Freshwater Sharks

[Blue Crab of PAIN!!!!]

As some of you probably already know, there are indeed such things as legitimate freshwater sharks (Glyphis species), and if you know there are such things then you are also probably aware that they are EXTREMELY rare. Correct me if I am wrong but isn't the Ganges Shark the ONLY one known from more than just a few specimens?

Anyway, I have few questions: 1. Why hasn't the exotic pet trade (or public aquaria) been crawling all over these things? Extremely rare animals have ended up in captivity, certainly things rarer than this shark. As far as I'm aware there isn't a single one in captivity anywhere. A freshwater shark seems to me like something that the pet trade would go nuts for.

2. Do you guys think these things SHOULD be collected for captivity? While I'm certain the sharks would be happier in the wild I seriously doubt how much longer this species will exist unless some captive-breeding program is made. IMO the clock is ticking for big freshwater animals of all kinds (freshwater whiprays, dolphins, etc). A regular conservation program will probably not cut it since these animals are reputed to eat people and those living on the Ganges river will probably not sympathize with it.

3. If you guys had the opportunity to own something like this, would you pass it up? I really can't answer this question since it would certainly require a very BIG enclosure and I'm about to go off to college.


Unfortunately, I believe that an animal like this either has a future in captivity or no future at all. Captive breeding has done miracles for other animals like Chinese Alligators (which is, BTW, another thing that I'd love to keep). While all of that is nice there's also reason to be concerned if a breeding pair are accidentally released into the wild. I live near the Great Lakes; we already have enough problems with invasive species. A freshwater shark is something that is probably better off staying off of that list.



Oh yeah, I am aware that Bull Sharks can (and will) live in fresh water, but the general notion is that they should not be kept as a freshwater fish. Well, actually the general idea seems to be that they shouldn't be kept at all, but that seems to apply to a lot of things on this site . I'm assuming the reason for that is pretty much the same for why it isn't recommended to keep Atlantic Stingrays in fresh water., although people have done that too. Does anyone here own a bull shark and, if you do, have you tried keeping it in fresh water?

 

[pupumole]

if i remember correctly... fw sharks is on the CA restricted list ._. if i had a giant tank... that would be the reason why i cant keep it

 

[cichlaguapote]

From what I know they're very rare and were even for sometime feared extinct. I wouldn't advocate collecting them for farms or for hobbiest because of that. Also I don't think there's anything rarer than this fish in the hobby right now. Most fish are readily available, just in hard to reach places.

Besides that no one would be interested in a captive breeding conservation type program and I'm not sure you can replicate what nature does with breeding. You'd have to start with a huge amount of sharks. Any fish farm that would do it is certainly more interested in money than putting fish back in the river. Just not the way the industry works. Conservation doesn't make as much money as hobbiest sales.

If you have enough money to build an enclosure for a 6ft shark then there should be little stopping you from keeping a SW shark which would be way easier than trying to keep this species that we know so little about. If I was going to build a shark size enclosure, even if it had to be FW there are other species I would pick first then trying to get something so unattainable.

 

[Oddball]

While I'd love to see riverine sharks available for captive breeding/display, I can't see it being feasable in large scale due to the requirements for keeping 3m (nearly 10 ft) fish in captivity. Add to their size the fact that they're riverine (require high DO) adds to the complexities for meeting their requirements.
Cases like these species are better dealt with an intensive conservation program rather than attempting a single-species large-scale captive breeding program (IMO).


From "The Conservation Report":

 

[sostoudt]

there very endangered(collection probably prohibited). they get too big for most aquaria.

not sure about this: but little is probably known about regular sharks and inducing aquaria breeding let alone freshwater sharks.

 

[Blue Crab of PAIN!!!!]

I do believe there is economic potential for captive breeding of these sharks, although it's a little grisley and I doubt anyone here will really like the idea. The American and Chinese alligators, for all intents and purposes, owe much of their success to captive breeding. Very little money is made from selling the animals to exotic pet hobbyists, but instead make most of their money from harvesting their meat and skins. While I personally don't like the idea of slaughtering alligators (or sharks) if it weren't for the practice both the animals would probably be extinct or close to it (IMO the Chinese alligator is NOT critically endangered, there's 10,000+ in captivity).

I'm not exactly sure how appealing FW shark meat is, but I do know that the oil from their liver is highly prized (for the Ganges Shark anyway). I can only imagine that large-scale farming of freshwater sharks (if we learn more about them) would be far easier than doing the same for a saltwater species. WAYYYYY down the road (once the original breeding pairs give rise, several generations later, to MANY breeding pairs) they could potentially alleviate some of the pressure put on wild SW sharks by the finning "industry". Whild I'd love to see shark fin soup completely illegalized I seriously doubt that is ever going to happen. This could at the very least make the practice... ahem, a little less unsustainable.


Obviously, the captive care (and much less large scale farming) of river sharks cannot happen soon. First we need to learn more.... or more people need to learn that there are such things as legit freshwater sharks. Once we have a better understading of their biology and habits I think small scale attempts should be made, first to keep them alive at all (although I don't think that should be too hard of an issue; Bull Sharks do well in captivity and I can only imagine that a freshwater shark would be even easier to mantain). If we can keep them alive then individual breeding attempts should be made. If those are successful, then there's a dillema; for large scale operations should the decendants of the original captive pairs be used (which will probably result in gross inbreeding and genetic issues) or should more wild specimens be used (which will undoubtably seriously threaten the wild population)?
Also, exactly which species should be choosen? I'd say the Ganges Shark since it's apparently the best known of all the Glyphis. However, that potentially means abandoning the other species an almost certainly bad fate.


I honestly don't know right now. It's going to be a long time before we really have to answer that question... if we ever do. In either case I strongly feel that something has to be done. Very few people know these animals exist and when most people find out they freak out (that River Monsters show, while a good show, probably didn't help). IMO it would be hard to sell a conservation movement for a freshwater shark that is believed to attack and eat people.

 

[Oddball]

As with everything, it's going to boil down to numbers. And, those numbers mean dollars (or whatever currency comes into play). In the space needed to yield a half dozen shark pups, several thousand tilapia or channel cats can be raised. And, on much less of a feed budget than is needed to maintain predators. Trying to compare the possible captive requirements of these sharks to crocodiles and gators is a fruitless endeavor. These reptiles can be raised in close quarters and high densities because they're air breathers and sedentary in nature. Constantly moving sharks would require many surface acres with supplemental aeration just to maintain a few individuals. And, the feed budget for these few individual active sharks could probably sustain a dozen gators or crocs.
Unless there are lines of philanthropic billionnaires waiting to fund such a shark project, the money is going to remain with the smaller high population density tolerent omnivores that can yield large harvests in a short time for little money.

 

[cogs]

yes well said