For those of you who don't know but still care!

[Reefer Dude]

For those of you who have talked to me in person, you know I am pretty into what is going on with public aquariums. As it is my goal in life, over the next couple years, to start the Minnesota Public Aquarium Foundation and start to raise money to build a public aquarium and research center in Minnesota.

Anyway for those of you into public aquariums you may know that the Montery Bay Aquarium (I have been to a lot of public aquariums and this one is the best!) sucessfuly housed a Great White Shark last year for about 8 months in their outer bay exihibit (a small 1,000,000 gallon tank!). When the shark started to get a little aggressive they let it go back into the wild and tracked its movements. You can read more about on my web site here: http://www.reeferspedia.com/index.ph..._carcharias%29

Well today the Monterey Bay Aquarium announced a second White Shark on exhibit. Read about it here http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/whiteshark/

Keeping a White Shark in captivity is a huge advancement in aquarium keeping, when you think how many advances started at the public level and moved their way down to our home aquariums. Do I think we will ever have White Sharks at home???? No! But wouldn't it be cool!

[MedicineMan]

I've heard the Monteray Bay Aquarium is about the most awesome aquarium ever. My question is, have you been to the Maui Ocean Center? If so, how would you compare it to Monteray Bay? Just curious as I'm sure the Monteray Bay Aquarium is bigger and has more stuff (after all, Maui's just a little speck in the middle of nowhere with only about 130,000 people and Monteray Bay has a MUCH better population base to support it!)

[Reefer Dude]

I have not been to the Maui Ocean Center, I have only been to Hawaii once and that was 15 years ago and when I was there I went to Oahu! I want to say the Ocean Center is the US' largest aquarium, but I am not sure if the new Georgia Aquarium took away that title or not. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a different kind of place, if you are a reef lover only it is not the Aquarium for you, however if you like the ocean and like cold water it is awesome. They have the best collection of Jelly Fish I have ever seen and their deep water exhibitis are really awesome. I hope my family and I can take a trip to Hawaii soon and see the Maui ocean center.

[MedicineMan]

I looked up public aquariums on the web and compared the info on Maui Ocean Center and Monteray Bay Aquarium. They look like they both have the same "mission" in that they're explaining and diplaying the "local" ocean environment and creatures.

I find it awesome that Monteray Bay has learned how to keep a Great White in captivity. Not the keeping it captive so much as that we've now learned about this amazing animal.

I watched a program a couple of weeks ago on Great Whites on one of the Discovery channels. It seems they're making a bit of a comeback. According to Hawaiian legend, they used to be fairly common here. Then, for a number of years they've been quite rare but recently sightings have become less unusual. (I posted a pic of one sighted at Molokini Crater just 4 miles off Maui about a year and a half ago and titled it "Fish ID?")

A few months ago the Honolulu Advertiser did an article on a guy with a tour boat off O'ahu hopped in the water and swam with a 17 footer. Personally, I think the guy is nuts but it DOES sound like an awesome experience!

A little more to the point of this forum, I saw another program on one of the Discovery channels that showed strong evidence that apex predators (i.e. Great White Sharks) are essential to the development of a healthy reef. In that respect, we all should be excited about Great White Sharks and our learning more about them and preserving them as a species!