Georgia Aquarium II

Hi Sea Fans!

It's been crazy busy, but here's the other half of my Georgia Aquarium visit (told by Megan, my host from Georgia Aquarium).  Enjoy!

Here is another one of our Education Stations, located in Ocean Voyager.   

Abby educated guests all about our Seafood Savvy program, where consumers are empowered to know the right seafood to buy and why (This program teaches visitors which seafood is better to buy and why.  Seafood is now grouped into 3 groups that will tell you whether it is best to buy it or whether it's best to steer clear of it....if you want to find out more about green, red and orange fish, just go to http://www.seafoodwatch.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_recommendations.aspx

and you'll see what I mean.)  Simple actions taken like this can make such a big difference!  This program is modeled after Monterey Bay Aquariums Seafood Watch program (you can download the Seafood Watch app for free from the app store).

Why do seafood choices matter?

Our choices drive the seafood marketplace. Your purchasing power makes such a huge difference (What you buy makes a difference!!). With almost 85% of the world’s fisheries either fully fished or overfished, these issues are more important than ever. By using the Seafood Savvy or Seafood Watch Guides, you are making educated choices: supporting sustainable fishing methods and environmentally friendly farming practices helps protect these ecosystems so that they may be around for generations to come!

For our younger guests, we teach them all about the different types of jaws and teeth fish can have at the Education Station in Ocean Voyager!

Abby taught kids about the bowmouth guitarfish jaw (above left) and the wobbegong jaw (above right) and how sharks and rays have different teeth for a reason. Shark teeth tend to be sharp and pointy for grasping, ripping, tearing. Ray teeth tend to be flat and smooth for crushing and grinding.  (If you'd like to learn more about different sharks and other predators, you can order a copy of my book: " Predators", the second book in the Abby's Aquarium Adventures series.  

Go to:

http://www.artpublishers.co.za/pls/cms/ap_shopping.product_list?p_cid=45)

Lastly, Abby visited our Tropical Diver gallery where tons of colorful fish and graceful jellies enjoyed her presence.

Here she taught guests all about the amazing diversity (lots of different kinds) of life in our world’s oceans and waters. This gallery is literally a living piece of art! 

Abby discovered curious garden eels popping out of the sand here. 

And was amazed by the graceful moon jellies.

Did you know that these are a primary (main) food source for leatherback and several other species of sea turtles, as well as other marine creatures?  Many marine animals die every year ingesting (eating) floating plastic bags, mistaking them for these moon and other jellies.  This is why it is so important to recycle and keep litter in the trashcan!  (Try this:  Take a small plastic bag, shred it a bit and put it inside a jar of water with a bit of sand and a few other bits of plant, etc. that you'd find in the sea.  Close the lid tightly, shake and see how a bag can so easily be mistaken for a jellyfish.)

So you can see, I really get treated to an amazing behind-the-scenes look at the aquariums that invite me to visit.  If you're a new Sea Fan, welcome and please take a look at previous blogs where you'll see more amazing facilities that I've visited.  If you're a regular, I hope you're enjoying my adventures as much as I am.

Have a great weekend Sea Fans and see you soon.

Cheers

Abby

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