Aquarium should admit captivity hurts these fish
Atlanta Journal Constitution
Published on: 06/15/07
We are saddened and disturbed by the untimely death of Norton, the second whale shark to succumb while in the custody of the Georgia Aquarium.
The aquarium justifies holding whale sharks for the purpose of educating the public, preserving endangered animals and conducting research. None of these points holds water.
The aquarium has produced no credible evidence that visits to their whale shark exhibit (or any other exhibit, for that matter) translate into better understanding of whale sharks (or any other species).
Looking at these animals in downtown Atlanta may seem educational, or at least, harmless, but in fact it teaches us exactly the wrong ecological lessons.
Instead of cultivating our understanding of the importance of an animal's habitat (and thus, the need to stop desecrating the oceans with the runoff from our industrial and commercial activities), aquarium displays suggest that habitats are irrelevant to the animal's well-being. Perhaps the most important fact about whale sharks is that they are classified as a vulnerable species (only one step better than endangered) by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
The Georgia Aquarium has done nothing to "educate" the public about the fact that by purchasing these animals from Taiwanese fishermen, they financially support the very industry that has led to their threatened status.
Whale sharks are so wonderfully mysterious to us: There's so much we don't know about them (how long they live, where they travel, how they feed, how they reproduce, how far they swim, even how many of them there are).
Can't we leave these mysteries unknown and leave the sharks in peace?
Every animal has an innate dignity, and keeping them captive in these tanks is a transgression of that dignity. We aren't meant to see whale sharks in this way: It isn't natural. The whole enterprise of spectatorship, as it takes place at the aquarium, is fundamentally and inherently flawed. If we aspire to honor and understand nature and ecological harmony, then we cannot continue to displace and degrade animals as we have done in the past.
The Georgia Aquarium should step up and do the right thing by admitting that they made a mistake in taking these animals into captivity and stop hiding behind the empty promises of education, conservation and research. They can set an ethical example for the rest of the captivity industry.
It is their choice as to whether they will rise to the occasion.
• Randy Malamud is professor and associate chair of modern literature, ecocriticism, and cultural studies at Georgia State University. Lori Marino is senior lecturer in neuroscience and behavioral biology at Emory University. Contributing to this column were Ron Broglio, assistant professor of literature, communication, and culture at Georgia Tech, and Nathan Nobis, assistant professor of philosophy and religion at Morehouse College.
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This alternative "opinion" was also published:
Aquarium a lifeline for marine species
By MARK HAY, TERRY SNELL
Published on: 06/19/07
The African environmentalist Baba Dioum said, "In the end, we will only conserve what we love. We will only love what we understand. We will only understand what we are taught."
The Georgia Aquarium has taught, promoted understanding, and provided a personal connection with wildlife to more than 5 million visitors, including more than 100,000 schoolchildren and teachers. A recent survey funded by the National Science Foundation found that visits to aquariums and zoos result in increased support for conservation of animals in the wild.
Without the exposure that aquariums, zoos, and museums can offer, sharks and other wildlife may be doomed. The Georgia Aquarium is providing this exposure, and as it matures we anticipate that its research, conservation, and education activities will grow. The aquarium plays an important role in bringing people into contact with marine life. We should all help strengthen these efforts instead of focusing solely on two tragic whale shark deaths while ignoring millions of other deaths in a polluted, over-harvested ocean that we are all doing too little to preserve because of our inadequate understanding, exposure, and personal connection with its animals.
Reputable aquariums and zoos offer Americans a rare opportunity. The whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium allow people to connect with these mysterious gentle giants, rather than limiting that opportunity to a few scientists or travelers. Neither Atlantans nor Americans in general knew about whale sharks before the aquarium opened.
The notion that sharks will prosper if they are left in peace in the wild instead of being exhibited is a fallacy. Between 1940 and today, the world's human population increased from about 2 billion to nearly 7 billion. At this density, we leave few, if any, wild populations in peace. Populations of major sharks along the eastern coast of the U.S. have declined by 93 to 99 percent since 1972. Recent estimates are that up to 73 million sharks are killed annually for their fins alone, which are highly prized foods in Asia. To conserve and protect whale sharks and other wild species, we need to understand them. Ignoring them in the wild while they decline by 90 percent is neither leaving them in peace nor fulfilling our obligations as wise stewards of nature.
The Georgia Aquarium bought whale sharks that were bound for Taiwanese dinner tables. The purchases coincided with a decrease and ultimate ban of fishing for whale sharks in Taiwan. As Taiwan recognized the value of the sharks for eco-tourism and conservation, they decreased the allowable catch from 60 in 2006, to 30 in 2007, to zero in 2008 and beyond. Such shifts in values are unlikely to occur unless people know of and care about wildlife — a shift that is aided by personal experiences in aquariums and zoos.
Understanding and conserving wildlife involves not focusing solely on two untimely deaths, while ignoring millions of others. If we humans continue poor stewardship of the oceans because of ignorance and misplaced values, we will diminish the richness of our lives and the options for our children. It is only with increased exposure and understanding that the fate of the oceans, and the animals living in them, will improve.
• Contributing to this column were Bryan Norton, professor of public policy; Kirk Bowman, associate professor of international affairs; Meghan Duffy, assistant professor of biology; Julia Kubanek, asociate professor of biology and chemistry; Marc Weissburg, associate professor of biology — all at Georgia Tech — and Charles Derby, professor of biology and associate dean of arts and sciences at Georgia State University.
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