The preliminary dates for the 2012 IAC Husbandry sessions are Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 September.
Click here for the preliminary programme.
Abstracts of presentations
Animal training at Mare Nostrum Aquarium, Montpellier-France
By: Nicolas Hirel, Aquarium Curator
Institution: Mare Nostrum Aquarium, Montpellier, France
Many facilities around the world train terrestrial and marine mammals and birds, but few people think it is possible or indeed useful to attempt the same level of training with fish as trainers do with dolphins or sea lions. From the beginning of the Mare Nostrum Aquarium, it was decided that animal training of emblematic fish and penguins under veterinarian control would be part of the aquarist’s duties, in addition to life support system control, cleaning and feeding, and visitor edutainment.
Can captive breeding stock an entire public aquarium?
By: Chris Brown
Institution: Merlin Entertainments, SEA LIFE, UK
While zoos have been sourcing most of their animals from captive breeding programmes for decades, and nearly 90% of the freshwater fish trade is now supplied by captive breeding, most public aquariums still collect marine creatures from the wild. Public aquariums should be leading the way in developing captive breeding programmes so that the aquarium trade stops depleting wild fish stocks. Considering this challenge, is the entirely captive-bred public aquarium a realistic prospect?
Early rearing of four scombrid fishes including Bluefin Tuna at Tokyo Sea Life Park
By: Ryosuke Mimori
Institution: Tokyo Sea Life Park, Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo Sea Life Park (TSLP) has exhibited four scombrid fishes, Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus orientalis), Kawakawa (Euthynnus affinis), Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) and Striped Bonito (Sarda orientalis), all of which have spawned in the displays. Learning to raise these species from eggs may enable TSLP to reduce collection of wild specimens. Exhibiting scombrid development in the aquarium may deepen visitors’ understanding of these fish and contribute to their sustainable use.
Fish health management by husbandry training
By: Takaomi Ito, Shuji Sodeyama, Satoshi Takeuchi, Kiyoko Onda, Hiroshi Obata & Kiyonori Nishida
Institution: Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Osaka, Japan
In an effort to sustain fish biodiversity, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan has developed a health management method for handling fish in captivity and for collecting physiological and behavioral data as a part of in- and ex situ conservation activities.
Keynote – Collaborative marine ornamental fish propagation efforts
By: Allan Marshall (1), Dr Matthew Wittenrich & Eric Cassiano (2)
Institutions: 1) The Florida Aquarium, Florida, USA; 2) University of Florida’s Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, Florida, USA
The Rising Tide Conservation initiative aims to develop techniques to breed marine ornamental reef fishes, in order to reduce the collection of wild specimens for public and home aquariums. Most individual institutions have been unable to achieve this because of economic constraints, and challenges experienced at every stage of breeding and rearing these species.
Collaborative marine ornamental fish propagation efforts (333.48 KB) Download the full abstract
Keynote – Conservation value of having a white shark on exhibit
By: Randy Hamilton, Vice President Husbandry
Institution: Monterey Bay Aquarium, California, USA
Since 2002 the Monterey Bay Aquarium has been collecting biological data on the white shark, (Carcharodon carcharia) in order to improve understanding of its life history, to educate the public on the role of this top-level predator in the ecosystem, and to place young-of-year sharks on public display. Ultimately, this information should assist with management of the species, which is currently considered vulnerable and protected by the State of California.
Conservation value of having a white shark on exhibit (337.41 KB) Download the full abstract
Managing animal husbandry globally
By: Robin James, Senior Curator
Institution: Merlin Entertainments, SEA LIFE, UK
Good animal husbandry is essential to the health and longevity of aquarium animals. It results in fewer issues, the need to collect fewer animals, and a better chance that animals may breed and help to sustain captive populations. To ensure good husbandry it is vital to invest in the training and development of curatorial staff.
New minds in 21st Century: The new attraction ‘Grand Aquarium’ in the Ocean Park Hong Kong
By: David Lai, Suzanne M. Gendron, Grant Abel, Paolo Martelli, Nimal Fernando, Walter Tang, Lell Luk, Yvonne Lim, Lam Cho Hee, Ho Kam Fook & Wong Tin Po
Institution: Ocean Park Corporation, Hong Kong, China
A new exhibit ‘The Grand Aquarium’ was opened in 2011, doubling the water volume of the former aquarium and increasing the number of species to 400. 2 000 fishes were moved from the former Atoll Reef exhibit and many new species were introduced. The Grand Aquarium aims to highlight the importance of sustainable use of marine resources by presenting a harmonious multispecies community to inspire visitors to treasure the ocean.
Seadragon husbandry in the new millennium: Lessons learned from the past will create a sustainable future
By: Paula Branshaw Carlson, Director of Husbandry
Institution: The Dallas World Aquarium, Texas, USA
The Dallas World Aquarium (DWA) has displayed Leafy Seadragons (Phycodurus eques) since 1994 and is a leader in the husbandry of these popular syngnathids. In 1997 and 1999 the DWA shared husbandry information with industry professionals at national zoo conferences. These meetings led to worldwide collaboration between aquarists struggling to understand the specialized husbandry of these fish, and resulted in the publication of the first Leafy Seadragon Husbandry document in 2005. In 2008 the DWA hosted the first Seadragon Husbandry Symposium, which was an invaluable forum for information exchange.
The effect of sedatives on large-sized elasmobranchs
By: Yosuke Matsumoto, Atsushi Yamashiro, Keiich Ueda & Hirokazu Miyahara
Institution: Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Japan
Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus), Alfred Mantas (Manta alfredi) and Bull Sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) are the largest elasmobranch species in the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. Maximum total lengths are 8.5 m, 4.0 m and 3.0 m respectively. When conducting health care programmes, their large sizes present problems. They struggle vigorously when being caught or transported and during routine health checks. They rub and beat against the capture nets and walls of transport cages and aquarium tanks, injuring themselves. These injuries can delay onset of feeding, and may even cause death. Their struggles are also potentially dangerous to their keepers. It is therefore imperative to find safe and effective methods to sedate them.
The future of selection and introduction of new aquarium species
By: Rob Hicks
Institution: Merlin Entertainments, SEA LIFE
Public aquariums are under pressure to justify why they keep animals in captivity and source specimens from the wild, and are often criticised for being consumers rather than protectors of aquatic life. Many see captive breeding as part of the answer but, because we are unable to manipulate the reproductive cycles of most species, it is unlikely that captive breeding will entirely supplant collection from the sea. Furthermore, aquariums are by nature pioneering organisations and are unlikely to stop exploring the collection and display of new species.
Working towards optimising oral praziquantel for treating monogenean ectoparasites of captive fishes
By: David Vaughan (1) & Sandy Bye (2)
Institution: 1) Two Oceans Aquarium, Cape Town, South Africa; 2) Biochemical and Scientific consultants cc, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Monogeneans are parasitic flatworms responsible for disease or host mortality in public aquariums. New species have been discovered due to their negative impacts on the health of their captive hosts. Various treatments have been explored to control monogeneans, notably the anthelmintic praziquantel. It is a registered treatment against schistosomiasis and cysticercosis in humans, against Trematoda and Cestoda in animals, and has been used to treat monogeneans on fishes in aquariums with varying degrees of success.
Downloads
Collaborative marine ornamental fish propagation efforts
Conservation value of having a white shark on exhibit
Seadragon husbandry in the new millennium: Lessons learned from the past will create a sustainable future
Working towards optimising oral praziquantel for treating monogenean ectoparasites of captive fishes