SPLASHING INTO KNOWLEDGE AND CONSERVATION
ARTICLE & PICTURES BY EESHA BUTT
As your car’s bass booms to that same Britney Spears song that never gets old, your hand taps the steering wheel hitting every beat. The breeze pulls your hair left and right, and you cruise down the endless Long Island Expressway. When you pass by the huge green signs with big white letters you stumble upon the sign titled: Riverhead. A smile forms on your face as you are soon to end your long journey and enter a place for all ages.
Long Island Aquarium koi pond.
PHOTO CREDITS: DOREEN ABAYAA
The Long Island Aquarium is not just an aquatic experience but a memorable one. During your visit you can make meaningful connections with the creatures of the sea. You can enjoy getting up close with crabs at the touch tank or befriend a cute penguin, all while gaining knowledge about the conservation efforts the aquarium is doing.
While every aquarium presents itself as a place for animal conservation, the Long Island Aquarium is pushing to educate the public through their wide variety of hands-on programs. Some of the programs include the interactive salt marsh and informative presentations such as the sea lion show(both included free with admission).
When you first walk in you are hit with the cool air and the soothing sounds of water trickling. You begin to feel as though you have entered the deep blue, as you are greeted by stingrays and bamboo sharks.
Most animals at the aquarium are either endangered or threatened. By staying informed about the dangers that affect the animals, we can help our aquatic friends. All species, whether big or small, play a huge role in running our ecosystem.
People viewing the touch tank.
The Long Island Aquarium has multiple interactive elements for children and adults to get up close to our underwater buddies. The Touch Tank allows you to have hands- on interactions with starfish, clams, whelks, hermit crabs and the Roomba of the sea, the horseshoe crab.
The Horseshoe Crab
The vacuum of the sea a.k.a the horseshoe crab lives its life prowling the ocean floor. It is an extraordinary animal living even before the dinosaurs. The horseshoe crab is a threatened species as humans use these animals for bait and fertilizer. They are also being caught and used for their blood. A horseshoe crab has a special type of blood that is copper-based and blue in color.
“They're selling the horseshoe crab blood for $14-15,000 a quart,” said a New York Animal Rescue volunteer who wished to remain anonymous.
This is due to the benefits their blood has in the medical field. The copper in their blood can detect poisons in vaccines and other drugs.
This affects the ecosystem as the animals that feed on them, such as the Maryland crab, don't have wide access to their main food source because people are hunting horseshoe crabs instead.
“So if you see them you know there are a lot of animals that are eating and making protein. That means it's a healthy environment,” the volunteer added.
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As you say goodbye to the hard shelled creatures living on the sandy ocean floor, you are immersed in much murkier waters, where gentle giants await for you to come pay them a visit. Entering the dark cave may seem a bit startling at first but the glowing letters reading: LOST CITY SHARK EXHIBIT leave you intrigued as you inch closer until you are face to face with sharks.
Evan Houck posing with a shark.
SHARKS
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Each shark circles past you with their beady eyes. They stare at you through the glass as if they are judging you and perhaps your poor taste in fashion. These misunderstood beings may look menacing, but they mean no harm to humans. In fact, humans are the reasons why sharks are threatened. The main cause is overfishing. Overfishing is when a large amount of animals are being caught, leading to an overall decrease of the species in that area. Overfishing is done to obtain a mass amount of shark fins. These shark fins are then used as the main ingredient in shark fin soup, a famous delicacy in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and China.
Although many may not see an issue in eradicating the shark population due to their own fears and misconceptions of these animals, sharks have a major impact on our ecosystem.
“They have the unique ability to sense heartbeats. They sense the electrical impulse that triggers the cardiac muscles to contract because of this they are able to tell if a fish is injured, or has an unsteady heartbeat, or sick, or dying, sharks go out of there way to eat sick, dying, old weak individuals. Therefore, all the individuals that are left behind that don’t get eaten have greater food ability,” Long Island Aquarium employee Evan Houck said.
As you head out of this spooky exhibit and pass the Touch Tank you will come across a hallway. Continue walking and you will be at New York Rescue Marine Center. This center is attached to the aquarium in efforts to push fourth animal conservation and protect our marine life.
Entrance of the NY Animal Rescue Center.
“We are able to talk to the general public about conserving these species, what to do if they see a stranded marine mammal or sea turtle and then, the importance of cleaning up debris out there beaches,” Director of Administration and Development, Danielle Perillo states.
The final exhibit out of the many to see is at the end of the aquarium, and a fan favorite: Penguin Pavillion.
AFRICAN BLACK-FOOTED PENGUIN
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has put these penguins on their red list as they have become an endangered species.
Things like oil spills, food shortages due to fisheries and predators like seals, gulls and sharks hunting the penguins have caused a decline in the species.
Caitlyn Hazard- Lopez, an army veteran from Germany who came to the aquarium to have something to do with her husband said, “I like the penguins. They are so cute.”
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