Sharks and Humans 159
since 2007, and the organization may no longer exist, although its Ecolist can
still be found. Regardless, fishes should be purchased from dealers certified
by the Marine Aquarium Council (www.aquariumcouncil.org).
From the comments above, it should be clear that we are unenthusias-
tic about sharks, skates, rays, or chimaeras as pets for home hobbyists. We
are not alone here. Even websites promoting home aquariums make state-
ments such as “Most aquarists do best in avoiding these fish altogether.”
If you’re looking for pet fish, there are plenty of alternatives to elasmo-
branchs among the many lovely, easy-to-keep, sustainably captured or cul-
tured fishes sold by reputable dealers. Go with them and save yourself the
heartache and the shark its life. Or buy a pair of Nike Air Jordan Grey
Nurse Shark basketball shoes for $80. They’re cheaper and will last longer.
What is the best way to take care of a pet shark?
Assuming you are ignoring our advice in the first question, read, read,
read. Every shark has special issues related to temperature, tank size, wa-
ter chemistry, food, lighting, structure, bottom type (many injure them-
selves on coarse rocks), tankmates, and diseases. To expect any success, you
will have to educate yourself about the specific requirements of your shark.
Websites that sell these animals often contain initial, enthusiastic state-
ments (“one of the easiest sharks to keep in captivity... ”), but if you do
further research, you will also learn that mountain lions are one of the easi-
est large cats to keep in captivity.
The two most likely outcomes of owning a pet shark are (1) it will die,
despite your large investment in time and money, or (2) it will live and out-
grow your aquarium. Then what do you do? Don’t even think about releasing
it into the wild, where it will die, or transmit diseases, or eat native fishes.
Leave shark keeping to the experts. Go to a public aquarium where paid
An Ocellate River Stingray at the
New England Aquarium, Boston.
These “Motoros” are one of the
freshwater stingrays sold to home
aquarists, although they can easily
outgrow a living room tank. They
are more appropriate for large public
aquariums. Photo by Steven G. Johnson,
Wikimedia Commons, en.wikipedia.org
/wiki/File:Ocellate_river_stingray,_Boston
_Aquarium.jpg