They Don’t Last Long

The first attempt to keep a great white shark was in 1955 at Marineland of the Pacific in Los Angeles. The shark died within 24 hours.
That same year, the park force-fed blue sharks to keep them alive. Divers had to pry their jaws open to stuff in food.

In 1981, Marineland tried again with a young female great white. She died after just one week, despite round-the-clock care.
Years later, the Monterey Bay Aquarium held one the longest—just 16 days. Even then, the shark died shortly after being released back into the ocean.

Why It’s So Difficult

Several reasons make captivity impossible for these apex predators:

1. They Need Live Prey

Great whites feed on live animals—like tuna, rays, and seals. Providing live prey is costly and upsetting for visitors.

2. They Must Keep Swimming

Unlike most fish, great whites need constant movement to breathe. They can’t stop or swim backward. They require enormous space—far more than any aquarium can offer.

3. They Become Depressed

In tanks, they often stop eating, starve, or grow aggressive. According to Shark Bookings, “Great white sharks kept within tanks have been known to head butt their noses into the glass walls and lose their appetites… they get increasingly aggressive in their depressed state.”

Wild and Free

Despite decades of attempts, no one has succeeded in keeping a great white shark alive in captivity long-term. The truth is simple and sad:
They’re not meant to live behind glass.

So the next time you visit an aquarium, remember—some creatures belong in the wild. That’s where the great white thrives: roaming free in the deep, open ocean.