Two nurse sharks at Clearwater Marine Aquarium are drawing fresh attention during Shark Week, but their stories stretch well beyond a single week of television programming.

Thelma and Bruce live at the aquarium year-round, offering visitors an up-close look at a species listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. For Kourtney Laratonda, the aquarium's Aquatic Biology and Animal Connections Manager, the sharks serve a conservation education role that outlasts any TV event.

"Humans pose a major threat to a lot of different shark and ray species. One of every 3 shark and ray species is vulnerable or endangered, so it's up to us to really, really push education," Laratonda told Tampa Bay 28 in a segment that aired Saturday, Aug. 1.

Thelma's backstory is a cautionary tale. A fisherman illegally caught her and another nurse shark named Louise, then tried to keep them as pets. When the animals grew too fast and ate too much for him to manage, he surrendered them to the aquarium. Because both sharks had been fed by humans for an extended period, staff determined they could never safely return to the wild.

Louise died a few years ago.

Thelma remains, and Bruce is the newer resident, having moved into the aquarium in December. Together, the two nurse sharks anchor the facility's Shark Pass habitat, where visitors can book a Shark Care Experience to observe them in the lower mangrove environment.

Nurse sharks can reach about 9 feet and live 24 or more years, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Their numbers along Florida's coast have declined in recent decades.

Laratonda said the aquarium's primary goal for every rescued animal is release back into the wild. Thelma and Bruce are exceptions, kept permanently because human contact made wild survival impossible.

The Brannam family, visiting from England, got their first look at nurse sharks during a trip to the aquarium the same week. Zoe Brannam, who brought husband Martin and their three children, Libbey, 15, Archie, and Ettie, 8, called the encounter "a really lovely addition" to their visit.

Residents and visitors can see Thelma and Bruce year-round at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. More information and tickets are available at cmaquarium.org.