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News Story

Shark found in Huntington Beach and taken to Monterey was released, loses tag

TRANSMITTER ATTACHED TO SHARK FOUND IN OCEAN OFF SANTA BARBARA COAST

By David L. Beck San Jose Mercury News


The young great white shark released March 31 by the Monterey Bay Aquarium appears to be heading home. Or at least south.

The electronic tag attached to its dorsal fin popped off, floated to the surface off Santa Barbara County and began transmitting to a satellite over the weekend.

For the next week or so, the tag will continue to send data about where the shark has been, at what depths it swam, and what water temperatures it prefers. Over the course of time, Aquarium spokesman Ken Peterson said, scientists there can put together the bits of data like a jigsaw puzzle to get a reasonably complete picture of the shark's activities since it was returned to the wild.

Best-case scenario is that the tag will float onto a beach and be found and returned to the Aquarium, said Peterson. Then all the data can be captured.

The tag was programmed to detach after 30 days -- or after three days of inactivity, which would have indicated the shark had died. ``We're just happy to know she's doing well,'' said Peterson.

The shark was caught last August off Huntington Beach, held in an ocean pen, fed and trucked to the aquarium, where it went on exhibit in September. Its stay at the aquarium was unprecedented: The longest previous tenure for a white shark in captivity was only 16 days.

This one stayed in Monterey 198 days, grew 16 1/2 inches and gained 100 pounds. It was released after it began attacking other sharks in the giant exhibition tank.