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{{Short description|Aquatic counterpart of a zoo}}
''This article is about public establishments that contain aquaria, for the water containing vivarium see [[Aquarium]].''
{{about|public establishments that contain aquaria|the water-containing vivarium|Aquarium}}
[[Image:KelpAquarium.jpg|thumb|250px|right|A 335,000 U.S. gallon (1.3 million litre) aquarium at the [[Monterey Bay Aquarium]] in California displaying a simulated [[kelp forest]] ecosystem]]
[[File:Male whale shark at Georgia Aquarium.jpg|thumb|A [[whale shark]] at [[Georgia Aquarium]], the largest in the United States]]
A '''public aquarium''' (plural: '''public aquaria''' or ''' public aquariums''') is the aquatic counterpart of a [[zoo]], housing aquatic species for viewing. Most public aquaria feature a number of smaller tanks, as well as those greater in size than could be kept by most any home aquarist. Since the first public aquriums built in in the mid-[[1800]]s they have became very popular and their number have dramatically increased. Most modern aquaria focus on conservation issues and educating the public.<ref name = "azacon">[http://www.aza.org/Newsroom/PR_VisitorImpact/], [http://www.aza.org/ AZA official website official website], accessed February 3rd, 2007.</ref>
A '''public aquarium''' ({{plural form|'''aquaria'''}}) or '''public water zoo''' is the aquatic counterpart of a [[zoo]], which houses living [[aquatic animal]] and [[aquatic plant|plant]] 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.<ref name="azacon">{{cite web |url=http://www.aza.org/Newsroom/PR_VisitorImpact |title=Visitor Impact |publisher=[[Association of Zoos and Aquariums]] |website=aza.org |access-date=2007-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205213201/http://www.aza.org/Newsroom/PR_VisitorImpact |archive-date=2006-12-05 |url-status=dead}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
[[Image:Detroit aquarium 1890-1910.jpg|thumb|left|160px|Various aquaria at the Detroit Aquarium, Michigan [[Circa|c.]][[1900]], USA.]]
[[Image:Detroit aquarium 1890-1910.jpg|thumb|Various Water Zoos at the Belle Isle Water Zoo in Detroit, Michigan c. 1900]]
[[File:Hyogo ikesu.jpg|thumbnail|An early aquarium in Japan in the 18th century]]
The first public [[aquarium]] was opened in [[London Zoo]] in May [[1853]]; the "Fish House", as it came to be known, was constructed much like a [[greenhouse]].<ref name=Brunner>{{cite book | last = Brunner | first = Bernd | title = The Ocean at Home | publisher = Princeton Architectural Press | date = 2003 | location = New York | isbn = 1-56898-502-9 | pages = 99}}</ref> [[P.T. Barnum]] quickly followed in [[1856]] with the first American aquarium as part of his established [[Barnum's American Museum]], which was located on [[Broadway (New York City)|Broadway]] in [[New York]] before it burned down.<ref name=Brunner/> In [[1859]], the Aquarial Gardens were founded in [[Boston]].<ref name=Brunner/> A number of aquaria then sprung out over Europe, such as the [[Jardin d'Acclimatation]] in [[Paris]] and the [[Vienna|Viennese]] Aquarium Salon (both founded [[1860]]), the Marine Aquarium Temple as part of the Zoological Garden in [[Hamburg]], as well as aquariums in [[Berlin]] ([[1869]]) and [[Brighton]] ([[1872]]).<ref name=Brunner/> The oldest American "national aquarium" is the [[National Aquarium in Washington, D.C.]], founded in [[1873]]. This was followed by the opening of other public aquaria : San Francisco (''Woodward's Garden'', 1873-1890), Wood Hole (''Science Aquarium'', 1885), New York (''Battery Park'', 1896-1941), La Jolla (''Scrips'', 1903), Detroit (''Belle Isle'', 1904-2005), Philadelphia (''Fairmount Water Works'', 1911-1962), San Francisco (''Steinhart Aquarium'', 1923), Chicago (''Shedd Aquarium'', 1929). For many years, the [[Shedd Aquarium]] in [[Chicago]] was the largest aquarium in the world, until the [[Georgia Aquarium]] in [[Atlanta]] opened.
The first public [[aquarium]] was opened in [[London Zoo]] in May 1853; the ''Fish House'', as it came to be known, was constructed much like a [[greenhouse]].<ref name=Brunner>{{cite book | last = Brunner | first = Bernd | title = The Ocean at Home | publisher = Princeton Architectural Press | year = 2003 | location = New York | isbn = 1-56898-502-9 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/oceanathomeil00brun/page/99 99] | url = https://archive.org/details/oceanathomeil00brun/page/99 }}</ref> [[P.T. Barnum]] quickly followed in 1856 with the first American aquarium as part of his established [[Barnum's American Museum]], which was located on [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] in [[New York City]] before it burned down.<ref name=Brunner/> In 1859, the [[Boston Aquarial Gardens|Aquarial Gardens]] were founded in [[Boston]].<ref name=Brunner/> A number of aquariums then opened in Europe, such as the [[Jardin d'Acclimatation]] in [[Paris]] and the [[Vienna|Viennese]] Aquarium Salon (both founded 1860), the Marine Aquarium Temple as part of the [[Zoological Garden of Hamburg]] in [[Hamburg]] (1864), as well as aquariums in [[Berlin]] (1869) and [[Brighton]] (1872).<ref name=Brunner/>


