What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1318249
DECEMBER 13-19, 2020 WHAT'S UP! 9 FYI By The Numbers There are scores of tiny tidbits that Steve Bitter, director of husbandry at Branson's brand- new Aquarium at the Boardwalk, wants to share about the aquarium: "Because we're not near an ocean, we make saltwater from scratch in small batches and regulate the temperature to replicate the natural environment of the fish." "The Aquarium houses a total of 400,000 gallons of saltwater, which currently supports over 7,500 individual animals." "The total food intake of the animals can be as much as 25 pounds of restau- rant-quality seafood in a day, along with a number of specialty foods like dried algae for our herbivores or live brine shrimp for our jellies." "Some animals, such as sharks, eat three to four times a week, but others, such as the corals and seahorses eat five to six times a day." "We built a full-size kitchen, complete with a walk-in freezer and refrigerator, to keep the food supply going." And he concludes with "just a fun fact": "The single species in the largest number in the aquarium is the Greenback Sardine. We have 2,100 of them in the Mermaid Palace." It's a big job, but clearly, he's delighted to do it! Bitter guided a "complex process" to choose the animals the aquarium would house. "We began working on it during the early aquarium design process because we wanted to pair 'star species' with themed environments," he explains. "For example, we planned for lobsters, crabs and eels to live in habitats that are part of a shipwreck zone, and we included rays and sharks in the large coral reef touch pool. Many revisions and additions were made along the way, considering the guest experience; the relationships and dynamics among the species; ethical sourcing; and our ability to house them at the highest standards for their entire lives." Perhaps the biggest challenge was the largest exhibit, the Grand Aquarium, "designed to showcase the diversity and splendor of the tropical oceans." "With this in mind, we wanted to have as many animal species as possible, but we had to make sure they could all live together in harmony for their entire lives," he relates. "Tropical reef fish often have much more complex social lives than we give them credit for, and they also have dynamics with other species that we had to account for. So, it was a challenge to select fish that wouldn't push each other around for territory, compete for food, or try to eat one another. "Because I've been fortunate in my career to work closely with so many remarkable species, I was able to use my knowledge of each fish's habits and behaviors to choose animals that fit into the aquatic community we wanted to build," he continues. "In the end, we were able to create this habitat with over 2,000 individuals from nearly 100 species all living together. The Grand Aquarium houses everything from sharks and rays to small damselfish and wrasses. So far, I've been really pleased at how well the animals have settled in together, and I'm looking forward to seeing them continue to thrive." Bitter explains that some of the animals needed new homes — among them the blacktip reef sharks, who were born at other aquariums that had run out of room — and some were sourced in the wild, but "we spent countless hours researching the origin of every single animal to make sure they came to us from sustainable and transparent sources and were handled very carefully along the way." He also got to share one of his own conservation goals in the Observation Station exhibit. "Since really getting serious about aquariums, I've been in love with corals, and I'm especially delighted by the relationship of corals with other animals," he enthuses. The seven individual windows along one wall in the Observation Station "are meant to be special views into the coral reef ecosystem where guests can see how tiny invertebrates depend on corals. Corals perform what I think is the most important work in the ocean, and I was lucky enough to do some coral reef fieldwork with Coral Restoration Foundation during my time in Florida. Unfortunately, nearly all of the corals in the Florida Reef Tract have disappeared in our lifetime. I hope that our aquarium will inspire guests to learn more about coral and help the Coral Restoration Foundation restore that area." Visitors to Branson's brand-new Aquarium at the Boardwalk can get into the exhibits in a variety of ways. (Courtesy Photo) Branson's brand-new Aquarium at the Boardwalk is intended for kids of all ages. (Courtesy Photo) See Aquarium Page 10