Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey Bay Aquarium releases great white shark
By Mark Gomez
Mercury News
Article Launched: 02/06/2008 01:46:26 AM PST

For the third time in four years, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has released a great white shark back into the ocean after a successful stay in captivity.

Great white shark No. 3, a young male, was tagged and released into Monterey Bay off a boat Tuesday morning just after sunrise. It was fitted with two electronic tags that will provide scientists with data for months.

"We've again learned some new things about caring for white sharks, and we expect he'll do well after release, just as our first two sharks did," Randy Hamilton, vice president of husbandry for the aquarium, said in a statement.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is the only aquarium ever to keep the ocean's top predator for more than 16 days. The most recent great white guest lived in the million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit for 152 days and was seen by more than 650,000 people, according to the aquarium.

When the shark - caught by a commercial fisherman off Ventura - arrived Aug. 28, it measured 4 feet, 9 inches and weighed 67 pounds. Before its release, the shark had grown to 5 feet 10 and 140 pounds, and was recently seen leaping into the air above the Outer Bay exhibit, Hamilton said.

"We were concerned that he was getting a little too frisky for his own good," Hamilton said.

The first shark in Monterey, a female, was at the aquarium for 198 days in 2004-2005. The second shark, a male, was on exhibit for 137 days.




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