The old Berlin Aquarium opened in 1869. The building site was to be ''Unter den Linden'' (along a major avenue), in the centre of town, not at the [[Berlin Zoological Garden|Berlin Zoo]]. The aquarium's first director, [[Alfred Brehm]], former director of the [[Zoological Garden of Hamburg|Hamburg Zoo]] from 1863 to 1866, served until 1874.<ref name=Hoage69>Strehlow, Harro, "Zoos and Aquariums of Berlin" in ''New World, New Animals: From Menagerie to Zoological Park in the Nineteenth Century'', Hoage, Robert J. and Deiss, William A. (ed.), Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1996, p.69. {{ISBN|0-8018-5110-6}}</ref> With its emphasis on [[education]], the public aquarium was designed like a grotto, part of it made of natural rock. The ''Geologische Grotte'' depicted "the strata of the [[earth]]'s [[crust (geology)|crust]]". The grotto also featured [[bird]]s and pools for [[earless seal|seal]]s. The Aquarium ''Unter den Linden'' was a three-story building. Machinery and water tanks were on the ground floor, and aquarium basins for the [[fish]] on the first floor. Because of Brehm's special interest in birds, a huge [[aviary]], with [[cage (enclosure)|cage]]s for [[mammal]]s placed around it, was located on the second floor. The facility closed in 1910.<ref name=Hoage70>Strehlow, Harro, "Zoos and Aquariums of Berlin" in ''New World, New Animals: From Menagerie to Zoological Park in the Nineteenth Century'', Hoage, Robert J. and Deiss, William A. (ed.), Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1996, p.70. {{ISBN|0-8018-5110-6}}</ref>
In 2005 the non-profit [[Georgia Aquarium]] with more than 8 million US gallons (30,000 m³; 30,000,000 liters) of marine and fresh water, and more than 100,000 animals of 500 different species opened in [[Atlanta, Georgia]]. The aquarium's notable specimens include [[whale sharks]] and [[beluga whales]].


The Artis aquarium at [[Natura Artis Magistra|Amsterdam 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.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Van Bruggen|first= A.C.|title =Notes on the Buildings of Amsterdam Zoo|url =http://www.zoonews.ws/IZN/319/IZN-319.htm#amst |magazine=International Zoo News |volume =49/6 |number =319|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411023210/http://www.zoonews.ws/IZN/319/IZN-319.htm#amst |archive-date=11 April 2008 |date= September 2002}}</ref>
==Current public aquaria==
[[Image:IMG 1023.JPG|thumb|Picture of a male [[Whale Shark]] at [[Georgia Aquarium]]]]
⚫
Modern day aquarium tanks can hold millions of U.S. gallons of water and can house large species, including [[dolphin]]s, [[shark]]s or [[beluga]] whales. This is accomplished though thick, clear [[acrylic glass]] windows. Aquatic and semiaquatic mammals, including [[otter]]s,<ref name = "Otter">[http://www.aquarium.org/exhibitsSeaOtters.asp?sid=2], [http://www.aquarium.org/ Oregon Coast Aquarium's official website], accessed February 3rd, 2007.</ref> and [[pinniped|seals]] <ref name = "Seal">[http://www.aquarium.org/exhibitsSeals.asp?sid=2], [http://www.aquarium.org/ Oregon Coast Aquarium's official website], accessed February 3rd, 2007.</ref> are often cared for at aquaria. Some establishments, such as the [[Oregon Coast Aquarium]], have aquatic [[aviary|aviaries]].<ref name = "Birds">[http://www.aquarium.org/exhibitsBirds.asp?sid=2], accessed February 3rd, 2007.</ref><ref name = "Sandy Shores">[http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/sandy.asp], [http://www.mbayaq.org/ Monterey Bay Aquarium's official website], accessed February 3rd, 2007.</ref>


