SHARK NEWS SHARK NEWS 15
NEWSLETTER OF THE IUCN SHARK SPECIALIST GROUP
Elasmobranch education in public aquaria Suzanne M. Gendron Ocean Park, Hong Kong “Public Education is even more important than captive propagation in the conservation of a species, for in the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.” B. Dioum. Public aquaria, since their inception in the mid-1800s, have always had an element of learning. The primary aims of these first aquaria were both recreational and educational, providing visitors with basic information in areas such as natural history and species identification. Aquaria today have shifted their focus from recreation with education, to education, research and conservation, sprinkled with entertainment.
New England Aquarium “Shark Cart”.
One of the most important roles for modern aquaria is to inspire respect for life through the understanding of nature. Another is to inform the public of the conservation issues that face the waters of the world and their inhabitants. De-bunking the many myths that surround sharks and their relatives is a critical part of this role. These include the myths that sharks deliberately seek out and attack humans; that medicines made from their livers will cure or prevent cancer and that they can re-grow their fins, once removed.
Aquarium issue also includes ... Research and education in public aquaria: a South African perspective Collection permit regulations Captive breeding and sexual conflict in aquaria
DECEMBER 2003
The challenge is to hold the visitors’ attention long enough to influence and to change their attitudes. Most visitors don’t stop to read graphic panels as they rush from exhibit to exhibit and show to show. Visitors are interested in the weird and wonderful facts such as: “is it poisonous? Will it eat me?” This is especially true in today’s world of instant entertainment. The aquarium’s message must empower the visitors by showing them how they can contribute to species preservation and the conservation of the lakes, rivers, estuaries and oceans. It must teach them the tools they need in order to feel that what they are doing makes a difference.
What are the necessary messages? Before 1976, many aquaria were content to influence the public into believing that sharks were vicious, “man-eating” predators. Peter Benchley’s book “Jaws” and the resultant movies accentuated this belief. Next to one movie house in Hong Kong, a restaurant hung the sign “Get your revenge here! Shark fin soup.” In aquaria the graphics only displayed basic biology information mixed with photographs or lists of the contents of a shark’s stomach. Even the background music playing in the exhibits subliminally bespoke of the danger lurking beneath. Often it was the theme music from “Jaws”. In the 25+ years since “Jaws” first came out, millions of sharks have been killed out of fear in the name of sporting competitions, and just because they were considered “bad”. Shark numbers dramatically declined through the 1980s due to overfishing, lack of management and a rise in demand for shark fin soup. Clearly, the message to the public needed to be changed and aquaria found themselves becoming the spin doctors for the sharks! The new message was that sharks were victims, misunderstood and maligned. Statistics comparing the minute chance of being killed by a shark to deaths by bee stings, lightening and automobiles were advertised. Most crucially, visitors learned that less than ten percent of the sharks in the world were implicated in attacks on humans. Sharks were not vicious, man-eating creatures! The important role of sharks within the food chain, as one of the top predators in the sea, was stressed. In recent years, the need for an additional message has emerged. This message highlights the importance for each of us to contribute toward conservation, not only as aquaria and like-minded institutions, but also as individuals. At the time of printing, over South American freshwater stingrays in captivity Release to the wild of sharks from public and private aquaria Partial recovery of sharks in Chagos waters Red List Workshops, recent news, publications and meetings
Shark Specialist Group web site: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/organizations/SSG/SSG.htm