• The Publisher’s Notebook •

The Malibu Shark Tank: Science and Captivity

BY ANNE SOBLE

The role of ethics in science is a subject that is guaranteed to produce discussion, if not debate, and the potential for fisticuffs. If it is complicated when the subject is a human scientific issue, it becomes all the more muddled when dealing with species that invoke fears, conscious and subconscious, the way a great white shark does. On Monday, a crew from the Monterey Bay Aquarium was in the waters off Point Dume, setting up the underwater holding pen that will serve as temporary quarters for any juvenile great white sharks that are caught for study and placement on public display at the aquarium. MBA has already “captured” several great whites—although more accurately speaking, it’s usually commercial fishing vessel crews that do the capturing, often by accident. Two that survived this ordeal were put on highly publicized display, the first for six months until it bloodied its snout on the glass tank trying to escape, and began attacking its tankmates. The second shark, released this January, was in captivity for four and a half months. Both displays boosted aquarium attendance and gift shop sales.

The aquarium maintains that the best way for people to appreciate the wonder of these magnificently-designed creatures is to see them face to face. But in a digital age, attuned to electronic communication, a strong case can be made that creative imagery can give these visitors a graphic and meaningful look at sharks without using live animals in a simulated environment. This is why we are starting to remove animals from zoo settings because what we see is not an elephant but a medicated, disconnected life form that is suffering physically and psychologically. The misconception that wild animals can be “Trumanized” without major impairment won’t fly. Many who are concerned about the captivity component can see value in temporary capture and tagging with sophisticated equipment that can shed light on travel and other patterns. MBA’s data in this area has led to greater insight into the great whites. This further corroborates the contention that animal behavior is best studied when human interference is least. The actions of an animal in the wild are not comparable to that of an animal that becomes so stressed that it engages in self-mutilation. No number of additional visitors and no amount of dollars can validate opportunistic animal showmanship in the face of questionable behavioral science and inter-species cruelty.