Before its closing on 30 September 2013, the oldest American aquarium was the [[National Aquarium in Washington, D.C.]], founded in 1873.<ref>David Lin, former Director of Operations, National Aquarium, Washington, DC</ref> This was followed by the opening of other public aquariums: San Francisco ([[Woodward's Gardens]], 1873–1890), [[Woods Hole, Massachusetts|Woods Hole]] ([[Woods Hole Science Aquarium]], 1885), New York City ([[New York Aquarium]], 1896–present), San Diego ([[Birch Aquarium|Scripps]], 1903), Honolulu ([[Waikiki Aquarium]], 1904–present), Detroit ([[Belle Isle Aquarium]], 1904–2005, 2012–Present), Philadelphia ([[Philadelphia Aquarium]], 1911–1962), San Francisco ([[California Academy of Sciences|Steinhart Aquarium]], 1923), Chicago ([[Shedd Aquarium]], 1929). For many years, the Shedd Aquarium was the largest in the United States until the [[Georgia Aquarium]] in [[Atlanta]] opened in 2005. Entertainment and aquatic circus exhibits were combined as themes in Philadelphia's [[Aquarama Aquarium Theater of the Sea]] (1962–1969) and [[Camden, New Jersey|Camden]]'s re-invented [[Adventure Aquarium]] 2005, formerly the [[New Jersey State Aquarium]] (1992).
Most aquaria will have special exhibits to entice repeat visitors, in addition to its permanent collection. A few have their own version of a "petting zoo"; for instance, the [[Monterey Bay Aquarium]] has a shallow tank filled with common types of [[batoidea|rays]],<ref name = "Sharks and Rays">[http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/smm_meet.asp], [http://www.mbayaq.org/ Monterey Bay Aquarium's official website], accessed February 3rd, 2007.</ref> and one can reach in to feel their smooth skins as they pass by.


The first Japanese public aquarium, a small freshwater aquarium called "[[Tokyo Sea Life Park#History|Uonozoki]]" (now Tokyo Sea Life Park), was opened at the [[Ueno Zoo]] in 1882.<ref name=Kisling298>Kawata, Ken, "Zoological Gardens of Japan", in ''Zoo and Aquarium History: Ancient Collections to Zoological Gardens'', Kisling, Vernon N. (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2001, p.298. {{ISBN|0-8493-2100-X}}</ref>
Also as with zoos, aquaria usually have specialized research staff who study the habits and biology of their specimens.

==Public aquariums today==
[[File:DubaiMallAquariumDSC 7260.JPG|thumb|The main aquarium at [[The Dubai Mall#Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo inspired from "The Underwater Paradise"|Dubai Mall Aquarium]]]]
⚫
Modern aquarium tanks can hold millions of litres of water and can house large species, including [[dolphin]]s, [[shark]]s or [[beluga whale]]s. This is accomplished through thick, clear [[acrylic glass]] windows. Aquatic and semiaquatic mammals, including [[otter]]s<ref name = "Otter">[http://www.aquarium.org/exhibitsSeaOtters.asp?sid=2 Sea Otters], [http://www.aquarium.org/ Oregon Coast Aquarium's official website], accessed 3 February 2007.</ref> and [[Pinniped|seals]]<ref name = "Seal">{{cite web|url = https://aquarium.org/exhibits/seal-sea-lion-exhibit/|title = Pinnipeds|website = [[Oregon Coast Aquarium]]}}</ref> are often cared for at aquariums. Some establishments, such as the [[Oregon Coast Aquarium]] or the [[Florida Aquarium]], have aquatic [[aviary|aviaries]].<ref name = "Birds">[http://www.aquarium.org/exhibitsBirds.asp?sid=2 Birds], [http://www.aquarium.org/ Oregon Coast Aquarium's official website], accessed 3 February 2007.</ref><ref name="Sandy Shores">[http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/sandy.asp Sandy Shores] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212155628/http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/sandy.asp |date=12 February 2009 }}, [http://www.mbayaq.org/ Monterey Bay Aquarium's official website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214235655/http://www.mbayaq.org/ |date=14 February 2009 }}, accessed 3 February 2007.</ref> Modern aquariums also include land animals and plants that spend time in or near the water.<ref>Taylor, Leighton R., ''Aquariums: Windows to Nature'', Prentice Hall General Reference, New York, 1993. {{ISBN|0-671-85019-9}}</ref>

