Our two whale sharks (out of six) died due to an adverse reaction to a medication for flukes commonly used in the private and public aquarium industry. We no longer use it, and the other four whale sharks are doing great.

I disagree about your "newer research" showing the need for migratory patterns - they do migrate over large expanses, and dive down to amazing depths, but that appears to be in search of food, not a biological requirement or for entertainment. The Georgia Aquarium is working with the Mote Laboratory and a facility in Mexico on scientific field research on whale sharks so we can understand them more effectively - there are still a great deal of mysteries about them.

But I agree, the facility is the size of a football field, and even diving in it a large amount of time can go by without seeing a whale shark. They are not cramped in a small enclosure.