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- Sharks have been the focus of events at the National Marine Aquarium -
Sharks have been at the top of the agenda at the National Marine Aquarium this week with a series of shark themed events, including the latest NMA Lates event, ‘Sharks in our Waters’ and the family friendly ‘Shark and Ray Easter Games’.
In collaboration with The Shark Trust, Sharks in our Waters focused on the 21 species of shark found around British coasts. Held on Wednesday 11th April, the free, adult-only event gave access to the Aquarium’s Atlantic Ocean exhibit before inspiring talks in front of the large Eddystone Reef tank.
The National Marine Aquarium was joined by Paul Cox, managing director of The Shark Trust, one of the world’s leading charities dedicated to the protection of sharks, who introduced visitors to the amazing species of shark that inhabit the UK’s waters throughout the year. Guests also heard from biologists who work within the National Marine Aquarium’s husbandry team about everything involved with caring for all the sharks that call the Aquarium home. Paul Botterill, Public Engagement Coordinator was the event compere and the speakers were: Marcus Williams, Assistant Curator; Heather Williams, Biologist Diver; and Paul Cox, The Shark Trust MD.
Nicola Murray, Head of Discovery and Learning at the National Marine Aquarium, commented: “There are lots of species of shark to be found off the coasts of Britain and the event was a great opportunity to learn more about these amazing creatures from leading experts. We were thrilled to be joined by The Shark Trust for this event and delighted by the response to the event, which sold out several days in advance. As a conservation charity, it’s important for us to help educate people about how they can connect with our oceans and the amazing species that live in them.”
Paul Cox, managing director of The Shark Trust, added: “The Shark Trust works to safeguard the future of sharks through positive change. Public engagement is a vital complement to our conservation work, so it was great to meet so many people at the Sharks in our Waters talks and be able to share our passion for these magnificent creatures.”
Throughout the Easter Holidays, the National Marine Aquarium also celebrated its family friendly ‘Shark and Ray Easter Games’ that gave visitors the opportunity to learn more about sharks and their winged cousins, rays.
Visitors to the Aquarium took part in fun challenges and activities in an Ocean Olympics trail, which pitted them against some exciting elasmobranchs – the scientific name for sharks and rays. Visitors also learnt fun facts about sharks and rays and met some of the Aquarium’s inhabitants, including ‘Howie’ the Sand Tiger Shark and ‘Coolwhip’ the giant Honeycomb Whiptail Ray.
As a conservation charity, the National Marine Aquarium is focused on helping people connect with the oceans and understand how to protect the ocean environment for all the animals that live there. These special shark themed activities have showcased the amazing creatures that live in the oceans and have provided educational opportunities to help inform visitors of the threats facing these unique creatures, and the small actions they can take at home to help.
For more information on future events in the NMA Lates series and other events, please visit www.national-aquarium.co.uk.