For marketing purposes, many aquariums promote special exhibits, in addition to their permanent collections. Some have aquatic versions of a [[petting zoo]]. The [[National Aquarium]] in [[Baltimore, Maryland]] houses several exhibits including the Upland Tropical Rain Forest and a multiple-story Atlantic Coral Reef. The [[Monterey Bay Aquarium]] has a shallow tank filled with common types of [[batoidea|rays]]<ref name="Sharks and Rays">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927020056/http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/smm_meet.asp Sharks and Rays], [http://www.mbayaq.org/ Monterey Bay Aquarium's official website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214235655/http://www.mbayaq.org/ |date=14 February 2009 }}, accessed 3 February 2007.</ref> which visitors are encouraged to touch. The [[South Carolina Aquarium]] lets visitors feed the rays in their Saltmarsh Aviary exhibit.<ref>{{Cite web
|url=http://www.scaquarium.org/
|title=Saltmarsh Aviary
|work=scaquarium.org
|publisher=South Carolina Aquarium
|access-date=27 December 2011
}}</ref>

The largest public aquarium is the [[Chimelong Ocean Kingdom]] theme park, opened in 2014 in [[Hengqin]], [[Zhuhai]], with a total of 48.75 million litres (12.87 million US gal) of water. The second largest is the [[Marine Life Park]] in southern [[Singapore]] with a total of 45 million litres (12 million US gal) of water for more than 100,000 marine animals of over 800 species.


==Logistics==
==Logistics==
[[Image:Feeding time melb aquarium.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Feeding time at the [[Melbourne Aquarium]] draws a large crowd]]
[[Image:Feeding time melb aquarium.jpg|thumb|right|Feeding time at [[Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium]] draws a large crowd.]]
Most public aquaria are located close to the [[ocean]], for a steady supply of natural seawater. An inland pioneer was [[Chicago|Chicago's]] [[Shedd Aquarium]]<ref name = "Shedd History">[http://www.sheddaquarium.org/history.html], [http://www.sheddaquarium.org/ Shedd Aquarium's official website], accessed February 3rd, 2007.</ref> that received seawater shipped by rail in special tank cars. The early (1911) [[Philadelphia Aquarium]], built in the city's disused [[Fairmount Water Works|water works]], ironically had to switch to treated city water when the nearby river became too contaminated.
Most public aquariums are located close to the [[ocean]], for a steady supply of natural seawater. An inland pioneer was [[Chicago|Chicago's]] [[Shedd Aquarium]]<ref name="Shedd History 1">[http://www.sheddaquarium.org/history.html Shedd History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515082202/http://www.sheddaquarium.org/history.html |date=15 May 2008 }}, [http://www.sheddaquarium.org/ Shedd Aquarium's official website], accessed 3 February 2007.</ref> that received seawater shipped by rail in special tank cars. The early (1911) [[Philadelphia Aquarium]], built in the city's disused [[Fairmount Water Works|water works]], had to switch to treated city water when the nearby river became too contaminated.<ref name = "Shedd History 2">{{cite news|url = http://www.nps.gov/phso/rtca2001/news_waterworks.htm|work= Philadelphia Inquirer |title = Rebuilt Water Works' Debut is on the Horizon: The Site, Long Decaying, is to Reopen to the Public in June|first = Elisa|last = Ung|date = 10 January 2010|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050612084216/http://www.nps.gov/phso/rtca2001/news_waterworks.htm|archive-date = 12 June 2005|via= National Park Service}}</ref> Similarly, the recently opened [[Georgia 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. The [[South Carolina Aquarium]] pulls the salt water for their exhibits right out of the Charleston harbour.
<ref name = "Shedd History">[http://www.nps.gov/phso/rtca2001/news_waterworks.htm], [http://www.nps.gov/ Philadelphia Inquirer article], accessed February 3rd, 2007.</ref>Similarly, the recently opened [[Georgia Aquarium]] filled its tanks with fresh water from the city water system and salinated its salt water exhibits using the same commercial salt and mineral additives available to home aquarists.


