AQUARIUM NEWS FALL 2015SPRING 2016

2 TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM • WINTER 2014

LETTER FROM OUR CEO

TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM • SPRING 2016

The Texas State Aquarium is

Proud Partners with:

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To a Kemp’s Ridley turtle, it looks just like a jellyfish, moving slowly through the water column. The turtle’s instinct is to bite at the clear plastic, not realizing the damage that this bit of pollution will inflict on this iconic marine reptile. Communicating with our guests about the dangers of marine debris has become one of the cornerstones of our educational outreach. Whether it’s working with our partners at the Texas General Land Office to coordinate Adopt-A-Beach cleanups, bringing our AquaTeen volunteers over to Packery Channel Park for a cleanup, or our own Aquarium team regularly cleaning up the wetlands along Rincon Channel, walking the talk is paramount for us. However, our efforts need to go beyond the Coastal Bend. Last year, the president signed into law the Microbead-Free Waters Act, which restricts the use of plastic microbeads used

in cosmetics. Scientists have discovered that large volumes of these beads are being found in our oceans, where they can cause problems for marine life. This bill was supported by a newly-formed coalition of the nation’s finest aquariums, including your Texas State Aquarium. You can read more about the challenges we are facing with marine debris in this issue of Star. Let’s work together to leave our waterways, beaches, and Gulf better than we found them. Working together, we can make a difference.

Tom SchmidPresident and CEO

Dear Members and Friends,

AQUARIUM NEWS

SPRING 2016 • TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM

Here at the Aquarium, there’s no better feeling than saying we’re adding to our animal family! We would like to formally introduce you to our two newest finned family members: eight-year-old male Atlantic bottlenose dolphins Liko and Schooner.

Liko and Schooner were born at SeaWorld Orlando. They made the transition from Orlando to Corpus Christi in January and have been doing very well acclimating to the Aquarium since.

Marine Mammal Curator Emma Gilbert and the staff of Dolphin Bay have been preparing for the new arrivals for a while. Liko and Schooner were given the back pool in Dolphin Bay, as it was important for them to learn their new surroundings and become accustomed to their new home before allowing them into the main pool to swim alongside Shadow and Kai.

Whether you’re a human or an animal, growing accustomed to a new place takes time. Gilbert says the two pairs of dolphins can hear each other, but Liko and Schooner are being given plenty of time to acclimate.

“Acclimation takes time because the animals are acclimating to everything including staff, water, the exhibit and the whole environment around them,” Gilbert emphasized. “We take carefully planned approximations to each novel variable that is introduced to the animals.”

Gilbert said Dolphin Bay staff’s next steps with Liko and Schooner concern health-related husbandry practices, meaning ensuring the dolphins can voluntarily participate in their own healthcare. Specifically, this means behaviors such as opening their mouths so that staff can clean their teeth and visually inspect their mouths for general health and wellbeing.

Liko and Schooner will learn all these behaviors and more. Gilbert says the two cetaceans are very different, with Liko being eager to learn and Schooner displaying a very curious attitude toward his trainers and surroundings.

Aquarium President and CEO Tom Schmid remarked that all four dolphins are wonderful and iconic ambassadors for marine wildlife, helping to create connections with Aquarium members and visitors that allow us to educate and inspire hundreds of thousands of people every year about the importance of protecting and conserving marine wildlife and our oceans.

We are still giving Liko and Schooner plenty of time to fully acclimate to their new home, so please stay tuned to our website and Facebook page, where we will keep you apprised of their progress and milestones!

