Explore our History

2004

White shark on display in Outer Bay exhibit

Small in numbers, slow to reproduce and widely distributed around the world, white sharks are vulnerable to exploitation. Their relatively small numbers have been reduced by fishing to feed the curio trade, by incidental catch in commercial fishing gear that targets other species and by sportfishing.

Watch the shark's trip from Malibu to the Aquarium.

White Shark Goes On Display

September 2004

A young white shark caught inadvertently off Southern California in a commercial fishing net is put on display at the Aquarium on September 15—the only white shark on exhibit anywhere in the world. During her first day, the shark dines on four wild-caught salmon fillets (350 grams), the first time in history that any white shark has fed on exhibit.

About 5 feet long and weighing 62 pounds, she is brought to Monterey as part of our About Our White Shark Research Projectwhite shark research project. Having a white shark on exhibit allows us to gather new data on the biology and behavior of young white sharks—data that will help in their management and conservation. We successfully release the shark to the wild on March 31, 2005.