Apublic aquarium (pl. aquaria) orpublic water zoo is the aquatic counterpart of azoo, which houses livingaquatic animal andplant specimens for public viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept by home aquarists, as well as smaller tanks.
Since the first public aquariums were built in the mid-19th century, they have become popular and their numbers have increased. Most modern accredited aquariums stress conservation issues and educating the public.[1]
The first publicaquarium was opened inLondon Zoo in May 1853; theFish House, as it came to be known, was constructed much like agreenhouse.[2]P.T. Barnum quickly followed in 1856 with the first American aquarium as part of his establishedBarnum's American Museum, which was located onBroadway inNew York City before it burned down.[2] In 1859, theAquarial Gardens were founded inBoston.[2] A number of aquariums then opened in Europe, such as theJardin d'Acclimatation inParis and theViennese Aquarium Salon (both founded 1860), the Marine Aquarium Temple as part of theZoological Garden of Hamburg inHamburg (1864), as well as aquariums inBerlin (1869) andBrighton (1872).[2]
The old Berlin Aquarium opened in 1869. The building site was to beUnter den Linden (along a major avenue), in the centre of town, not at theBerlin Zoo. The aquarium's first director,Alfred Brehm, former director of theHamburg Zoo from 1863 to 1866, served until 1874.[3] With its emphasis oneducation, the public aquarium was designed like a grotto, part of it made of natural rock. TheGeologische Grotte depicted "the strata of theearth'scrust". The grotto also featuredbirds and pools forseals. The AquariumUnter den Linden was a three-story building. Machinery and water tanks were on the ground floor, and aquarium basins for thefish on the first floor. Because of Brehm's special interest in birds, a hugeaviary, withcages formammals placed around it, was located on the second floor. The facility closed in 1910.[4]
The Artis aquarium atAmsterdam Zoo was constructed inside a Victorian building in 1882, and was renovated in 1997. At the end of the 19th century the Artis aquarium was considered state-of-the-art, as it was again at the end of the 20th century.[5]
Before its closing on 30 September 2013, the oldest American aquarium was theNational Aquarium in Washington, D.C., founded in 1873.[6] This was followed by the opening of other public aquariums: San Francisco (Woodward's Gardens, 1873–1890),Woods Hole (Woods Hole Science Aquarium, 1885), New York City (New York Aquarium, 1896–present), San Diego (Scripps, 1903), Honolulu (Waikiki Aquarium, 1904–present), Detroit (Belle Isle Aquarium, 1904–2005, 2012–Present), Philadelphia (Philadelphia Aquarium, 1911–1962), San Francisco (Steinhart Aquarium, 1923), Chicago (Shedd Aquarium, 1929). For many years, the Shedd Aquarium was the largest in the United States until theGeorgia Aquarium inAtlanta opened in 2005. Entertainment and aquatic circus exhibits were combined as themes in Philadelphia'sAquarama Aquarium Theater of the Sea (1962–1969) andCamden's re-inventedAdventure Aquarium 2005, formerly theNew Jersey State Aquarium (1992).
The first Japanese public aquarium, a small freshwater aquarium called "Uonozoki" (now Tokyo Sea Life Park), was opened at theUeno Zoo in 1882.[7]
Modern aquarium tanks can hold millions of litres of water and can house large species, includingdolphins,sharks orbeluga whales. This is accomplished through thick, clearacrylic glass windows. Aquatic and semiaquatic mammals, includingotters[8] andseals[9] are often cared for at aquariums. Some establishments, such as theOregon Coast Aquarium or theFlorida Aquarium, have aquaticaviaries.[10][11] Modern aquariums also include land animals and plants that spend time in or near the water.[12]
For marketing purposes, many aquariums promote special exhibits, in addition to their permanent collections. Some have aquatic versions of apetting zoo. TheNational Aquarium inBaltimore, Maryland houses several exhibits including the Upland Tropical Rain Forest and a multiple-story Atlantic Coral Reef. TheMonterey Bay Aquarium has a shallow tank filled with common types ofrays[13] which visitors are encouraged to touch. TheSouth Carolina Aquarium lets visitors feed the rays in their Saltmarsh Aviary exhibit.[14]
The largest public aquarium is theChimelong Ocean Kingdom theme park, opened in 2014 inHengqin,Zhuhai, with a total of 48.75 million litres (12.87 million US gal) of water. The second largest is theMarine Life Park in southernSingapore with a total of 45 million litres (12 million US gal) of water for more than 100,000 marine animals of over 800 species.
Most public aquariums are located close to theocean, for a steady supply of natural seawater. An inland pioneer wasChicago'sShedd Aquarium[15] that received seawater shipped by rail in special tank cars. The early (1911)Philadelphia Aquarium, built in the city's disusedwater works, had to switch to treated city water when the nearby river became too contaminated.[16] Similarly, the recently openedGeorgia Aquarium filled its tanks with fresh water from the city water system and salinated its saltwater exhibits using the same commercial salt and mineral additives available to home aquarists. TheSouth Carolina Aquarium pulls the salt water for their exhibits right out of the Charleston harbour.
In January 1985,Kelly Tarlton began construction of the first aquarium to include a large transparentacrylic tunnel,Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World inAuckland, New Zealand. Construction took 10 months and cost NZ$3 million. The 110-metre (360 ft) tunnel was built from one-tonne (2,200-lb) slabs of German sheet plastic that were shaped locally in an oven. A moving walkway now transports visitors through, and groups of school children occasionally hold sleepovers there beneath the swimming sharks and rays.[17]
According to Samantha Muka, creating new public aquariums is an expensive process, that can become so expensive as to render the project economically unsustainable, due to the logistical demands of creating environments in which aquatic animals can survive.[18]
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Public aquariums are often affiliated with oceanographic research institutions or conduct their research programs, and sometimes specialise in species and ecosystems that can be found in local waters. For example, theVancouver Aquarium inVancouver,British Columbia, is a centre for marine research, conservation, and marine animal rehabilitation, particularly for the ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest.[19] In 1964, the Vancouver Aquarium became the second aquarium to capture anorca,Moby Doll. He survived in captivity for just under three months, and the aquarium put him on display to the public for a day, but gave greater emphasis togroundbreaking scientific research.[20] The aquarium also captured other orcas,belugas,narwhals[21] anddolphins. TheMonterey Bay Aquarium was the first public aquarium to display agreat white shark. Beginning in September 2004, the Outer Bay exhibit (now the Open Sea galleries) was the home to the first in a series of great white sharks. The shark was at the aquarium for 198 days (the previous record was 16 days). The shark was released on 31 March 2005. TheAdventure Aquarium in New Jersey hashippos. TheAquarium du Québec housespolar bears.
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