Dr. Wolverine
Well-Known Member
Rest in peace…
Georgia Aquarium Georgia Aquarium News
- Thread starter Zebraduiker
- Start date
Rest in peace…
The last outside of Japan and China, sadly.
I'm still going to hold out hope against hope that they will find their way into keeping whale sharks again. There has to be some individual that ends up stranded in Florida or Mexico that they can take in without ethical issues. The tank was DESIGNED for whale sharks! It would be a waste not to have them.
Local_Shark
Well-Known Member
There really weren't ethical issues with bringing in the originals as they were all destined for fish markets - so for that reason, I wonder if there is any other nation that still hunts them, where some individuals could be purchased legally to save them from such a fate. Though personally, I'd advocate for acquiring no more than two further individuals - I really don't think the tank is big enough for three on a truly long-term/full-life basis, let alone four or more. Getting them as young as possible while still being safe to exhibit with other animals would also be worthwhile imo.
ARAs can't tell the difference.
Local_Shark
Well-Known Member
Yeah, unfortunately not. I do think that's something that can be solved with better marketing, though - I honestly felt like GA didn't emphasize the exact place the sharks came from quite enough. That also could be related to the lack of widespread social media use upon the aquarium's opening in 2005, and even in 2007 when Yushan and Taroko were acquired from the same place. I do wonder if nowadays it would be very different; I assume the Aquarium would be blasting the story of their rescue all over social media this time around.
It is tough....they weren't technically rescued. IIRC the process was that the aquarium acquired one of the fishing permits for those years. So, rather than a permit going to a food fishermen they went to the aquarium to catch for export. Technically the permit would have been used by someone else to fish, but these animals in particular weren't rescued in the traditional sense.
All that said I don't have any issues with the process of how they were exported.
Local_Shark
Well-Known Member
Fair enough. To me (and probably to a good marketer) all that is technicalities. You could absolutely still say that something was rescued if rather than GA’s permit taking them, some other fisherman who’d have eaten them would have. That’s definitely the narrative I’d run with if anyone tried to question it.
CMTM
Well-Known Member
Fair enough. To me (and probably to a good marketer) all that is technicalities. You could absolutely still say that something was rescued if rather than GA’s permit taking them, some other fisherman who’d have eaten them would have. That’s definitely the narrative I’d run with if anyone tried to question it.
I believe that the country of origin (Taiwan) stopped issuing permits for whale sharks in 2008, in addition to the pending cites listing, I am not sure a viable source for the species exists any more.
Also, if the rumors I've heard are to be believed, the tank was not actually designed for whale sharks. They were the backup plan to the original species that was pulled early in development for a myriad of reasons.
May I ask what is this species?
May I ask what is this species?
Someone started a rumor that it was for right-whales
~Thylo
Local_Shark
Well-Known Member
Yeah just above here we were discussing whether some other country might be viable rather than Taiwan at all, then it became sort of a hypothetical on how I would have marketed it back in the day lol. Nowadays, I probably would just find somewhere that doesn’t exactly comply with CITES and rescue them there, if I were them - but they also could simply wait and see how Yushan does and if perhaps the tank is better suited for just one shark. Frankly, I’ve said before, that’s not a bad idea at all.
The really wacky rumor someone mentioned on here years ago was northern right whales…but from what it sounds like, if that rumor is even true, it was abandoned very early in the design process in favor of whale sharks. So I don’t really think we can say that the tank wasn’t designed for the latter.May I ask what is this species?
Local_Shark
Well-Known Member
Meaning I’d do it to prevent someone from eating them, with proper permitting from my local governments/international bodies of course. You can get exemptions to CITES after the fact, it’s not easy but doable. But again, I think they could do just fine not getting another one and seeing how all of this goes for the time being. I imagine Yushan will do well as long as there isn’t some sort of unexpected issue i.e. a parasite. Whale sharks are naturally solitary when not mating after all.
CMTM
Well-Known Member
That's my bad for not fully reading the discussion before chiming in.
CITES does work both ways though, and as of right now the United States is an active participant. Bringing another whale shark to Atlanta would involve import permits as well.
Plus with Georgia creeping up on another major expansion, I'd be surprised if they're putting a lot of thought into what to do (if anything) with Ocean Voyager.
I first heard the Right Whale tale back around 2012, and I have colleagues who heard it several years prior to that. You're absolutely correct, it was abandoned before ground was even broken. It was apparently the original reason for them planning on such a large tank in the first place, though.
Rumors tend to have some truth to them. From what I was told (from GA marine mammal trainers that were there early on), the idea came from Bernie Marcus himself. He had a strong conservation passion for them and thought he could possibly breed them 
hence the original design was to hold large marine animals, not necessarily whale sharks. Someone convinced him not too (the logistics alone are mind boggling) and whale sharks were chosen instead. The reality is it was never going to happen, a billionaires dream.....
Sidenote: This, according to former staff, also caused a ripple effect. With the whale sharks being chosen it was decided to add other large sharks that originally were slated to go where belugas are. By not having the current beluga exhibit be a large shark display and the facility wanting ceataceans of some sort, that's how it became belugas
hence the original design was to hold large marine animals, not necessarily whale sharks. Someone convinced him not too (the logistics alone are mind boggling) and whale sharks were chosen instead. The reality is it was never going to happen, a billionaires dream.....Sidenote: This, according to former staff, also caused a ripple effect. With the whale sharks being chosen it was decided to add other large sharks that originally were slated to go where belugas are. By not having the current beluga exhibit be a large shark display and the facility wanting ceataceans of some sort, that's how it became belugas
CMTM
Well-Known Member
Rumors tend to have some truth to them. From what I was told (from GA marine mammal trainers that were there early on), the idea came from Bernie Marcus himself. He had a strong conservation passion for them and thought he could possibly breed them
Sidenote: This, according to former staff, also caused a ripple effect. With the whale sharks being chosen it was decided to add other large sharks that originally were slated to go where belugas are. By not having the current beluga exhibit be a large shark display and the facility wanting ceataceans of some sort, that's how it became belugas
This is beat-for-beat what I have heard as well. Early on Bernie had a lot of involvement in day to day operations and decisions, too much from what I've heard from former keepers.
Local_Shark
Well-Known Member
You’re all good! And yes, you definitely would have to comply with United States regulations and probably try to get an exemption. That being said… I’m not exactly placing bets on whether or not the United States will continue complying with such international laws. I still would do all of the right legal and ethical things if I were in their position regardless though.
As for that new expansion, have you heard exactly what that’s going to be? I really have not heard much about it other than that they were trying to buy a parcel of land.
It really is fascinating, the kind of stuff that the incredibly wealthy will come up with lol. I would love to find somebody that’s that ambitious (and deep-pocketed) someday that would allow me to try some of the really crazy conservation/exhibitry/research things I’ve dreamed up!Rumors tend to have some truth to them. From what I was told (from GA marine mammal trainers that were there early on), the idea came from Bernie Marcus himself. He had a strong conservation passion for them and thought he could possibly breed them
Sidenote: This, according to former staff, also caused a ripple effect. With the whale sharks being chosen it was decided to add other large sharks that originally were slated to go where belugas are. By not having the current beluga exhibit be a large shark display and the facility wanting ceataceans of some sort, that's how it became belugas