Great White Shark Debate Deepens

(CBS)  Should a great white shark be kept in an aquarium? That's the question in Monterey, Calif., where a great white has killed other sharks in an exhibit, intensifying the debate whether she should be in the tank to begin with.

The great white has only been in the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, Calif. for six months, but she's already survived longer than any other in captivity, reports The Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman.

The shark is part of an exhibit called "Vanishing Wildlife," a title that turned ironic when other sharks in the exhibit were killed by the great white.

"Over the past two weeks," says the aquarium's Dr. Randy Kochevar, "we've had two incidents where the white shark has bitten two soup fin sharks. In both cases, it's turned out to be fatal injuries to the soup fins."

Biologists believe the great white attacked only as a reflex, when it bumped into the smaller sharks. But animal rights groups say the deaths prove great white sharks are not meant to be penned in.

"Whether its predatory or not, its an assault," asserts Sean Van Sommeran of the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation. "The shark's been in there for several months without any type of interaction like that. And abruptly, we've got more than one. So clearly, the animal's become agitated."

The shark came to aquarium in September after it was accidentally netted by a fisherman off the coast of Southern California. For now, Kauffman notes, there are no plans to return it to the ocean. But that could change.

Kochevar says, "The factors that might trigger a release have to do with her health, which still seems to be excellent, and also her achieving a size at which she either looks too large, or it would be impossible to move her."

The great white is bringing in the green. Attendance at the aquarium is up 30 percent. Critics say profits might be a motive in keeping the shark on display.

"There are certain species that are clearly not suited to captive display, regardless of the profit margin," Van Sommeran insists. "The longer it's kept and fed by humans, the less able it'll be able to adapt to fend for itself or protect itself when released in the wild."

In the wild, Kauffman observes, great whites live up to their name: They'll fight killer whales, and attack fishing boats. They're responsible for most unprovoked attacks on humans, as Hollywood well knows.

"I think it's just being a shark. That's just the way it is, you know?" one aquarium patron told Kauffman.

For their own safety, two other soup fins have been moved out of the tank. The aquarium hopes the attacks are over.

"By keeping the animals well fed, we keep those incidents to a minimum," Kochevar says.

But, Kauffman adds, her appetite will grow, as she does.

"As the animal gains size," Van Sommeran points out, "a lot of those animals it's being displayed with will no longer be compatible. Because they'll either be a potential rival, or prey item, or both."

The great white is only a-year-old. And despite the controversy, the aquarium hopes she'll be scaring-up crowds for a long time to come, Kauffman concludes.