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For only the third time since 2004, we have a young white shark [Online Field Guide] in the Outer Bay exhibit. He arrived on August 28, and will remain in the million-gallon exhibit as long as he's in good health and hasn't grown too large for us to return safely to the wild.
Like our first shark in 2004, he was caught accidentally in commercial fishing gear. Like our second shark in 2006, he's a young male: just 4-feet, 9-inches long and weighing 67 ½ pounds. As with both of the other young white sharks, he was kept in an ocean holding pen off Malibu in Southern California until we observed him feeding and navigating well in the confines of the pen.
Our first shark was with us for 6 � months; our second, for 4 � months. Both were successfully returned to the wild, and the tracking tags they carried documented their journeys back in the ocean. We've tagged 10 other young sharks in the wild in Southern California waters as part of our white shark field project, and support research to track the migrations of adult white sharks tagged off the Farallon Islands and Point A�o Nuevo on California's central coast.
You can meet the white shark in person when you visit, or try to spot him on our Outer Bay Cam as he swims in the exhibit. We'll post regular online updates on how he's doing.
Why White Sharks Need Our Help
Why White Sharks Need Our Help
Overfishing, trophy hunting, habitat destruction—all have contributed to a devastating decline in the white shark population worldwide. Here at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we're working to turn the tide. We're learning more about white sharks and supporting policies to protect them in the wild. You can help.
Donate now to help save sharks and the oceans they live in.
>We Have Lots to Learn about White Sharks We're Learning a Lot
Observing a white shark face to face is exciting for visitors—and helpful for scientists. But it's just a small part of our white shark research project. Studying white sharks in the wild is even more important and intriguing. Together with our research partners, we're learning more every day about their habits, their travels, their unique and irreplaceable role in the ocean ecosystem.
Find out more about our research.
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Here is a pic I took of the second shark that was there:
