Aquarium as Volunteer Opportunity

Aquariums have a dramatic ability to help people relax, relieve stress, fascinate and inspire.  For these reasons many people try and place aquariums in places where they can do some good.  Libraries, Nursing Homes, Day Care Centers and the like. 



Unfortunately, not everyone has the skills necessary to maintain an aquarium on their own.  Some are intimidated by the potential maintenance, some are too weak, infirm or immuno-supressed to do any work and others don't have the time.



As Aquarists we all have special skills.



We possess the understanding and ability to maintain an aquarium.  We may not all agree on philosophy and our individual depths of skill may differ wildly but we can all help others with their aquariums.



I'd like to take a moment to praise Tyler Smith of Marshalltown Iowa for his efforts at the local nursing home.  It was the piece linked below that inspired me to write this post.



http://www.timesrepublican.com/Central%20Iowa/articles.asp?articleID=7756

More Information Available Regarding Monterey Bay Aquarium's New Otter Exhibit

Monterey Bay Aquarium's "Wild About Otters" exhibit opened for a few special guests on Saturday.   As I've already covered, this is the aquarium's first major foray into freshwater and will be open for 3 years.



What makes this exhibit so interesting to me is the fact that the project represents a radical integration of two drastically different philosophy's in Zoological exhibits.  Victorian zoos displayed animals removed from an environmental concept and grouped by similar species.  African and Asian Elephants were displayed next to each other so that a person could appreciate the differences between the two species.  A modern remnant of this philosophy are a zoo's "Houses" displaying big cats, primates or the like removed from other species specific to their environments. 



Most modern zoos have transitioned to a habitat centric approach.  Visitors to these exhibits enter environments based on a specific locality.  The permanent exhibits of the Monterey Bay Aquarium take the specific locality message to the extreme.  The aquarium is founded on only displaying animals from a specific locality (Monterey Bay). 



The new otter exhibit takes both traditions and integrates them.  Focusing primarily on two freshwater Otter species the Asian Small Clawed and African Spotted-necked the aquarium presents a comprehensive display of both animal habitats.  Bridging the display is a comprehensive introduction to the other 10 otter species not on display as well as additional information on the Sea Otters displayed elsewhere in the aquarium.



I will continue to update this post and post additional information as it is available.

7-ton humpback rescued in VB

Title says it all really,

Volunteers from the Virginia Aquarium rescued a humpback whale found stranded tangled in fishing lines off the coast of Virginia Beach.

7-ton humpback rescued in VB

Arrests made in sturgeon poaching operation

California Department of Fish and Game wardens have arrested six suspects involved in the poaching of endangered white sturgeon from the Sacramento and San Francisco areas.

According to a DFG press release, "The illegal commercialization of white sturgeon in the Sacramento area is a serious concern," said DFG Assistant Chief of Enforcement Tony Warrington, who headed up the investigation, called Operation Egg Sack.

"During the month we investigated these suspects a considerable amount of illegal product changed hands. Once all the pieces in the case came together, we moved quickly to stop the illegal take of mature spawning sturgeon."

Oroville Mercury Register - Arrests made in sturgeon poaching operation

Fascinating idea for a new aquarium

I have no idea how feasible this idea is and I'm really not sure how much it would cost (a lot I bet). But converting an old wastewater plant into a public aquarium / research facility has a really nice ring to it. After all, would converting the tanks into displays be that much different from the Oregon Coast Aquarium's display construction? Viewpoint: Plant should become public aquarium Opinion pnj.com

Viewpoint: Plant should become public aquarium Opinion pnj.com

More Bad News for Fish Farms: The UN Expands Database Against Non-Endemic Species

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has issued an expanded database to warn of the possible harm caused by the farming of non-native aquatic species. The newly launched database / CD-ROM package includes introductions to all taxa being produced via aquaculture globally with over 5000 records of accidental introductions of several hundred species. This expansion was funded by FAO's regular working budget and the FishCode Project

More Information

• Underwater Times Coverage
• Fishcode project website

Interesting New Artificial Reef Structures for the Mississippi Gulf Coast

After Hurricane Katrina, the Gulf Coast lost 80% - 90% of the artificial reef habitat installed along the Mississippi coast. These reefs provide approximately 78.4 million dollars into the local economy annually by providing refuge and structure for marine species.



What I find most interesting about these new reef structures is their composition. Historically, artificial reefs are constructed by sinking refuse: scuttled ships and piles of rubble being the most common. The new reef structures are concrete and limestone pyramids that look to be ideal for coral growth in an area near the Flower Garden Banks and Florida Middle Ground reefs. Why this is so interesting is that these structures look ideal for colonization by reef building organisms and may create a stronger and more lasting reef than scuttled ships.



Web Links:

• Map of Coral Reef Areas in the Gulf of Mexico
• Sun Herald Coverage
  
  

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Completes Ceiling Renovation

The dolphins are back to swimming in their pool at the Clearwater marine Aquarium this morning. The ceiling removal above the display tank was completed successfully and all the animals are able to jump to full height and will be exposed to sunlight.

EU Tries to Enhance Tuna Protections

The EU's top fisheries official has called for tighter restrictions on the overfished bluefin tuna. Tuna and bluefin tuna in particular are perhaps the most policed of all fisheries, All tuna are supposed to be tagged, tracked from harvest to consumption and there are strict quotas and policies in place globally.



The proposed new regulations will reduce the Mediterranean tuna catch by just over 10% from 32,000 to 29,500 tons.



It's difficult to police such a widespread fish, however, as the Bluefin is found from the Atlantic to Pacific oceans in both temperate and tropical waters. It recently came to light that Japan has consistently and dramatically exceeded its Bluefin tuna quota over the past few years. The EU has made a point of specifically requesting that Japan be exceedingly vigilant with the new quotas.



Web Links

• More info on Bluefin Tuna from the Florida Museum of Natural History
• AP Story on new quota from the Sun Herald

An Inside Look at the Process of Exhibit Creation

In May, The Tennessee Aquarium will open its new "Penguins' Rock" exhibit featuring Macaroni and Gentoo Penguins. This marks the first major expansion to the new Ocean Journey Aquarium Building. The recent article at Huliq.com takes you into the decision and design process behind the construction of the new exhibit.

Gentoo & Macaroni Penguins were picked because of their behavior: “These birds are the BMW’s of the penguin world,” says director of husbandry and operations Jackson Andrews. “They are active penguins that are lively and fun to watch. These birds spend a lot of time in the water, which should really impress visitors with the way they “fly” underwater leaving a bubble trail behind.”

Anyone who's ever been disappointed by a display of reclusive African penguins will understand the importance of this decision.

Links
Huliq.com article
Tennessee Aquarium

Vancouver Aquarium Expansion to be First LEED Gold Aquarium

Aquaquest, the new education and administration building at the Vancouver Aquarium will be the first cultural institution in Canada constructed with a LEED gold rating. It's hard to think of Public Aquariums as being energy efficient. Sure, many make strides to try to achieve such a rating. The Shedd Aquarium has its soy based roof and The Georgia Aquarium has its spectacular sunlit displays but the quantity of electricity required to maintain the aquatic environments on display typically far exceeds any benefit gained from such measures.

The general public expects and demands that Zoos and Aquariums have the appearance of environmental awareness, even if the actual ecological impact of the exhibits and displays can be quite negative.

It's telling therefore that the LEED gold building in question doesn't really house any displays and is instead an educational and outreach facility independent of the more energy intensive exhibit spaces.

Links

• Vancouver Aquarium Website
• Huliq.com Article
  

Aquariums as Economic Engine

A recent opinion piece came to my attention calling for an aquarium to be built on the waterfront in Hampton Roads Virginia. This is a generally bad idea simply due to Geography. I fail to see how a new aquarium could enter such a saturated market without some major issues. It would compete with the Virginia Marine Aquarium and Science Center, the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the North Carolina Aquarium's Roanoke facility. All of these are excellent aquariums with an established reputation and draw for tourists.



There's a common belief that aquariums can be a sure fire way to
invigorate a communities downtown. Planners love to site successful
aquariums the like Shedd Aquarium, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Tennessee
Aquarium and Virginia Marine Science Center. The problem is that most
people don't know about the huge number of aquariums that struggled or
have had troubled histories hidden from the national press.



The Belle Isle Aquarium recently closed due to insufficient funding and the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth seems to be turning into a giant money pit.



Slightly more positive outcomes can be seen in The South Carolina Aquarium struggled for years and may turn a profit this year, the New Jersey State Aquarium and Denver Aquarium both of which seem to be doing well after being sold to entertainment interests.





Opinion Piece in the Hampton Roads Daily Press