This post is written for the “Save the Ocean” group-writing project by Pelfy, a journalist-to-be who blogs at Pelfy’s Journey of Love. She enjoys taking photographs and recently found a new hobby — baking.

While I was telling a friend that my article, “Visit an Aquarium” would be published in conjunction to the “Save the Ocean” campaign, she asked, “What has visiting the aquarium got to do with saving the ocean?” I would not say that it was a lame question, in fact I found it interesting as I would be explaining how visiting an aquarium has to do with saving the ocean.

You see, human beings are constantly polluting the ocean with or without intentions. While oil spills kill most of the living creatures in the ocean; plastic bags contribute to the extinction of turtles and cigarette butts pollute our beaches. The number of aquatic animals in the ocean is declining each day.

This means that the more aquatic creatures are becoming extinct, the more we are unable to know its existence. I am sure you do not wish to explain to your kids what a turtle looks like or by just showing them a picture of a turtle.

Therefore, aquaria are important as they serve as a shelter to thousands and thousands of aquatic animals. Below are some facts about an aquarium.

What is an aquarium?

An aquarium (plural aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Aquaria are primarily used for fish-keeping, although invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, and aquatic plants are also housed in aquaria. The term combines the Latin root aqua, meaning water, with the suffix -arium, meaning “a place for relating to” (Source: Wikipedia).

Who are the visitors to the aquarium?

The first group of people that comes to my mind is the youngsters, specifically school-going children because most of the time, school clubs organize trips to the aquarium. That explains the group rates.

Two, the students. The Ministry of Education and most aquaria have joint projects about conserving the marine fishes that have become extinct. Through encouraging more students to take part in various activities, these parties sometimes held special programs to create awareness of the importance of the ocean and marine life to human beings. That is why students have discount rates to the aquaria.

Parents play an important role in educating their children, especially in education. Studies have shown that children learn faster when they are exposed to a particular object. Hence, parents’ efforts of bringing their children to the aquarium is a plus point to a better marine conservation besides learning more about the aquatic creatures.

Senior citizens are also welcomed to visit the aquarium as most of them have not been to snorkeling or diving trips. Thus, chances of them seeing sharks and rays right in front of them are low, but a trip to the aquarium is like a dream come true. They do not need to jump into the water to see clown fish; neither do they need to rent a snorkel mask to see the corals.

Where can you find aquaria?

Aquaria can be found in almost every country. In Malaysia, there are two prominent aquaria — the Aquaria KLCC and Underwater World Langkawi. I will be featuring four aquariums that I’ve visited:

Aquaria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur

I would say that Aquaria KLCC is one of the most unique aquariums around as it is located in a shopping mall. It is also unique because besides focusing on aquatic creatures, Aquaria KLCC also features other tropical rainforest animals such as the Earth Tiger Tarantula, Giant Squirrel, White Handed Gibbon, Cattle Egret and other animals.

All in all, Aquaria KLCC serves as an education platform and an eco-tourism site for visitors. Conservation programs are brought to you in partnership comprising of the Johor National Parks Corporation, Department of Wildlife, Department of Fisheries, National Museum, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, the Melaka Zoo and the KL Bird Park.

Underwater World Langkawi

The largest marine and fresh water aquarium in South East Asia — The Underwater World Langkawi is situated in Kedah. It was first open to the public in 1995 and has since become one of the must-visit destinations in Langkawi.

The concept and theme of Underwater World Langkawi is like other aquaria, which are to serve as an education platform for visitors as well as an entertainment outlet for family members. It is also built to raise awareness of the importance of conserving our aquatic animals, especially those which are becoming extinct.

I have visited Underwater World Langkawi once when I was in high school. Having to visit the aquarium with a group of classmates was definitely a memorable.

Underwater World, Singapore

I have also been to the Underwater World Singapore in Sentosa Island. It is a well-known oceanarium showcasing various marine animals of different sizes and shapes. I remember my trip there a few years ago and there were many others visitors as well as it provides fun, leisure and educational experiences to its visitors.

