Movement behaviours and survival of largetooth sawfish,
            
              Pristis pristis
            
            , released from a public aquarium

Many Public Aquaria have been designed and constructed all over the world during the last three decades. The serial arrangement of relatively small, rectangular, concrete tanks has been replaced by fewer large, irregularly shaped tanks, replicating habitats. The “taxonomic concept” of displaying specimens in the old aquaria has now been succeeded by the more ecological, “community concept” type of display. At the same time most of the “old aquaria” have been renovated. Aquarium missions have also been broadened nowadays including research, conservation and education. Aquaria are ideal places for research on husbandry, life cycles, reproduction, behavior, autoecology and fish pathology. Collaboration with Universities and Research Centers increases the research potential in scientific disciplines such as ecology, genetics, physiology and biochemistry. Collaboration also provides mutual benefits in both infrastructure and personnel: The research background in aquaria also forms a sound platform to materialize conservation projects, focusing either on the ex-situ conservation of animals in the aquaria or on environmental protection of surrounding areas and reintroduction of endangered species. In addition to formal educational opportunities, non formal education to visitors, schools and undergraduates seems to become a major mission of aquaria. Aquarium tank displays, preserved biological material, film projections, seminars / lectures and book magazine publications enhance environmental awareness, encouraging people to adopt Environmentally Responsible Behavior. All these missions are feasible because most public aquaria are making a good profit mainly due to their high popularity. There are also benefits for the community in the area; aquaria have enlivened declining water front areas and increased the income of tourist resorts mainly by “stretching out” the tourist season. In the present work the objectives of a public aquarium are reviewed and the main infrastructure subsystems and operational procedures are described; Know how on aquarium systems can also be applied in research laboratories of academic institutions if live organisms have to be kept for experimentation. Aquarium missions on research, conservation and education are discussed.

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The marine biological station of the University of Liverpool at Port Erin, Isle of Man: a new wing, and a new research vessel

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315400032574 ◽

1968 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 259-272

Author(s):

J. S. Colman ◽

A. B. Bowers

Keyword(s):

Irish Sea ◽

Biological Station ◽

Marine Biological ◽

Public Aquarium ◽

Small Stone ◽

The Irish Sea ◽

Formed Part ◽

Set Up ◽

New Research ◽

The University

The origins of the Marine Biological Station go back to 1885, when Professor, later Sir William, Herdman organized the Liverpool Marine Biological Committee. The Committee conducted dredging excursions in the Irish Sea, and also set up a very small shore laboratory on Puffin Island (off Anglesey) from 1887 to 1891. In 1892 activities were transferred to two small stone buildings (which still exist—see Pl. III) on Port Erin Bay. After nine years these buildings had become quite inadequate to accommodate the growing numbers both of visiting naturalists and of vacation classes which were started at Port Erin in 1897, so a further move was made to the present site at the south-west corner of Port Erin Bay in 1902.In 1919 the control and ownership of the Marine Biological Station was transferred from the L.M.B.C. to the University of Liverpool; until 1939 the Station formed part of the Department of Oceanography, from 1939 to 1949 it was part of the Department of Zoology, and since 1950 it has formed a separate Department of the University.The original building of 1902, whose whole seaward frontage still remains virtually unaltered (Pl. I), consisted of a central public aquarium (now room 5 on Text-fig. 1) flanked by a sea-fish hatchery (now 8, 9) and a few small research rooms (2,3,4,6,7), with two sizeable laboratories for student classes on the first floor (45–47 and 28, 30–32 on Text-fig. 2). A very valuable asset consisted of three large open-air ponds which still, after 65 years, perform their original function of maintaining a breeding stock of some 200 adult plaice.

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Two thousand parasites on a single ray: An infection with two species of skin monogeneans on a blotched fantail ray kept in an aquarium

Acta Parasitologica ◽

10.2478/s11686-010-0039-x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 55 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jean-Lou Justine ◽

Adeline Grugeaud ◽

Florent Keller ◽

Philippe Leblanc

Keyword(s):

New Caledonia ◽

Dorsal Surface ◽

South Pacific ◽

Ventral Surface ◽

Heavy Infection ◽

Public Aquarium

AbstractA blotched fantail ray, Taeniurops meyeni (Müller et Henle, 1841), was captured in New Caledonia, South Pacific, and kept in a tank for quarantine before exhibition at the Nouméa public aquarium. After 24 days, the ray exhibited a heavy infection with two species of skin monogeneans. A freshwater bath allowed the collection of 1,914 monogeneans, including 1,453 capsalids, Neoentobdella taiwanensis Whittington et Kearn, 2009, on the ventral surface, and 461 monocotylids, Dendromonocotyle pipinna Chisholm et Whittington, 2004, on the dorsal surface. More than 300 monogeneans were prepared on slides to allow precise measurements. Capsalids and monocotylids occupied about 6% and 0.2% of the total ventral and dorsal ray surfaces, respectively.

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Placental and breastmilk transfer of voriconazole to offspring from pregnant and lactating bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Medical Mycology ◽

10.1093/mmy/myz086 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 58 (4) ◽

pp. 469-477

Author(s):

Yoshito Ohno ◽

Marisa Kobayashi ◽

Yuichiro Akune ◽

Yasuo Inoshima

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Umbilical Cord ◽

Tursiops Truncatus ◽

Fungal Infections ◽

Bottlenose Dolphins ◽

Common Disease ◽

Loading Dose ◽

Plasma Samples ◽

Public Aquarium ◽

Food Consumed

Abstract Fungal pneumonia is a common disease in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), including pregnant and lactating ones. Voriconazole (VRCZ) is commonly used to treat respiratory fungal infections in this species; however, it is unknown whether VRCZ is transferred via the placenta and breastmilk and whether its usage is safe in pregnant and lactating dolphins. We measured VRCZ concentrations in breastmilk and dams’, umbilical cord, and calves’ plasma samples from four dam-calf dolphin pairs in the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium, Japan, treated with or without VRCZ. Three pregnant and/or lactating dams were administered VRCZ (loading dose 1.5–2.3 mg/kg, for 3 days; maintenance dose 1.5–3.1 mg/kg, every 5–18 days), twice daily, orally, without side effects in dams or calves. VRCZ was detected in two dams’ umbilical cord plasma (0.14 and 2.35 μg/ml) and in one calf's plasma (0.18 μg/ml), collected immediately after birth. Further, VRCZ was detected in breastmilk samples (maximum 13.45 μg/ml) from three VRCZ-administered dams and in plasma from three calves (maximum 7.54 μg/ml) given or nursed from VRCZ-administered dams’ breastmilk. The calves’ plasma VRCZ concentrations varied, depending on the amount of breastmilk and food consumed. VRCZ concentrations were higher in breastmilk samples than in dams’ plasma. To our knowledge, this is the first report on placental and breastmilk VRCZ transfer to offspring in bottlenose dolphins. During VRCZ medication in pregnant and lactating bottlenose dolphins, it is crucial to monitor plasma VRCZ concentrations and any side effects in dams as well as in their calves.

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