Free Family Fun Day set at Team ECCO; New sharks on display - Lexington Dispatch

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Free Family Fun Day set at Team ECCO; New sharks on display - Lexington Dispatch Posted: 27 Feb 2020 09:04 PM PST Team Ecco Aquarium and Shark Lab will hold its spring Saturday Free Family Fun Day this weekend to show appreciation for the community. The Fun Day is held each year after the aquarium undergoes its winter maintenance and before it re-opens for the year. The event will run from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the aquarium, 511 N. Main St., Hendersonville. Highlights of the day will include an introduction to the aquarium's newest sharks and its shark study pups, and maybe even hatch one, said Brenda Ramer, founder and executive director of Team ECCO. There will be items to explore on the Discovery Table, an opportunity for hands-on encounters with reptiles and a chance to view new fish that most big aquariums may not even have, Ramer added. Door prize drawings will be held after each shark and ray feed at 1 and 4 p.m. More: Team ECCO witnesses rare shark pup birth More: PHOTOS: Team ECCO's New Shark Tank More: Team ECCO builds new habitats for turtle, monitor lizard The aquarium and shark lab will re-open for normal hours March 4, with hours of operation from 1to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. New for 2020 - fish, equipment, camps and trips Dozens of new fish and invertebrates are at the aquarium this year, Ramer said, from new puffers and a 3-foot eel to two new shark species and a blue lobster. They join angels, wrasse, batfish, clownfish, triggers, groupers, tangs and even a barracuda, to name a few. "The 2,000-gallon shark study tank has made such an impact on the increase in visitors and education programs, we are in talks to create and build a 3,000- to 3,500-gallon tank," Ramer said, adding that the larger tank is in the organization's two-year plan. 2020 is the aquarium's year of "STEMming It Up," holding more STEM- and STEAM-related activities and programs involving citizen science during public hours, as well as new educational programs. April is the N.C. Science Festival and Team ECCO has been accepted to be a local event host. Activities have been planned for each week around marine invertebrates. Reef Camp is in the works, and Team ECCO will also host a travel camp to the Florida Keys for students in grades six and up. An in-house mini-camp will be held for those in grades four through six. The Learning Lab Classroom will be open at set times during the week for short, 10- to 15-minute "Ocean Info" mini-programs that visitors can attend during public hours. Team ECCO is working with Eluminati, a company based in Asheville, to purchase an interactive projection system that will allow visitors and educators to work with real-time NOAA and other satellite data on the Earth, the oceans, weather, global warming, climate change and more, Ramer said. She has applied for grant funding and will be taking private donations as well for the equipment, which is in the 2020 plan. A new retractable screen is in place and the mounting for the projector is being finished. This will allow Team ECCO to show clips and pictures from its programs, as well as events from around the globe, to visitors on the main floor. Intern program The Summer Intern Program will begin accepting applications March 15 and is open to students in grades 10 and up. The program is a four- to six-week intensive learning experience that covers all aspects of contained ecosystem care and management from filters to lighting to exhibit design to animal community. For more information, visit www.teamecco.org or call 828-692-8386.

2 Big Island Men Cited for Illegal Aquarium Gear, Aquarium Fish - Big Island Now Posted: 22 Feb 2020 08:00 AM PST DOCARE officials seized illegal aquarium gear and aquarium fish off a boat in Kawaihae. PC: DLNR Two Big Island men were cited after aquarium fishing gear and over 500 live tropical fish were found on a vessel in Kawaihae Small Boat Harbor. On Thursday, the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement received information regarding the illegal harvesting of aquarium fish offshore of Kawaihae. As a result, DOCARE officers conducted a commercial fishing gear and catch inspection of the vessel "Masako" when it returned to the Kawaihae Small Boat Harbor. Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) personnel also responded to assist with the inspection. Aboard the vessel were Tyron T. Terazono of Kealakekua and Wayne T. Newman of Kailua-Kona. SPONSORED VIDEO "The inspection revealed aquarium fishing gear, including a small mesh net, aboard the vessel," DLNR officials stated in a press release Friday. "The vessel's hold also contained 550 live tropical fish of various species." DOCARE officials seized illegal aquarium gear and aquarium fish off a boat in Kawaihae. PC: DLNR Terazono and Newman were both cited. A third person on the boat was not cited. Additionally, a 2019 Force 24 Motor Vessel and trailer, and various fishing gear were seized as evidence. Hawai'i State statutes prohibits the possession of aquarium collecting gear, or to take or possess any specimen of aquatic life for aquarium purposes within the West Hawaii Regional Fisheries Management Area without a permit. A violation of this rule is a petty misdemeanor and can result in imprisonment and fines. Violators may also be subject to administrative penalties.

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