A statement released by the Underwater World Singapore stated that the aquarium is committed to the conservation and breeding of marine life though active involvement in several environmental projects. Therefore, I recommend if you have extra time in Sentosa Island, do hop in to the Underwater World Singapore as it is really an eye-opener for marine lovers.

Ocean Park, Hong Kong

The catchiest aquarium I’ve ever seen was the one I visited a few years ago at Ocean Park in Hong Kong. That is simply because they have a tank full of sea jellies of all sizes, shapes and colours.

The “Sea Jelly Spectacular” deserves double thumbs up as it allowed me to discover the most amazing and beautiful undersea creature as they swim and glow in their natural environment.

When is the best time to visit an aquarium?

There is no specific time as in when to visit an aquarium, but the recommended time is when the aquarists are doing their routine feeding. It is an eye-opener for visitors as sharks and other creatures can sometimes be tame too. I’ve been to the aquaria for many times and I would consider myself lucky as most of them time, I managed to catch “the shows”.

Why you should visit an aquarium?

Sometimes, people question us by asking, “Why should I pay just to see fish?” The answer here is that we are not paying just to see fish, we also learn from the information provided by the aquarium. Besides, we also get to see other creatures that some might not have seen for the rest of their lives, such as the Clown Fish (nope, I am not talking about watching Nemo on your TV screen) and sharks and rays! There are hundreds and hundreds of reasons why you should visit an aquarium, and you’ll only find them when you visit an aquarium.

So, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and visit an aquarium today!

January 2008 is “Save the Ocean” month here at The Giving Hands. Click here for more information on how you too, can save our oceans, and remember to subscribe to The Giving Hands for your daily updates!

This post is written for the “Save the Ocean” group-writing project by Yvy @ mistyeiz, a Malaysian who blogs at Little Cozy Corner. She is mum to baby Ella and wife to Ted. She has been residing in Sydney, Australia since Sept 2006 and is still learning the ropes of living in the land down under.

Picking this topic to write about was mainly because I’m against the use of animal products for vanity sake, not just sea creatures. Some may think me a hypocrite because I loved shark fins soup but those days are long gone. I loved the feel of soft fur against my skin but now I detest it because of what an animal has to endure so that humans may lavish themselves in pieces of dead animals around their necks and shoulders. I remember very clearly the first time I ever wrote about animals being cruelly sacrificed to feed the whims and fancies of people around the world. I had tear in my eyes as I wrote that post and till today, it still hurts when I go back and read about it. But that was mostly on land creatures and how they are hunted down for their furs. Today, I talk about sea creatures.

I never really took notice of creatures of the deep until my first experience snorkeling and it was then that I now look at the under water world with a whole new sight. It was simply so beautiful beneath the water that words cannot describe it. Despite only on the surface looking down, I felt a certain sense of freedom and the majesty of God’s creation swimming in this ‘free land’ they call home. And on the surface beneath the water, a whole new world opens up with the swaying anemones and corals that decorate the water bed - it’s simply just marvelous! But then, along comes us humans with hooks and chains and off we go to break off these gorgeous corals to be sold as decorative ornaments. Don’t you know that they are living creatures and not mere rocks?? Corals are among the slowest living things to grow and here we are, mindlessly killing them. One should always keep in mind to never EVER break off corals that you see when you’re diving or snorkeling and please don’t encourage the collectors by buying them either.

Another thing that boils my blood is the need for dinners especially Chinese wedding dinners to have shark fins soup as one of their dishes. As I mentioned earlier, I used to love shark fins soup and it was the one thing I often look forward to at those wedding dinners until that fateful day when I watched a documentary of shark killing for the sake of only their fins. It was cold-blooded and merciless, and it was the beginning of my personal campaign to discourage shark fins soup/dishes at functions. And I am proud to say that I did not have the soup at my wedding dinner and I refused to even have those fake ‘fins’ a.k.a soo hoon [glass noodles] because the mere thought of it was too revolting for me. Even my colleagues were not spared when I was in charged of organising a dinner function and many of them were not happy with me because they wanted it, plus company was paying so it was one of those good ‘free meals’ but did I care? Nope, I did not! In fact, I retaliated and told them off. I seriously don’t understand why people are so ‘into’ shark fins…it’s only cartilage and those medicinal values are a myth! People should wake up and smell the coffee, get with the times…sometimes I wonder it would feel like to have both arms and legs chopped off and left by the road side to die. Because that’s exactly what happens to a shark, so that’s certainly food for thought.

