AQUARIUM SHARKS RESURFACE
SAWFISH AT THE DOWNTOWN AQUARIUM ARE NOTABLE SURVIVORS OF HURRICANE HARVEY.
If you take the Shark Voyage train at the Downtown Aquarium, there is a line on the wall that indicates how high the water reached when Houston was hit by Hurricane Harvey. It seems impossibly far up, well above a person’s ability to reach up and touch. The effect of the water on the sharks living in the exhibit was devastating, killing many of the animals as water from the storm reached their delicately controlled environments. Even years later, the tunnel seems emptier than when the exhibit opened in 2003.
Luckily, the sharks have recovered some, and the Downtown Aquarium is keen to tell people all about the apex predators of the seas on Shark Day, July 14.
“Downtown Aquarium’s shark exhibit has come back exceptionally from the storm,” says James Prappas, director of biology for Downtown Aquarium. “All of our biological systems and equipment are operating at full efficiency. The biggest challenge in restoring the shark exhibit has been cleaning the water and making sure that the biological systems are stable. After the storm, the exhibit was inundated with mud and freshwater, so lots of oil and other contaminants had to be removed to restore it back to full potential. Fortunately, we did not lose rare species, and the animals that we lost were replaced over the course of a year. We are constantly looking for ways to improve upon our ability to manage storms and floods, and ways to manage our systems, so we were able to learn much from this storm.”
Shark Day is a wonderful opportunity for people to learn more about a consistently misunderstood class of animal that is often seen as a monster. Activities during the day will include a chance to meet shark divers and see them perform, as well as conservation programming and crafts for the kids. As always, people will be able to take the train through the shark tunnel and see for themselves how the animals are doing. A notable survivor of the storm is the enormous sawfish. Though it looks like a cross between a shark and a chainsaw, it is actually a ray and one of the rarest specimens to stay Houston Strong through the ordeal.
The Downtown Aquarium has been keen to educate the public on the precarious state of sharks in the wild. Though apex predators, they often fall prey to man by the tens of millions . By contrast, only 66 people were the victims of unprovoked attacks by sharks in 2018.
The primary cause of shark deaths by man is finning. The fins of the sharks are removed while the animals are still alive, after which they sink to the bottom of the ocean and die. The fins are sold to make shark-fin soup, which is both a delicacy and an ingredient in some traditional medicines. It is worth noting that in addition to the devastating effect on shark species and ocean biospheres, shark meat is often high in heavy metals that can cause dementia and other ailments. There is simply no reason to eat shark, but the finning industry is rumored to be worth more than $1 billion. The practice has begun declining since 2013, when China and Hong Kong banned shark-fin soup at state functions, leading to a ripple effect in the major markets.
“Houstonians can best help sharks by not supporting or participating in shark finning,” Prappas says. “It is the No. 1 cause of shark depletion in the world.”
Come out to Shark Day, and you can learn how to help. At the very least you’ll get up close and personal with the kings of the ocean, back from disaster after the terrible storm.