In January 1985 Kelly Tarlton began construction of the first aquarium to include a large transparent [[Polymethyl methacrylate|acrylic]] tunnel in [[Auckland, New Zealand]], a task that took 10 months and cost NZ$3 million. The 110-meter tunnel was built from one-tonne 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.
In January 1985, [[Kelly Tarlton]] began construction of the first aquarium to include a large transparent [[Polymethyl methacrylate|acrylic]] tunnel, [[Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium|Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World]] in [[Auckland]], New Zealand. Construction took 10 months and cost NZ$3 million. The {{convert|110|m|ft|adj=on}} 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.<ref>[http://www.viewauckland.co.nz/kelly_tarltons_antarctic_encounter_underwater_world_auckland_index.html Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World, Auckland<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503111959/http://www.viewauckland.co.nz/kelly_tarltons_antarctic_encounter_underwater_world_auckland_index.html |date=3 May 2008 }}</ref>


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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Muka |first1=Samantha |title=Bursting the Aquarium Bubble |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/04/new-aquariums-struggle-to-succeed/587938/ |access-date=26 April 2019 |work=[[The Atlantic]] |date=25 April 2019}}</ref>
Top public aquaria are often affiliated with important oceanographic research institutions or conduct their own research programs, and usually (though not always) specialize in species and ecosystems that can be found in local waters. For example, the [[Vancouver Aquarium]] in [[Vancouver, BC]] is a major center for marine research, conservation, and marine animal rehabilitation, particularly for the rich ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest.<ref name = "vanaqua">[http://www.vanaqua.org/research/], [http://www.vanaqua.org/ Vancouver Aquarium's official website], accessed February 3rd, 2007.</ref>

==Activities==
[[File:School of sardines at the Monterey Bay Aquarium (12056).jpg|thumb|The Open Ocean exhibit at the [[Monterey Bay Aquarium]]]]
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, the [[Vancouver Aquarium]] in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], is a centre for marine research, conservation, and marine animal rehabilitation, particularly for the ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest.<ref name = "vanaqua">[http://www.vanaqua.org/research/ Research], [http://www.vanaqua.org/ Vancouver Aquarium's official website], accessed 3 February 2007.</ref> In 1964, the Vancouver Aquarium became the second aquarium to capture an [[orca]], [[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 to [[Moby Doll's impact in scientific research|groundbreaking scientific research]].<ref name=Colby57-66>{{cite book |last=Colby |first=Jason M. |title=Orca: how we came to know and love the ocean's greatest predator |year=2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9780190673116 |pages=57–66 }}</ref> The aquarium also captured other orcas, [[Beluga (whale)|belugas]], [[narwhals]]<ref>[http://www.mi.mun.ca/mi-net/fishdeve/cetace14.htm Narwhal (Monodon monoceros)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526034038/http://www.mi.mun.ca/mi-net/fishdeve/cetace14.htm |date=26 May 2008 }}</ref> and [[dolphin]]s. The [[Monterey Bay Aquarium]] was the first public aquarium to display a [[great 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. The [[Adventure Aquarium]] in New Jersey has [[Hippopotamus|hippo]]s. The [[Aquarium du Québec]] houses [[polar bear]]s.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Great white aqurium.jpg|A [[great white shark]] in temporary captivity at the [[Monterey Bay Aquarium]], [[Monterey, California|Monterey]], USA.
File:Baltimore Aquarium - Big tank.jpg|[[National Aquarium (Baltimore)|National Aquarium]], [[Baltimore]], [[United States|USA]]
File:Aquarium in shopping mall, Kaunas.jpg|Aquarium at a shopping mall in [[Kaunas]], [[Lithuania]]
File:Churaumi Aquarium main tank 'Kuroshio Sea'.jpg|[[Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium]] in [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], [[Japan]]
File:Al Mahara Burj al Araba Dubai March 2008pano.jpg|Al Mahara restaurant at [[Burj Al Arab]] in [[Dubai]], [[United Arab Emirates]]
File:Dubai Mall.jpg|[[The Dubai Mall|Dubai Aquarium]], [[Dubai]], UAE
File:16 08 070 aquarium.jpg|Exhibit tunnel at [[Georgia Aquarium]], [[Atlanta]], USA
File:Kotka maretarium inside.jpg|The Baltic Sea Aquarium at the [[Maretarium]] in [[Kotka]], [[Finland]]
</gallery>


