Georgia Aquarium invitation riles some conservationists


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/20/08

Isla Holbox, Mexico — Georgia Aquarium officials want to hold the next international whale shark conference in Atlanta, but some conservationists bristle at the idea because the world's largest indoor aquarium exhibits the huge polka-dotted fish.

Bruce Carlson, the aquarium's chief science officer, traveled to this sweltering, gnat-infested island off the Yucatan Peninsula to invite scientists, eco-tourism officials and conservationists from around the globe who were attending the 2nd International Whale Shark Conference.

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Carlson told the six-day conference, which ended Sunday, the aquarium also plans to produce the most comprehensive guide to date on whale shark science, and he invited the 200 attendees from more than 20 countries to participate.

"A lot more hard science and data are needed," he said in an interview after his Holbox presentation. "You cannot go to one place right now and dig up information on these animals. It's scattered all over the place, much of it in obscure journals."

The aquarium's proposal drew mixed reactions, with some conservationists pouring water on the proposed Atlanta conference even before the invitations are mailed. The conference would likely take place in 2011.

"I would never come because that would condone what they are doing," said Lisa Carne, a conservationist from Belize who doesn't think whale sharks should be kept in captivity. "I'm pretty much one of those people who doesn't believe aquariums should exist."

Other scientists, however, applauded the idea of the Atlanta conference and a comprehensive whale shark reference book.

They included Mark Meekan, a scientist from Australia who has spent years researching whale sharks around the world and helped organize the first whale shark conference, held in Perth three years ago.

"This would attract everyone from around the world who has put serious time and effort into studying whale sharks," Meekan said. "I would hope the Atlanta conference would focus more on science than eco-tourism like they did in Holbox because the science is what I'm interested in."

The Georgia Aquarium is the only fish tank outside Asia to exhibit the gentle, giant sharks, which feed on plankton and small marine animals. The fish can grow to the size of a school bus and in the wild sometimes dive down thousands of feet for reasons scientists still cannot explain.

The sharks' size and diving behavior make them unsuited for aquariums, some have argued, even a tank as large at the Georgia Aquarium's 6.3 million gallon Ocean Voyager exhibit, which was specifically designed to house whale sharks.

Two of the aquarium's original whale sharks died after they were treated with a parasite-ridding chemical that apparently caused the big fish to suddenly stop eating. That parasite treatment was discontinued, and the facility's four remaining whale sharks — who were not treated with the chemical — are doing well, growing at about 3 feet a year, Carlson told the conference.

Carlson's presentation sparked a barrage of questions at an otherwise tame event where attendees presented papers on everything from genetic studies to the impact of whale shark eco-tourism on communities like Holbox, a small fishing village north of Cancun where hundreds of whale sharks gather each summer to feast on a massive plankton bloom just offshore.

Belizian whale shark scientist Rachel Graham said studies indicate the big fish sometimes make a series of deep dives during their ocean voyages. Scientists do not know the precise reason, but have speculated the dives could be a way to navigate, find food, cool off or evade predators. Or, Graham said, the dives could be a critical resting period for the big animals.

"How can we possibly allow these animals to rest in 20 to 30 feet of water" in the Ocean Voyager tank? she asked.

Carlson said aquarium scientists do not know if the deep dives are related to the shark's long-term health. He stressed that the aquarium's whale sharks were taken from Taiwan's kill quota, which means they would have ended up as food if they had not been brought to Atlanta.

He also defended a recent aquarium program that lets a few paying visitors swim with the big sharks in the tank, a move that sparked howls of protest from some quarters.

"If we thought the whale sharks were in any danger from this program, we would stop this program," Carlson told the conference.

Robert Hueter, a scientist from Sarasota's Mote Marine Laboratory whose whale shark research off Holbox has been partially funded by the aquarium, said he found some of the conservationists' complaints hypocritical.

