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A young, 4-foot, 10-inch, 52-pound great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) that was released last week after being exhibited at the Monterey Bay Aquarium has died, and its death remains unexplained. The shark was found originally found off Marina del Rey in August, was exhibited for 55 days at the aquarium, and was released into the sea off Goleta on the afternoon of October 25, and died shortly afterward. The aquarium began capturing and releasing great white sharks in 2004 and has exhibited them in the “Open Sea” exhibit. After release, sharks are monitored with electronic tracking devices. In all, six young great white sharks have been exhibited since 2004. One of them died four months after its release, after being caught in a fishing net off Baja California.

The death of the young great white is the first unexplained death since the shark capture and release began in 2004. The aquarium had no reservations about the shark’s survival. Veterinarian Dr. Mike Murray, in a released statement, said:

“Our first concern is always the health and well-being of the animals under our care. It became clear that it was time to release him. While we determined it was best not to keep him on exhibit any longer, we had no reservations about whether the shark would do well in the wild,” Dr. Murray added. “That’s why his death is both distressing and puzzling.”

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has allocated nearly $2 million dollars toward “Project White Shark,” a project focused on researching and protecting white sharks and educating the public about shark conservation.

“Since 2002, the aquarium and its research partners have tagged and tracked 47 juvenile great white sharks off southern California. Earlier this year, the aquarium was lead sponsor of legislation enacted in California that outlaws the shark fin trade – a major factor in the global decline of shark populations.“

The aquarium’s white shark exhibit and field research team will review all of its procedures and protocols after the death of the great white.

-Bill at

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