==See also==
==See also==

*[[List of aquaria]]
*[[List of aquaria by country]]
*[[Oceanarium]]
*[[Zoo]]
*[[Zoo]]
*[[Freshwater aquarium]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons|Aquariology}}
*[http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/travel/Norfolk_Freshwater_Havana_Aq.html Norfolk, Howard. My Visit to the Freshwater Public Aquarium in Havana, Cuba, Aquarticles.com, January 2004], retrieved on: June 22, 2007
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070625141911/http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/travel/Norfolk_Freshwater_Havana_Aq.html Norfolk, Howard. My Visit to the Freshwater Public Aquarium in Havana, Cuba, Aquarticles.com, January 2004], retrieved on: 22 June 2007
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080804015623/http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-07022007-192923/ Case Studies in Aquarium History]
* [https://www.aquariodesp.com.br/ Sao Paulo's Aquarium (Aquário de São Paulo) - Brazil]
* [http://www.public-aquarium.com/ Public aquariums in the United States]
* [http://www.aquamania.eu/ A map of public aquaria around the world]


{{Zoos}}
{{Zoos}}
{{Aquarium}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Public Aquarium}}
[[Category:Aquaria| ]]
[[Category:Aquariums]]

[[Category:Public sphere|Aquarium]]
[[fr:Aquarium public]]
[[Category:1853 introductions]]
[[it:Acquario (museo vivente)]]
[[ja:水族館]]
[[th:พิพิธภัณฑ์สัตว์น้ำ]]
[[zh:水族館]]

Latest revision as of 02:58, 28 April 2024

This article is about public establishments that contain aquaria. For the water-containing vivarium, see Aquarium.
A whale shark at Georgia Aquarium, the largest in the United States

A public aquarium (pl. aquaria) or public water zoo is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, which houses living aquatic animal and plant 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]

History

[edit]
Various Water Zoos at the Belle Isle Water Zoo in Detroit, Michigan c. 1900
An early aquarium in Japan in the 18th century

The first public aquarium was opened in London Zoo in May 1853; the Fish House, as it came to be known, was constructed much like a greenhouse.[2] P.T. Barnum quickly followed in 1856 with the first American aquarium as part of his established Barnum's American Museum, which was located on Broadway in New York City before it burned down.[2] In 1859, the Aquarial Gardens were founded in Boston.[2] A number of aquariums then opened in Europe, such as the Jardin d'Acclimatation in Paris and the Viennese Aquarium Salon (both founded 1860), the Marine Aquarium Temple as part of the Zoological Garden of Hamburg in Hamburg (1864), as well as aquariums in Berlin (1869) and Brighton (1872).[2]

The old Berlin Aquarium opened in 1869. The building site was to be Unter den Linden (along a major avenue), in the centre of town, not at the Berlin Zoo. The aquarium's first director, Alfred Brehm, former director of the Hamburg Zoo from 1863 to 1866, served until 1874.[3] With its emphasis on education, the public aquarium was designed like a grotto, part of it made of natural rock. The Geologische Grotte depicted "the strata of the earth's crust". The grotto also featured birds and pools for seals. The Aquarium Unter den Linden was a three-story building. Machinery and water tanks were on the ground floor, and aquarium basins for the fish on the first floor. Because of Brehm's special interest in birds, a huge aviary, with cages for mammals placed around it, was located on the second floor. The facility closed in 1910.[4]

The Artis aquarium at Amsterdam 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 the National 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 the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta opened in 2005. Entertainment and aquatic circus exhibits were combined as themes in Philadelphia's Aquarama Aquarium Theater of the Sea (1962–1969) and Camden's re-invented Adventure Aquarium 2005, formerly the New Jersey State Aquarium (1992).

