The New England Aquarium Reopens To The Public With New Safety Guidelines - WBUR
The New England Aquarium Reopens To The Public With New Safety Guidelines - WBUR |
| The New England Aquarium Reopens To The Public With New Safety Guidelines - WBUR Posted: 16 Jul 2020 02:07 AM PDT After being closed for 18 weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New England Aquarium is finally reopening its doors to the public. The aquarium held a members-only event Wednesday, July 15, to jumpstart the festivities and test run new protocols. A number of safety guidelines have been put into place including contactless entry with electronic tickets, signage and floor markings to enforce social distancing, 20-minute timed-entry ticketing slots and a guided, one-way flow throughout the facility. Masks are also required. Safety is the number one priority, says Vikki Spruill, president and CEO of the New England Aquarium.  "This is a really exciting day to hear the kids in the background, to see the parents excited to be here," Spruill says. "This is a really special day for us." More rigorous cleaning processes are being introduced in high-traffic areas where patrons tend to congregate and hand sanitizer will be available throughout the building. Interactive exhibits have been either suspended or changed to a viewing-only experience, such as the shark and ray touch tank. "We are complying with all of the city and state guidelines, and then even more so," she says. "The aquarium will initially open to 15% occupancy, even though the city and state are allowing the aquarium up to 40% occupancy." Jane Stewart went to the aquarium for the members-only day, saying it was nice being able to go out and do an activity like this. She says the experience felt safe and clean. "I think the animals were happy to see us," she says, laughing. Patrons need to reserve their tickets online before coming to the aquarium due to the limited occupancy. |
| Sargassum seaweed can harbor a variety of aquatic life - Daytona Beach News-Journal Posted: 15 Jul 2020 11:00 AM PDT Some Caribbean countries and some parts of Florida are having problems with Sargassum seaweed. Sargassum is that golden/brown seaweed that washes up onto northeast Florida beaches when we have prolonged periods of winds out of the east or when hurricanes travel along our eastern coast. The seaweed grows in the center of the North Atlantic, in an area called the Sargasso Sea. It is generally kept away from our shores by the Gulf Stream. However, strong winds can push the seaweed across the Gulf Stream's currents and then onto our beaches. Starting in 2011, unusually large amounts of Sargassum have been washing up in the Caribbean, south Florida and parts of the Gulf of Mexico. Municipalities in those locations have had to deal with tens of thousands of tons of seaweed. To learn more about these "golden tide" events, check out the bite-sized science webinar, "Seaweeds and nuisance algae" at http://bit.ly/bite-sizedscience. For this article, I would like to focus on some of the really cool characteristics of Sargassum as well as the unique animals that call it home. There are two species of Sargassum that grow as free-floating seaweeds. They have small gas-filled floats (called pneumatocysts) that help them maintain their position at the ocean's surface. Ocean currents and wind help keep the Sargassum in one general area most of the time. Growing up in Bermuda, I looked forward to those times of year when fresh Sargassum would wash into our local bays and onto our beaches. As even a very young marine biologist, I knew that the seaweed would bring with it many unusual creatures. National Geographic magazine featured some of these in a 2019 article, which can be viewed at nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2019/06/sargasso-sea-north-atlantic-gyre-supports-ocean-life/. (A free registration is required to see some of the images.) Many of the fish that live in the Sargassum are camouflaged to blend in perfectly with the golden-brown seaweed. Pipefish and the Sargassum frogfish are two of my favorites. I learned the hard way that the frogfish can eat prey that are its own size! Hundreds of other species of fish seek refuge underneath the mats of floating seaweed. Juvenile fish are often very difficult to identify by sight. It was always fun to catch some tiny fish and raise it in my fish tank at home in order to figure out what it would be. One of my strongest memories was of raising a small (1/2-inch) fish and realizing that it was a greater amberjack (which can get to weigh about 40 pounds). We ended up giving that particular fish to the Bermuda Aquarium, where it took up residence in their huge reef tank. There are also many invertebrates that live on the Sargassum. Sea hares (slugs), shrimp and crabs can be extremely well camouflaged. Looking closely at the blades and pneumatocysts, you might notice white lace-like encrusting patterns. These are structures made by animals called bryozoans. Tiny white spirals are the housings for spirorbid worms. A magnifying glass will make it easier to appreciate some of these tiny animals. There is so much more to this amazing community than I can cover in this article. I will close by cautioning that Portuguese man-o-war often wash ashore with Sargassum, so be a little cautious when exploring the seaweed looking for cool finds! For more information about this or other coastal topics, contact Maia McGuire, UF/IFAS Sea Grant Extension Agent at the Flagler County Extension Office at 386-437-7464 or e-mail mpmcg@ufl.edu. You can check out the NE Florida Sea Grant Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NEFLSeaGrant. Extension programs are open to all persons without regard to race, color, sex, age, disability, religion, or national origin. |
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