At the risk of sounding cynical, whale sharks end up in bycatch all the time and I wouldn't be shocked to see them "rescue" one of these individuals down the line
Georgia Aquarium Georgia Aquarium News
- Thread starter Zebraduiker
- Start date
At the risk of sounding cynical, whale sharks end up in bycatch all the time and I wouldn't be shocked to see them "rescue" one of these individuals down the line
imaginarius
Well-Known Member
Unregulated, unsustainable commercial fishing will be the death of everything in the sea. **** people that eat seafood
Qinu the Beluga Whale is pregnant with a calf and is expected to give birth this summer.
Nunavik (male beluga) has moved to another facility that has not been disclosed yet. I suspect SeaWorld Florida or California.
Alice, the female Whale Shark was euthanized. An illness was not specified, but the animal care staff noticed “changes in her behavior and bloodwork,” which got progressively worse. 
And then there were two...Alice, the female Whale Shark was euthanized. An illness was not specified, but the animal care staff noticed “changes in her behavior and bloodwork,” which got progressively worse.
I think at this point I don't feel like aquariums are ready to take whale sharks on.
That is why it is so important that Georgia does what research they can with their current ones so we can learn as much as possible. In the future, this information can be used to better the lives of more whale sharks in the wild and in aquariums.
Indeed. I hope we can learn from this so that the next whale sharks have better lives. For now, though, I think it would be better to not acquire more (Georgia Aquarium is doing a good job here) until we improve conditions.
Really unfortunate. I would say transferring 1 or 2 from one of the Japanese aquariums would be possible and beneficial. Bernie Marcus should look into it.
One of the Whale Sharks at Okinawa died a week or so ago, I am not sure they would let more leave the country when they will need to continue to stock their own.
By the way, do Japanese aquariums have a good track record with whale sharks? I've heard some rather unsavory things about many of them, but I can't actually confirm or deny it.
If what I've heard is true, I wouldn't recommend transferring from there; but I may very well be wrong.
If what I've heard is true, I wouldn't recommend transferring from there; but I may very well be wrong.
Bib Fortuna
Well-Known Member
Every year, millions of coral reef fish die in all the public aquariums of the world, and then replaced by new ones. They die after a short time,too, and are replaced again - all wild-caught of course. This is what I call not the circle of life, but the circle of death....Does anyone here criticize this ? No - not at all the fans of public aquariums. But if two whale sharks die, which lived healthy for several years in the aquarium, like Alice, which has lived at the Georgia Aquarium for 15 years, then it is immediately said that you can not keep this species in "captivity"....I would like to know how many whale sharks China has already consumed, since they are kept there-there should be several more...Aquariums are, and will always be animal consumers-that should be clear to every zoo geek here....?
And how many other Sharks species die every year at the Aquariums of the world ?
And how many other Sharks species die every year at the Aquariums of the world ?
You bring up a good point, but, AFAIK, most fish species live the normal lifespan that they are supposed to live in captivity. We have knowledge about them and have been keeping them for a very long time, unlike Whale Sharks.
Also you claim that all are wild-caught which is false. Many are wild-caught, but ones like clownfish, Banggai Cardinalfish, small sharks, gobies, rays, and almost all freshwater species are be captive-bred. That said, there still are a large number of wild-caught fish, which is a separate issue.
But the point here is that these Whale Sharks are dying prematurely, due to the lack of knowledge that humans have for their needs in captivity. However, IMO, they should still be kept in captivity, at least for now. If we research their needs, it may be possible to be able to properly care for them one day, so they do not die prematurely.
Ok well, how old was Alice when she was caught? Was she still a Juvenile or was she actually well aged?
While I understand your point here; many fish have been proven to be keepable in large aquarium facilities for a majority of their lifespan, or even their entire lifespan. Additionally; these fish are often much more easily replaceable, no matter how unfortunate that may sound. (Wild-caught fish are often nevertheless an issue. If GA indirectly supports cyanide fishing, my opinion of it would go way down, but I don't feel like an AZA-accreddited facility would go that - I might be a bit too idealistic here though, I may be wrong). Additionally, while many fish have shorter natural lifespans, whale sharks have an average lifespan of fifty to seventy years. For some fish species that don't live long, we can safely say it's because of how experimental we have to be right now (see goblin sharks and sailfish). In the meantime, we've had progress in whale shark research and many facilities haven't really tried to improve exhibit conditions. This is understandable, due to the cost, but I would hope that they build something better before taking in more whale sharks. I certainly understand that China has consumed more than a few whale sharks, and honestly I'm pretty sure that's because of China's...lackluster animal rights laws. I don't support it at all.
In short, I feel that we aren't prepared enough for whale sharks yet, and that we may be able to get them in the future, but for now we should wait until we try another way to do it.
Beluga whale calf has died. It's unclear if it was a stillbirth or died shortly after delivery. Georgia Aquarium has had only one successful beluga whale birth since the aquarium opened in 2005.
‘Devastating grief’: Beluga whale loses calf in birth at Georgia Aquarium
‘Devastating grief’: Beluga whale loses calf in birth at Georgia Aquarium
Given that the Georgia Aquarium has had both M and F dolphins of reproductive age for some time now, it is surprising to me that they are not a breeding facility. Anyone know if they have chosen not to be a breeding facility or just have not had any luck?
When GA opened their dolphin exibit, they own Marineland Dolphin Adventure and it was their breeding facility, and they even moved Shaka and Lily to breed there.
Now, without Marineland, they brought back Lily and move Roxy, two proven breeders, so they probably will start the breeding program at Atlanta.
Now, without Marineland, they brought back Lily and move Roxy, two proven breeders, so they probably will start the breeding program at Atlanta.
I wouldn't say a good track record overall necessarily, but the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium actually holds the longevity record for captive whale sharks! Their male, Jinta, has been captive for over 26 years and is estimated to be 34 to 39 years old currently (Alice is in second place for longevity). He's actually the only captive whale shark for which sexual maturity has been documented -- they've published extensive information on his road to maturity on their website and in studies.
They were intending to breed until their oldest female died recently -- they keep others in seapens, but if they have any females remaining they're almost certainly younger than she was and therefore farther away from sexual maturity.
Edit: It should also be noted that of the four Japanese aquariums housing whale sharks, two only keep them for a certain amount of time or until a certain size and then release them, replacing them with smaller and younger animals afterwards.
Last edited: