Two large sharks moved to new home from NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher
KURE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Four aquariums worked together to move two sand tiger sharks from the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
A female shark weighing 282 pounds and a male shark weighing 165 pounds were secured in a special cargo net, then attached to a telehandler and transported to a flatbed with a mobile aquarium.
Georgia Aquarium provided the mobile aquarium and a crew to support the transport of the sharks.
The sharks first stopped at NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores where the team introduced the male shark into the Living Shipwreck habitat. Then they stopped at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island where the female shark is in the view of the public in the Graveyard at the Atlantic.
“The transport of these two special sharks was amazing to watch,” said Joanna Zazzali, NCAFF director. “We are grateful for the excellent preparation and planning from everyone on the team to execute the transport as flawlessly as possible and especially appreciate the assist from our friends at the Georgia Aquarium.”
During every step of the transport, the NC Aquarium vet team was on hand, and the aquarium emphasizes the shark’s safety was their number one priority.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the sand tiger shark as Critically Endangered on the Red List in 2021 because of decreasing populations globally.
