The scientists brought the tiger shark from an expedition to the Mediterranean Sea.

Shark fishing with a fishing rod

The Tiger shark in the showcase in front of the St. Catherine's chancel has its very own history. Its location in the immediate vicinity of the great coral reef was not done without reason. The catch was made on the (in museum circles) legendary Acropora expeditions in 1976 and 1979 to the Red Sea, which at the time provided the young Oceanographic Museum with corals and countless animal specimens from tropical regions. The fish that were captured and later prepared formed the basis of the extensive collections of the Museum and can be seen especially in the representation of the large coral reef.

The tiger shark on display has also written a little museum history. It was the largest fish, taken on board during the intensive fishing activities. Adults can reach a size of about five and a half metres. But even at a length of 2.77 metres this example caught could only be recovered using the cargo gear of the expedition vessel. For the later production of the moulded specimen in distant Stralsund a plaster mould of the animal was created immediately. The work "on the scorching hot deck", according to the memories of the expedition members, took a full day to complete.

In addition to the extensive fishing results, the scientists brought back a huge number of photos for scientific documentation and to research the coral reefs once back home. Irreplaceable material that today allows us to examine the changes of this great and unique areas of life in the world's oceans over almost five decades.