We’d ‘dolphinetely’ like to introduce you to We would like to formally introduce you to our two

newest finned family members: eight-year-old male

Atlantic bottlenose dolphinsLiko and Schooner.Liko & Schooner

SchoonerSchooner Liko Liko

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AQUARIUM NEWS

As this issue of Star goes to press….• The concrete structure for the new Caribbean Wing, reaching over 50 feet high, is

complete. • Over 370,000 cubic feet of reinforced concrete has been formed and placed in the

new wing • The glass roof, which rise up an additional 40 feet, is being assembled and will be in

place by early summer • Work inside the Caribbean Wing continues as highly skilled craftsmen install the

complex life support mechanical systems, including over 13,000 linear feet of pipe, that will keep the seawater flowing clear and clean

• Workers are creating the jungle habitats, installing the massive acrylic panels, and many other highly specialized tasks

CARIBBEAN JOURNEY CONSTRUCTION PROGRESSING

MEMBER UPDATESMembers have much to look forward to at the Aquarium! Between our newest Dolphin Bay family members, an expanded and improved jelly and cephalopod exhibit, and Caribbean Wing construction – it’s an exciting time to be a part of so much progress and growth!

As you read in our cover story, Liko and Schooner have joined Kai and Shadow as members of our Dolphin Bay exhibit. The dynamic duo is still acclimating to its new digs, and Dolphin Bay staff members are excited and hopeful about the positive progress they are making. Curator of Marine Mammals Emma Gilbert says Liko and Schooner engage more and more with Dolphin Bay trainers every day, and that their appetites are good and healthy. Gilbert and staff keep a close eye on Liko and Schooner, and eagerly anticipate the day when all four meet for the first time!

Tentacles, the “gripping” new exhibit that will replace our Floating Phantoms gallery, is undergoing construction now! This area will feature creatures such as cephalopods, nautilus, an enhanced representation of jellies – as well as a jelly touch pool – and more! Aquarium officials are anticipating the exhibit opening in early summer. Floating Phantoms is still open while construction on Tentacles continues.

Moving on up, to the final floor, that is! Caribbean Journey construction is right on schedule. Fulton Construction has brought in a new, taller crane to begin installing the ceiling of the fourth floor, which is also the top floor. Additionally, life support systems for animal exhibits are now being brought in and installed.

YOUR AQUARIUM

An Enriching Environment:When Playtime Means MoreWhen you’ve visited the Aquarium in the past, chances are that you’ve seen the waters of Dolphin Bay brimming with objects that might look like toys to the untrained eye. The truth is the buoys, pool noodles, balls, and hoops that Dolphin Bay trainers and staff put in Shadow and Kai’s habitat are actually referred to in the zoo and aquarium world as environmental enrichment devices (EEDs).

In a nutshell, enrichment is anything that changes an animal’s environment. EEDs, and even food items like ice or water jets, act as dynamic devices that enhance animal environments within the context of the animals’ behavioral biology and natural history. Environmental changes are made with the goal of increasing the animal’s behavioral choices by drawing out their species-appropriate behaviors and to improve their social, cognitive, and psychological well being.

“EEDs are important because they create a more dynamic environment for the animals,” said Curator of Marine Mammals Emma Gilbert.

When trainers design a special ice cake studded with fish to celebrate Kai’s birthday, this also acts as a type of enrichment, allowing him the opportunity to assess the new object, interact with it, and of course, to eat it!

Being the intelligent animals that they are, Shadow and Kai have also figured out how to use buoyancy to enhance their enrichment further. You can see them via our H-E-B Underwater Viewing Room interacting with various EEDs, like bouncing them upside down!

Aerial progress as of February 2016The flooring of the new lobby

TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM • SPRING 20164

CURRENT EVENTS

SEA STORIES

Our fun, interactive Sea Stories series is perfect for your young learner! Join us March 12 and March 18 at 10 a.m. as we read Leo Lionni’s “Fish is Fish” and get a visit from an Aquarium animal ambassador! Children will also receive a copy of the book to take home.

SPRING BREAK CAMPTime to plan for spring break! What better way to have fun than with the Texas State Aquarium at Spring Break Mini-Camp? This spring, campers in grades Kindergarten - 7th grade can learn and play at the Aquarium as they discover the diversity and importance of the Gulf of Mexico and its unique inhabitants. Sign up today!

SEAFOOD WARS

Swim over to the Aquarium May 3 for another delicious installment of our Seafood Wars series, where local chefs compete to see who can cook up the best seafood dish, and everybody wins!