The first Japanese public aquarium, a small freshwater aquarium called "Uonozoki" (now Tokyo Sea Life Park), was opened at the Ueno Zoo in 1882.[7]

Public aquariums today

[edit]
The main aquarium at Dubai Mall Aquarium

Modern aquarium tanks can hold millions of litres of water and can house large species, including dolphins, sharks or beluga whales. This is accomplished through thick, clear acrylic glass windows. Aquatic and semiaquatic mammals, including otters[8] and seals[9] are often cared for at aquariums. Some establishments, such as the Oregon Coast Aquarium or the Florida Aquarium, have aquatic aviaries.[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 a petting zoo. The National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland houses several exhibits including the Upland Tropical Rain Forest and a multiple-story Atlantic Coral Reef. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a shallow tank filled with common types of rays[13] which visitors are encouraged to touch. The South Carolina Aquarium lets visitors feed the rays in their Saltmarsh Aviary exhibit.[14]

The largest public aquarium is the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom theme park, opened in 2014 in Hengqin, Zhuhai, with a total of 48.75 million litres (12.87 million US gal) of water. The second largest is the Marine Life Park in southern Singapore with a total of 45 million litres (12 million US gal) of water for more than 100,000 marine animals of over 800 species.

Logistics

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Feeding time at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium draws a large crowd.

Most public aquariums are located close to the ocean, for a steady supply of natural seawater. An inland pioneer was Chicago's Shedd Aquarium[15] that received seawater shipped by rail in special tank cars. The early (1911) Philadelphia Aquarium, built in the city's disused water works, had to switch to treated city water when the nearby river became too contaminated.[16] Similarly, the recently opened Georgia 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. The South 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 transparent acrylic tunnel, Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World in Auckland, 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]

Activities

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The Open Ocean exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

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, the Vancouver Aquarium in Vancouver, 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 an orca, 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 to groundbreaking scientific research.[20] The aquarium also captured other orcas, belugas, narwhals[21] and dolphins. The Monterey Bay Aquarium was the first public aquarium to display a great 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. The Adventure Aquarium in New Jersey has hippos. The Aquarium du Québec houses polar bears.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Visitor Impact". aza.org. Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Archived from the original on 2006-12-05. Retrieved 2007-02-03.
  2. ^ a b c d Brunner, Bernd (2003). The Ocean at Home. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. pp. 99. ISBN 1-56898-502-9.
  3. ^ Strehlow, Harro, "Zoos and Aquariums of Berlin" in New World, New Animals: From Menagerie to Zoological Park in the Nineteenth Century, Hoage, Robert J. and Deiss, William A. (ed.), Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1996, p.69. ISBN 0-8018-5110-6
  4. ^ Strehlow, Harro, "Zoos and Aquariums of Berlin" in New World, New Animals: From Menagerie to Zoological Park in the Nineteenth Century, Hoage, Robert J. and Deiss, William A. (ed.), Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1996, p.70. ISBN 0-8018-5110-6
  5. ^ Van Bruggen, A.C. (September 2002). "Notes on the Buildings of Amsterdam Zoo". International Zoo News. Vol. 49/6, no. 319. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008.
  6. ^ David Lin, former Director of Operations, National Aquarium, Washington, DC
  7. ^ Kawata, Ken, "Zoological Gardens of Japan", in Zoo and Aquarium History: Ancient Collections to Zoological Gardens, Kisling, Vernon N. (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2001, p.298. ISBN 0-8493-2100-X
  8. ^ Sea Otters, Oregon Coast Aquarium's official website, accessed 3 February 2007.
  9. ^ "Pinnipeds". Oregon Coast Aquarium.
  10. ^ Birds, Oregon Coast Aquarium's official website, accessed 3 February 2007.
  11. ^ Sandy Shores Archived 12 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Monterey Bay Aquarium's official website Archived 14 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 3 February 2007.
  12. ^ Taylor, Leighton R., Aquariums: Windows to Nature, Prentice Hall General Reference, New York, 1993. ISBN 0-671-85019-9
  13. ^ Sharks and Rays, Monterey Bay Aquarium's official website Archived 14 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 3 February 2007.
  14. ^ "Saltmarsh Aviary". scaquarium.org. South Carolina Aquarium. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  15. ^ Shedd History Archived 15 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Shedd Aquarium's official website, accessed 3 February 2007.
  16. ^ Ung, Elisa (10 January 2010). "Rebuilt Water Works' Debut is on the Horizon: The Site, Long Decaying, is to Reopen to the Public in June". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 12 June 2005 – via National Park Service.
  17. ^ Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World, Auckland Archived 3 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ Muka, Samantha (25 April 2019). "Bursting the Aquarium Bubble". The Atlantic. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  19. ^ Research, Vancouver Aquarium's official website, accessed 3 February 2007.
  20. ^ Colby, Jason M. (2018). Orca: how we came to know and love the ocean's greatest predator. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 57–66. ISBN 9780190673116.
  21. ^ Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) Archived 26 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
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