A scientific research speaks about the breeding of whale sharks in a fish tank with a capacity of 6.2-million gallon Ocean Voyager tank, under appropriate research facilities and physical conditions.
The major drawback of the project is reported to be the lack of knowledge of the scientists to infer about the reproductive activity of the whale sharks. The present status of the research is the presence of two male sharks and female sharks in the tank without any sexual-interaction between the two genders.
To quote Shark expert Bob Hueter:
One of things that’s a real question mark is how fast they grow in captivity and whether their hormonal systems keep pace. If they can grow three feet per year, the larger ones could be at a sexually mature size in four to five years. In that time, there could be some reproductive activity.
The progress of this research depends primarily on the sexual reproduction in the whales, for which the report has asserted patience is the key as the whale sharks are too young to mate.