BIAZA Newsletter | Winter 2017 | Issue 13

Featured member

By Garry Kendellen Galway Atlantaquaria, Ireland’s largest native species aquarium, is situated alongside the picturesque Wild Atlantic Way on the west coast of Ireland. Established in 1999, the aquarium continues to develop new attractions, along with educational, social, community and conservation opportunities. The aquarium complex is laid out over 3000m² and houses a number of retail activities, which attract large numbers of visitors annually. The aquarium itself covers 2000m², spans two levels and has a catchment area extending 85 kilometres in all directions. Designed to reflect the maritime history of Galway City and County, the aquarium hosts 70 exhibits which in turn house 100 species of native marine and freshwater animals. The design of the aquarium and exhibits allows the public to get close and interact with the wonderful sea life found around Ireland. Galway Atlantaquaria

Environment and conservation One of our aims is to highlight environmental issues that the oceans face at present. Our exhibits outline topics such as overfishing, ghost fishing, pollution, and invasive species. Our Conservation Area includes our recently developed interactive wave energy exhibit, which enables visitors to learn about renewable energy and its development around the Irish coast. Also in this area is The ‘Trash Gnash’ computer game, which was developed in collaboration with the Ryan Institute, NUI Galway. This game teaches visitors about marine litter and how ocean currents affect its distribution as it moves throughout the world.

large number of native species, including wreckfish and Valentine our rare white skate. Valentine was born in captivity at the aquarium on the eve of Valentine’s Day 2004 (hence her name!) and has since grown into one of our largest and favourite animals, with many visitors regularly returning to check on her progress. Our Irish natural history section includes the largest fin whale skeleton on public display in Ireland, reaching a length of over 18 metres. Other exhibits include ancient red deer antlers which have been carbon-dated at 1600 years old, and the Bearna Bog Boat, a dugout canoe dating back to 3,500 B.C. Both are on permanent loan from the National Museum of Ireland. One of our most striking cultural exhibits is the Gleoiteog, a traditional Irish gaff-rigged sailing vessel, mainly used inshore for carrying cargo. This Gleoiteog was rebuilt through a local Council grant and includes authentic rigging and paintwork. Education and research Dr Noirin Burke oversees education and research at the aquarium. She works with all our staff to deliver both formal and informal education to our visitors and through outreach. She serves on a number of panels and boards including the BIAZA Learning and Volunteering Committee. Galway Atlantaquaria runs various programmes in conjunction with local and national organisations centred on the primary and secondary school curriculum. The aquarium enjoys strong links with Science Foundation Ireland, the Marine Institute, Clean Coasts, NUI Galway and Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and other BIAZA collections in Ireland. The aquarium also runs the Galway Field Studies Centre which aims to connect students with the natural world, using habitats found throughout Galway City. Its goal is to develop skills and knowledge to enable students to carry out meaningful ecology fieldwork activities. The research topics covered in 2016 included flood defences, skate growths and fish feeding patterns.

Notable exhibits include: The DSV Submarine is designed to give visitors a sense of the exploration of the deep sea. The surrounding exhibit tells the story of an Irishman from County Clare, John Philip Holland (1841-1914) who famously designed the modern submarine. The ocean tank is home to a

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