UPDATE: Tampa’s Florida Aquarium will require face masks when it reopens today - Tampa Bay Times

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UPDATE: Tampa’s Florida Aquarium will require face masks when it reopens today - Tampa Bay Times Posted: 05 May 2020 12:00 AM PDT The Florida Aquarium in Tampa will reopen to the public today, and the day before announced that not only will the crowds will be limited in size and by appointment only, guests will be required to wear face masks. In its initial announcement, the downtown Tampa aquarium had only encouraged visitors to wear a face mask while maintaining a social distance of six feet. But in a post on its official Twitter page Thursday night, the aquarium said it will now be requiring all guests to wear a face mask when when visiting the Florida Aquarium. Following expert recommendation from Tampa General Hospital's Infectious Disease Prevention Team & in alignment with CDC guidelines, we have added an important health and safety measure and will now be requiring all guests to wear a face mask when you visit The Florida Aquarium. pic.twitter.com/Upo6J7395Y — The Florida Aquarium (@floridaaquarium) May 14, 2020 The organization acknowledged that some customers might not be happy about this. "While we realize not everyone might be in favor of wearing a face mask, as a science-based organization and a pillar of our community, we are responsible for protecting your health, and the health of every guest, staff member, volunteer and animal in our trust," it posted. There will also be no touch tanks, guests will be required to maintain a safe distance from each other and will have to register online in advance to obtain an appointed visitation time. Related: Florida Aquarium's first goliath grouper has died from illness at about age 30 In a lengthy note posted on its website, the aquarium said online reservations will be required. They started taking reservations last week at flaquarium.org. The attraction held a members-only day on Mothers Day and had 900 reservations within the first hour of going live, officials there said. "Hourly capacity is limited to provide for physical distancing," its message said. Other changes in their reopen plan include: Related: ZooTampa plans to reopen June 1 All Aquarium staff members and volunteers will be required to wear face masks while working and have their temperature checked each morning. But guests will only be strongly encouraged to wear masks. Additional hand sanitizer stations will be found throughout the aquarium and high-touch surfaces like windows, railings, restrooms, and elevators will continuously be cleaned. Related: CEOs of Tampa zoo, aquarium talk about decisions needed to reopen Reservations can be secured in 30-minute time slots and guests will not be admitted prior to their scheduled time. Groups will be limited to 8 tickets. Guests without online access can reserve a time slot by calling the Reservation Desk at (813) 273-4000, ,embers can call Membership Desk at (813) 273-4030. Pre-paid parking will be available online during the reservation process visitors are strongly encouraged to add parking to your reservation. Members do not need to reserve in advance and will continue to receive free parking. Additional elevators will be available upon entrance and staff will direct guests if needed. No strollers or wheelchairs will be available for rent. Guests will follow a dedicated, one-way flow throughout the Aquarium. Touch Experiences will not be available at Moon Bay, Stingray Beach, and No Bone Zone, but guests will be able to view the exhibits. The Outdoor Play Space, including the Splash Pad and 4D Theater will not be available. Food offerings and available seating will be limited. Water fountains will not be available. Guests can bring their own or purchase single-serve beverages. The aquarium is located at 701 Channelside Drive in Tampa. It will be open daily 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. • • • HAVE YOU LOST SOMEONE YOU LOVE TO COVID-19?: Help us remember them UNEMPLOYMENT Q&A: We answer your questions about Florida unemployment benefits CONTRIBUTE TO THE SCRAPBOOK: Help us tell the story of life under coronavirus BRIGHT SPOTS IN DARK TIMES: The world is hard right now, but there's still good news out there LISTEN TO THE CORONAVIRUS PODCAST: New episodes every week, including interviews with experts and reporters HAVE A TIP?: Send us confidential news tips GET THE DAYSTARTER MORNING UPDATE: Sign up to receive the most up-to-date information, six days a week WATCH VIDEO: How some in Tampa Bay are finding light amid isolation We're working hard to bring you the latest news on the coronavirus in Florida. This effort takes a lot of resources to gather and update. If you haven't already subscribed, please consider buying a print or digital subscription.

