6 Public Aquariums and Their Role in Education, Science, and Conservation
6 Public Aquariums and Their Role in Education, Science, and Conservation
Learning Objectives
- Explain the conservation mandate of public aquariums for research, conservation outreach, policy, and education.
- Summarize the motivational factors of visitors to public aquariums.
- Articulate the potential affects that visitation to public aquariums has on visitors.
- Describe new initiatives to propagate rare and endangered fish in partnerships with public aquariums.
- Examine the future challenges for public aquarium management.
6.1 Role of Public Aquariums
Public aquariums[1] are special places for people to learn about aquatic life. The number of public aquariums has grown since the opening of the first in Regent’s Park, London, in 1853 (Hillard 1995). Early aquariums were devoted to game fish and were auxiliary locations for hatchery-reared fish. Public aquariums have four aims today—aesthetic, educational, entertainment, and scientific—while introducing many people to fish, their adaptations, habitats, values, and human uses. Expansion of aquariums in many large urban centers was intended to enhance tourism and promote an “Age of Aquariums” (Murr 1988). Broad-based community support and high visitation rates make public aquariums among some of the most important places for public engagement in fish conservation to begin. More than 700 million people visited zoos and aquariums worldwide in 2008 (Gusset and Dick 2010). In the United States alone, over 183 million people visit zoos and aquariums annually—this is three times the number of recreational anglers in the country.
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums defines conservation as “securing populations of species in natural habitats for the long term” (Barongi et al. 2015). As you read more about the roles and challenges of public aquariums, you should envision the future potential for public aquariums to become even more influential in fish conservation programs. Public aquariums strive to communicate the issues, raise awareness, change behaviors, and gain widespread public and political support for conservation actions (Reid et al. 2013). Aquariums are often the first place where aspiring young conservation champions are first exposed to aquatic animals. For example, pioneering ichthyologist Dr. Eugenie Clark first visited the New York Aquarium at age nine (Clark 1951).
Large public aquariums are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accreditation is a process by which the aquarium is evaluated by experienced and trained experts in operations, animal welfare and husbandry, and veterinary medicine and is measured against the established standards and best practices of aquarium management. In accredited aquariums, the behavioral and physical needs of animals are being met by providing opportunities for species-appropriate behaviors and choices. Consequently, a reliable way to choose an aquarium for visitation is to look for the notice, “Accredited by the Association of Z