feet-4 inches and 162 pounds.
The shark's movement will be followed for the next month with an attached electronic data tag. Researchers, meanwhile, will begin searching for another young white shark to exhibit in its 1 million gallon tank.
"We've learned a tremendous amount about how to care for a white shark," said Manny Ezcurra, who heads the aquarium's white shark exhibit team. "When she arrived, no one even knew if she'd survive or feed, or thrive in the exhibit. After six and a half months, she's done so well that we're releasing her because she's grown so much."
As a surfer it's always interesting to learn about the "landlord", a blend of fear and respect is always present. I hope they were able to learn a lot by keeping it alive and maybe can learn more as we figure out what makes them so fragile in captivity.
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