Image credit: Katie.

Another thing that can totally be avoided is all those dietary supplements which contain ingredients like coral calcium, shark cartilage, turtle oil or shark liver oil made from endangered marine life. I mean, come on…there are so many alternative vitamins out there that I think you could spend a lifetime at the pharmacy just checking out the selves so just keep an eye out and keep away from those kind of vitamins. With that in mind, I’ve seen some Chinese herbals concoctions which actually include dried sea horses. When I was growing up, I used to be pumped with herbs by Mum and back then, I just drank what ever that was given to me. I was a child and totally ignorant but now that things are a lot different, I noticed that sea horses are used and it’s kind of sickening because they are endangered! So next time your mum buys herbs for you, check to see if they have dried sea horses, if they do - you should know what YOU should do. It’s another one of those false medicinal claims which the older generations seem to fall for.

Last but not least, this was something that I saw on a TV program here in Australia. I know how many people love to keep exotic fishes and animals. My advice to you is if you intend to keep them as pets ie sea horses, then please purchase them from legitimate pet stores which are licensed to breed them in captivity. The sea horses which are sold have been bred and are accustomed to synthetic sea water. This meaning that when you purchase them, you will be instructed on how to prepare the water for the tank and the proper method of keeping your sea horses alive. If you see them in the wild underwater during your dives, please do not remove them as they are not used to life in a tank.

My final words: When the buying stops, the killing will too. Stop the chain of demand and save our animals.

January 2008 is “Save the Ocean” month here at The Giving Hands. Click here for more information on how you too, can save our oceans, and remember to subscribe to The Giving Hands for your daily updates!

This post is written for the “Save the Ocean” group-writing project by PK Tan @ Travel Malaysia Guide.

Leaks and spills of fuel oil, gasoline and other petroleum products caused by accidents involving tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries and storage facilities can have numerous adverse effects on our environment:

• Pollution of groundwater which are a natural source of drinking water

  
  Image: A bird coated in thick fuel oil on a beach after the 2002 Prestige oil spill off the coast of Spain by Denis Doyle/AP.

• Harmful effects to wildlife, mainly fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and marine birds.
• Vapors from spills enter indoor environments where people live and work.
• Oil can also destroy marine plankton and contaminate marshes and other highly productive estuarine areas.
• Visual pollution of an oiled beach diminishes recreational values in coastal communities.

Image: Beach closures after oil spills by Ingrid Taylar.

Oil spills accidents are normally caused by human errors and natural disasters; however deliberate acts cause by terrorism, war, and illegal bilge dumping prove that oil spills aren’t always accidentals.

Lots of man power and money have to be spent on clearing oil spills, but the effects of an oil spill can linger for years - the toll of oil lingering amid rocks or settling on the sea bed could prove much harder to gauge. Studies have found that oil spill deposits continued to leach toxic chemicals into the environment for years.

So long oil is in demand; the possibilities of oil spills will always exist. In order to minimize this possibility, the oil industry needs to come up with safer ways of transportation and storage of oil.

Safer vessel designs play a big role. Examples include double hulls, improved steering systems, improved radar detection systems, satellite and radio communication and computer monitoring of the vessel’s operations. Better aids for navigation systems also help reduce risks.

To reduce the incidence of illegal bilge dumping, it is possible to “fingerprint” the petroleum products carried or used on individual ships, however education and deterrence are still the best ways to deal with illegal bilge dumping.

As individuals, we can all help curb oil pollution by communicating our concerns to all levels of government.

Recommended reads:

• Comparing the worst oil spills
• How oil pollution affects birds and other wildlife
• All about pollution @ Ocean Link

January 2008 is “Save the Ocean” month here at The Giving Hands. Click here for more information on how you too, can save our oceans, and remember to subscribe to The Giving Hands for your daily updates!