The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Star tourist attraction in deep water
Plea as closed businesses must still pay for the upkeep of animals
Aquarist/diver Kate Cooper cleans the tropical marine fish tank at Deep Sea World in North Queensferry where the Covid-19 outbreak has forced them to ask the public to dig deep to provide funding for the attraction. Picture: Steve Brown.
Two well-known aquariums have called for financial aid to survive the lockdown.
Deep Sea World in North Queensferry and St Andrews Aquarium are struggling due to the ongoing costs of caring for their animals while closed.
Deep Sea World alone spends around £90,000 a month maintaining tanks and pumps and feeding its sea creatures.
Zoos and aquariums in England can apply for grants of up to £100,000 but the fund does not apply in Scotland.
Deep Sea World general manager Adrian Duffey said its nine sister UK aquariums are in a similar position.
“This is an extremely worrying time for our business,” he said.
“Due to the nature of the work we carry out to maintain the highest of animal welfare standards, we cannot furlough all of our staff and bring in volunteers.
“We have taken steps to apply for a Coronavirus Business Interruption
“Due to the nature of the work we carry out to maintain the highest of animal welfare standards, we cannot furlough all our staff
Loan but this means the business taking on significant debt which has to be repaid over a short period.”
Mr Duffey hoped zoos and aquariums were in the UK Government’s strategy to lift the lockdown.
John Mace, who runs the familyowned St Andrews Aquarium, said he had been turned down for support from a Scottish Government resilience fund.
“Due to no fault of our own we are struggling to survive until lockdown is lifted,” he said.
“The government support is there to help businesses exactly like ours and all we wish to do is receive the support needed to reopen when it is safe.”
North East Fife Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain has written to Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes asking for help, while Dunfermline SNP MP Douglas Chapman called on the UK Government to introduce measures to protect workers needed to maintain animal welfare standards.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are working to provide support to help alleviate the hardship those companies are facing, including through the Creative, Tourism and Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund, which offers funding up to £25,000 to help companies manage cash-flow commitments.”