A peek inside Port Townsend's aquarium - Port Townsend Leader Posted: 20 May 2020 03:00 AM PDT This time of year, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center's aquarium on the Fort Worden dock is typically crawling with visitors each weekend who peer through the glass at fish swimming in their marine habitats or reach  into the touch tanks to feel the textured skin of a sea star. But because of the governor's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order, the many creatures that live in the aquarium have had the place to themselves. Ali Redman, PTMSC's aquarium curator, is one of the few visitors who helps care for and feed the many animals. Below, Redman responds to questions from the Leader about being an aquarium curator and the importance of our marine ecosystems. Q: What are some of your duties as caretaker of these animals? Redman:  There is feeding, of course, and lots of cleaning, but one of the most fun and arguably most important things is observing them. Do they look healthy? Are they stressed? What is their favorite food? Where in the tank do they spend the most time? How do they get along with their tankmates? Q: What is your favorite animal at the aquarium (if you can choose)? Redman:  My heart goes to the slightly improbable —  looking animals, like grunt sculpins and pipefish. They look like beautiful fantasy illustrations, but they are actually extremely well-adapted to their lifestyle. Q: Explain how the aquarium uses Puget Sound water for the tanks — and how this sometimes means new creatures appear in the aquarium. Redman: Our pumps pull water from directly below the aquarium. After it flows through the tanks, the water cascades back to mix with the Salish Sea again. If you look under the pier near the stairs you can see streams of water pouring from each tank. We have 1/8th-inch screens on our intake pipes, but plankton and other small plants and animals can find their way in. Some we love, like the sea slugs (aka nudibranchs) some we could do without (like the barnacles that clog the pipes.) The water flows 24/7 and if there is a problem, an alarm system called the Sensaphone phones us day or night. Q: Do the animals act differently when there aren't any visitors? Redman:  Behavior is always changing, but not so much in regards to visitors. Careful exhibit design and animal selection allows us to avoid animals that would be stressed by visitors. Some of our animals are nocturnal, so they act differently at night. Even we rarely get to see that. Behavior also changes a lot over the year and with temperature. Spring is a really fun time with lots happening as the days get longer, the water warmer, and food more abundant. This week, for the first time, I saw a blackeyed goby laying her eggs while her mate literally prodded her along by bumping into her over and over again. Even being here a lot, I still get to see new things. Q: Why do you like having the aquarium open to people? Redman:  Visitors are fun and important! The aquarium is one of the ways we fulfill our mission of inspiring the conservation of the Salish Sea. Bringing knowledge and wonder to others is a big part of why we do this. Although being in the aquarium is still fun, it's not the same. Not having visitors is like putting on a play without an audience. Hopefully, expanded online activities will allow us to continue our work during this time. We try to keep in touch with our members and visitors as much as possible through our website,  Facebook and Instagram.  We will be doing more Facebook Live events in the future to bring people into our aquarium and in the field with us virtually.  And for anyone looking for more resources to explore on their own, our website now features a page with Online Activities and Events.  Keep your eyes out for a DIY Low Tide walk coming out at the end of this month! Q: Why should we care about protecting marine environments? Redman:  We rely on marine environments for food, oxygen, shoreline protection, recreation, tourism and many more economically valuable services. There are also things that are harder to put a monetary value on, such as the wonder and awe they inspire in us.  Q: Why are these marine animals important for their ecosystems? Redman: While we know that each animal plays an important role in the ecosystem, it isn't always clear what that role is. For animals like sea otters and sunflower stars (both top consumers of urchins) the importance of their role in controlling urchin populations only fully came to light when their numbers declined and we could see the devastating effects on our shared environment, and on fisheries in particular. That's why it is important to protect the environment as a whole, even if we don't yet know the individual importance of its parts.

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