Sharks that should be banned from public sale

[water_baby83]

Just a thought as I read over my last post - - KRJ I was not meaning for that to sound like I was singling you out. I know you were making a general statement and what you said, though sad, is very true. Most do not do research. My response was supposed to be just another comment but as you may have guessed, I am a little passionate about animals I care for, so it got a little wordy. I just want you to know I wasn't directing anything specificaly at you ok!

 

[dzb912]

alot of freshwater fish reach over 3 feet easy
but u dont complain about banning them
as long as there not in danger of extinction or w.e theres not problem with it

 

[krj-1168]

Wow - talk about a delayed response.

the last comment on this thread is a year old.

 

[Zoodiver]

alot of freshwater fish reach over 3 feet easy
but u dont complain about banning them
as long as there not in danger of extinction or w.e theres not problem with it

Actually, there is a lot of talk about tighter control on large bodied freshwater stuff as well...endangered or not.

 

[sandtiger]

I believe the only sharks that should be easy to obtain are small benthic species and even they should not be all that "easy", just the easiest. Most other species I don't feel belong in captivity at all. As it stands I feel that most sharks available to hobbyists are just too easy to get a hold of. The only people that should be able to get ahold of them are those who would have to jump through so many hoops that the proper care of the animal is just about a guarantee. This should be the same for many freshwater species as well, I'm not just biased because we're talking sharks here. I don't believe anyone should be able to just walk into a shop and buy an arapaima. I also support captive breeding as well and strongly urge anyone who is taking the time to keep sharks to at least consider it.

 

[krj-1168]

While I may agree some of your points - sandtiger. Especially about the benthic species & suggestions for captivity breeding.

And of the 350-400 species of sharks - approximately 75-80% aren't suited for captivity.

But certain species such as Bonnetheads, Sand Tigers, Sandbars, Leopards, Lemons, Reef Sharks(i.e. Blacktip,Whitetip,& Gray), Nurse Sharks, Zebra Sharks make excellent subjects for Public Aquarium exhibits, or for captive scientific study programs.

Granted there is also few species that really shouldn't be available to most private aquarists. But then we've already covered that before.

.

 

[Seask]

I think you should have to get a permit for any shark that grows over 3 ft IMO

 

[krj-1168]

I think you should have to get a permit for any shark that grows over 3 ft IMO

So basically you would need a permit to keep a Brown-banded Bamboo, Epaulette, or Horn Shark - which are some of the most popular & best suited species of sharks for Home aquaria - yet all 3 can grow to 38-42" long.

And at a 3 foot limit - you would only have a few species of sharks that would be available. The fact is Size isn't the problem - it's education or lack of that is the real problem.

I personally - don't have a problem with an aquarist keeping a Blacktip Reef - if they have the Knowledge to correctly care for it, the Room to have a 25,000-30,000+ gallon tank or lagoon, and the financial resources to take care of the shark & keep up the tank/lagoon for the next 15-20 years.

 

[sandtiger]

While I may agree some of your points - sandtiger. Especially about the benthic species & suggestions for captivity breeding.

And of the 350-400 species of sharks - approximately 75-80% aren't suited for captivity.

But certain species such as Bonnetheads, Sand Tigers, Sandbars, Leopards, Lemons, Reef Sharks(i.e. Blacktip,Whitetip,& Gray), Nurse Sharks, Zebra Sharks make excellent subjects for Public Aquarium exhibits, or for captive scientific study programs.

Granted there is also few species that really shouldn't be available to most private aquarists. But then we've already covered that before.

.

I was talking more in term of private aquaria rather then public. All the species you listed are suitable for public aqaria but I don't know any people that could house a full grown sandtiger shark.

 

[krj-1168]

I was talking more in term of private aquaria rather then public. All the species you listed are suitable for public aqaria but I don't know any people that could house a full grown sandtiger shark.

Actually - it's practically impossible for a private aquarist (at least in the U.S.) to get a Sand Tiger, at all. In case you didn't know - These sharks are consider to be endangered(in some areas), and require special permits(the kind that only Public Aquariums can get) in order to keep one.