"Some of these people claim to be conservationists, and they focus on a few animals in an aquarium," Hueter said in an interview. "But a lot them benefit from eco-tourism in which thousands of animals have their behavior compromised with people swimming with them. It's the dirty little secret of the eco-tourism world."

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Comments

By mzsyd ckzovnqxw

Jul 31, 2008 9:38 AM | Link to this

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By mzsyd ckzovnqxw

Jul 31, 2008 9:38 AM | Link to this

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By mzsyd ckzovnqxw

Jul 31, 2008 9:37 AM | Link to this

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By mzsyd ckzovnqxw

Jul 31, 2008 9:35 AM | Link to this

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By Diver Gal

Jul 28, 2008 7:34 PM | Link to this

Whale sharks need to range freely in three directions - which includes the depths of the oceans. Limiting this motion to two dimensions (length and width of an aquarium tank) is akin to keeping a dog locked up in a long, narrow cage it's entire life. It may survive, but likely it will not thrive.

By Steve Mussman

Jul 25, 2008 9:46 AM | Link to this

It is not necessary to keep whale sharks in captivity in order to inspire public support for their conservation. There are other ways to educate aquarium patrons and promote this species' needs. For example, a well filmed and documented IMAX type of presentation might be more appropriate. There were more than two options for dealing with these sharks; They could have been tagged and released to provide needed research information. Aquariums can be great assets to promote the marine environment, but some species are not appropriate for confined displays. No real science can be enhanced by selling encounters with these sharks and it only hurts the reputation of the institution to do so. If the Georgia Aquarium wants to become a theme park, that's one thing, but the public would be better served by an aquarium that focuses on leadership (by example) in conservation and education.

By Ben

Jul 25, 2008 12:56 AM | Link to this

Wow...how quickly this one degraded into personal insults...what a shame.

In part, I agree with most of the mature comments so far:

Yes, it is a somewhat shameful paradox that animals (particularly endangered ones) must be held in captivity to inspire overall public sympathy--and therefore funding and support and research and conservation--but that's the world we live in. And the reality of this world is that these magnificent animals could've ended up in one of two places: on a lovely platter at the center of a buffet somewhere, or in an aquarium tank (admittedly generating income, but also contributing to the species' publicity and subsequent preservation). While I agree that the whales' ideal and rightful place is in the wild, given the unfortunate choice of food vs. display, I ask you which is less degrading, both for the individual animal and for the reputation of the species at large?

By Steve Mussman

Jul 24, 2008 8:39 PM | Link to this

As a local dive shop owner and long time diving professional, let me just say that this particular species is different from common sharks typically on display in aquariums around the world. If Georgia's aquarium wants to gain the respect of the international community then it should present itself with professional dignity. Scientific research and education should be the focus; a program that offers swim and dive experiences in a tank with captive whale sharks is a degrading exercise that equates this aquarium's reputation with that of a carnival side show. It gives the appearance of obvious exploitation in a time when their priority should be to teach the importance of marine conservation through leading by example. It is a shame they choose not to do so.

Steve Mussman
Sea Lab Diving

By Steve Mussman

Jul 24, 2008 8:35 PM | Link to this

As a local dive shop owner and long time diving professional, let me just say that this particular species is different from common sharks typically on display in aquariums around the world. If Georgia's aquarium wants to gain the respect of the international community then it should present itself with professional dignity. Scientific research and education should be the focus; a program that offers swim and dive experiences in a tank with captive whale sharks is a degrading exercise that equates this aquarium's reputation with that of a carnival side show. It gives the appearance of obvious exploitation in a time when their priority should be to teach the importance of marine conservation through leading by example. It is a shame they choose not to do so.

Steve Mussman
Sea Lab Diving

By Russ Rector

Jul 22, 2008 11:36 AM | Link to this

we can fix ugly, but we still cant fix stupid! the gsa is just about making money not conservation. Ga is starting to demonstrate to the world why cousins should never marry!

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