No White Christmas

 

Adieu, adios, farewell, she said. Oh, wait - that was just me; with one last flick of the tail she was gone. Yes, this morning, I let the dog out, and then I let the shark out, figuratively speaking. Today, the young great white shark swims back in the wild again, to find mackerel not hand-delivered on a pole.

In roughly six months we expect her to call home and report where she's been. She's been outfitted with new jewelry (tags) today, that will record her position, depths to which she dives and the temperature of the water she's in - all very valuable data for understanding juvenile great whites. A pop-off tag will send data via satellite, and if we can recover the tag, as we have previously, we can retrieve yet more.

She gained over 20 pounds in two months - which is pretty impressive - and added two inches, making her 5-foot 5-inches. Taller than me, she noted.

 

So, just how do you catch a great white shark and return it to the wild. Carefully! And with great skill. Our husbandry team has done this four times before of course, but there's always room for more adrenalin. Two staff members wait with dip nets for her to swim by. With lightening reflexes, one covers the tail end and the other the bitey end. Once she's enclosed, she can be transferred into one net and lifted. Easy, right? I got tired just watching. She's then transferred into a holding tank, where she can be enclosed in a stretcher, which will be her sling and comfort until she slides back into the Pacific blue.

Once stretchered, she is weighed, then transferred into a transport container which contains super-rich oxygenated water. Amazingly at this point the shark becomes calm and still (after she appropriately gave the husbandry team one last cold shower with a quick tail thrust!) The combination of confinement and oxygenated water has this effect on other sharks too, and tuna too.

Detailed measurements are taken, and photographs, then it's down the elevator and onto Cannery Row where our hoist can lift her transport tank onto a truck. She gets the full tourist experience, down historic Cannery Row and to the wharf. There a hoist transfers her to a waiting boat.

Next it's time for some blood work, and final checks, and it's time to go. As the release site is reached, her satellite and ID tags are fitted, the stretcher is taken to the front of the boat, which has a special bow that lowers (often used to bring gigantic leatherback turtles aboard for tagging). The stretcher is tilted and lowered to the water, and in she goes.

Wow. Pretty amazing. This is always a good day for us. A successful release of an animal back to the wild that will be an important contributor to this population. New research just released reveals there are far less of these sharks than previously thought. Every one counts. Be lucky young girl. Call us in the spring and let us know how you're doing!

Comments

[Brenda Hicks]

Thank you, MBA, for all you do to educate the public about these marvelous animals and for your commitment to research and conservation. While I'm sad to see her go, I know (and trust) that you're doing the right thing. I look forward to updates on how she's faring.