By: M S Mazumdar ( Editor-ICN North East )
The aquarium’s stated vision is to confront pressing issues facing global aquatic habitats through pioneering science, conservation, and educational programming.
BALTIMORE,USA: The National Aquarium is a non-profit public aquarium located at Pratt Street in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. Constructed during a period of urban renewal in Baltimore, the aquarium opened on August 8, 1981.
The Aquarium holds more than 8,300,000 liter of water, and has more than 17,000 specimens representing over 750 species.The aquarium building and the land upon which it is built are owned by the City of Baltimore, but the aquarium is managed by the non-profit National Aquarium, Inc. which consists of a volunteer 25-member Board of Governors and larger Advisory Board, plus a full-time paid staff.
In 2003, the National Aquarium and the independent National Aquarium in Washington joined as one National Aquarium.The National Aquarium’s mission is to inspire conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures. The aquarium’s stated vision is to confront pressing issues facing global aquatic habitats through pioneering science, conservation, and educational programming.
The aquarium opened a marine mammal pavilion in 1990 and currently holds seven Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. Of the seven, six were born at the National Aquarium, one was born at another American aquarium.
The National Aquarium, Baltimore’s initial conceptual design, architecture and exhibit design was led by Peter Chermayeff.This large exhibit replicates the Atlantic coral reef, and is filled with more than 500 exotic species that would be found anywhere from closer to shore to out into the trench and open ocean, including a green moray eel, triggerfish, and porcupine fish.
Sharks of varying sizes and species, including sand tiger sharks, sandbar sharks, nurse sharks, and sawfish, slowly encircle visitors inside this 850,000 liter, ring-shaped exhibit.This smaller building, opened in 1990, features the marine mammal exhibit, which is home to Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.
The dolphin colony consists of two males (Foster, Beau) and five females (Maya, Spirit, Chesapeake, Bayley, Jade), the youngest being Bayley, 2008. Chesapeake was the first dolphin born at the aquarium in 1992. In June 2016, the National Aquarium announced plans to construct a sanctuary for its colony of seven bottlenose dolphins.
Inside the expanded portion of the Aquarium, directly in the main entrance, is a 35-foot (11 m) waterfall that was modeled from an actual waterfall in a Maryland state park. The prominent display is also visible from outside the Aquarium.
