MONTEREY, California -- The Monterey Bay Aquarium has embarked on a three-year, $1.1 million mission to capture and then exhibit a Great White shark. As "Tech Live" reports tonight, scientists say new technology and data on the giant beasts may just offer the best chance yet at succeeding where no one else has.

But before dwelling on the difficulty of the mission, aquarists point to another shark already in captivity at the facility.

Swimming toward the top of the 1 million gallon tank, flanked by a few pilot fish seeking her protection in Monterey Bay Aquarium's Outer Bay exhibit is the only Oceanic White Tip shark in captivity in the world -- a technological achievement for the aquarists at this world-renowned facility.

"These ram ventilators need to have water flow over their gills to breathe," said Manny Ezcuerra, a senior aquarist at the site.

Shark-friendly

That means she had to be small enough to continually swim in captivity while being transported to her new home. The million gallons of water are held back by 13-inch thick acrylic windows that are big enough, deep enough to give her enough room to spread out.



Her survival and new technology are leading the Monterey Bay Aquarium to attempt one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by an aquarium: to capture and then exhibit a Great White shark.

Great Whites can grow to 23 feet, weigh 7,000 pounds and have 3,000 teeth. The animal has been a kind of "Holy Grail" to the aquarium community. But the longest a Great White has survived in captivity has only been 21 days.

Challenges ahead

One of the theories why no one has had success in keeping them alive: Scientists speculate that the rebar used to construct new aquariums actually interferes with a shark's internal sonar system. So one of the things the Monterey Bay Aquarium will do is try to design new tanks that are shark and sonar-friendly.

"Sharks are very sensitive to electric impulses," said Christina Slager, associate curator. "If there was a current running through these tanks, a lot of times it would interfere with their ability to navigate the walls."

Another theory: There just haven't been tanks big enough, with the right curves, the right shape, to house the sharks comfortably. But the design of the Outer Bay aquarium has been a success with the Oceanic White Tip, so scientists hope it could be the winning design for the Great White.

"I think we have learned from our past, our knowledge is increasing, albeit by tiny little steps, and hopefully we will not repeat the mistakes of the past," Slager said.

Four small boats have begun trolling the waters off the California coast between Santa Barbara and San Diego, searching for baby, or what's called the "young of the year" Great White. If one is encountered, it will be caught and then kept in a netted preserve in the ocean.

If the shark can be stabilized in that closed environment, aquarists will then attempt to transport the shark to a land-based facility. So much can go wrong at any stage of the mission that aquarists aren't confident they will succeed. But they say they are taking all the necessary precautions and have a better chance than maybe anyone else before them of completing the mission successfully.