On August 19, 1980, Tomales Bay fisherman Al Wilson discovered a great white shark feasting on his net of starry flounder. He knew just what to do: gently squeeze its gills and tap its head to keep it alive as he slowly brought it to shore.
Wilson then contacted the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco.
This catch marked the beginning of an extraordinary week in Bay Area ichthyology. Through meticulous preparation, deep scientific knowledge, marketing prowess, and a stroke of luck, the California Academy of Sciences managed to keep the first great white shark in captivity at their aquarium for five days.
The Chronicle reported, “A great white shark was caught in Bodega Bay yesterday by a fisherman whose swift attention to the seven-foot fish’s delicate life system may make it the first to survive in captivity at the Steinhart Aquarium in Golden Gate Park.”
The public exhibition of the shark occurred during a period of heightened interest in sharks, fueled by the 1975 movie "Jaws." It made the Chronicle’s front page for days and broke museum admission records. While Wilson captured the shark, the driving force behind its display was the adventurous aquarium director, John McCosker. His fascination with great white sharks began in 1973, predating both Peter Benchley’s novel and Steven Spielberg’s film. McCosker, a dynamic scientist frequently appearing on local TV shows, believed that the aquarium’s new circular tank could support a great white’s need for continuous movement, ensuring a constant flow of oxygen over its gills.
Clip taken from The World About Us. 1984.
2 окт 2024