PARTY FOR THE PLANETJoin us Saturday, April 23 for our annual Earth Day celebration! Throughout the day, you will find fun for everyone at the Aquarium, including games, crafts, and giveaways, plus learn some easy ways that you can help keep our planet healthy. The mission of the Texas State Aquarium is to engage people with animals, inspire

appreciation for our seas, and support wildlife conservation. Party for the Planet celebrates Earth Day and emphasizes our mission with fun, family events that encourage discovery at the Aquarium and beyond.

ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY Join us Saturday, May 21 as we celebrate the amazing animals that inhabit our world and learn all about how to help and protect the ones that are endangered or threatened. We will have a host of fun and educational programming you won’t want to miss!

H-E-B SPLASH PARK

The H-E-B Splash Park will be open for Spring Break from March 12- 20 daily 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and daily from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. thereafter.

BEACH BALLJoin us Saturday, May 14 for our signature fundraising celebration: Beach Ball! Featuring a Carnivale theme and the musical stylings of the Surf City All-Stars with original Beach Boy David Marks and Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean, this will be an unforgettable event! Reserve your tickets today! CU

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SPRING 2016 • TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM 5

WCCR UPDATE

If there’s one animal where science, nature, and beauty all coalesce, it’s got to be the butterfly. From helping to pollinate flowers, to simply sharing their delicate beauty, these iconic creatures touch and amaze people the world around. These reasons and more inspired Tracy Villareal to build a butterfly farm on his own property and later make the connection between the declining number of the iconic monarch butterfly population and his own collection.

A biological oceanographer with the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, Villareal has spent plenty of time underwater studying phytoplankton and other marine organisms. “Now it’ll be great to work above the water,” he said.

Through his work done beneath the waves, Villareal heard about different divers and oil workers seeing the highly migratory monarch species treat oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico as a brief respite or pit stop on their way to their overwintering grounds in Mexico. This is significant as many nonproducing drilling rigs are decommissioned and then dismantled, and if these areas provide important resting spots for the monarch species in their migration, it could perhaps be an important conservation and ecological issue. Potentially more pressing is the fact that multiple conservation-based societies have petitioned the government to have the species designated as endangered.

“The question that hasn’t been answered yet is that many people, from helicopter pilots to rig workers, have seen them out there, but is it migration, or are they just getting blown off course?” questioned Villareal.

This question prompted Villareal to look more into the issue, where he found research previously published by biologist Dr. Gary Ross in the early to mid 1990s. Villareal wanted to build on Ross’ research,

but badly needed more evidentiary data. The digital age presented a unique solution in the form of an app: Monarch Migration.

Taking advantage of the area’s bird watching community and their abilities to track and record the movements of animals, the app is geared toward citizen scientists who will help record details of monarchs seen during their migration paths. Data needed includes latitude and longitude, the time and date of the sighting, behavior, body direction, and a photo if possible.

“The Aquarium helped fund the mapping interface, where people can actually see their data contribution and the data point generated. I feel like it’s a very gratifying thing,” added Villareal. Villareal’s work was one of several research projects that have received funding from the Aquarium’s Wildlife Care, Conservation, and Research (WCCR) Fund.

Villareal explained the species is vulnerable to logging, which is linked to habitat destruction in Mexico, as well as suffering due to genetically modified crops in the Midwest, where farmers are killing milkweed – a prime monarch food source – using pesticides.

“The monarch is highly migratory and covers a vast amount of North America on its journey. They’ll travel by the tens of millions from Canada to Mexico…it’s a very iconic species and a powerful symbol of the role insects play in the ecosystem,” Villareal said.

Villareal’s Monarch Migration app has done well in the beta testing stage, and he expects it to go live in the fall. He is still busy data sourcing and said he is looking in earnest for contacts in the oil and gas industry to help aid in his research.

If you would like to find out more about Villareal’s research or about the Monarch Migration app, which is free in the Apple app store, please click here.

WINGS OVER WATERTRACKING THE MONARCH MIGRATION

“The Aquarium helped fund the mapping interface, where people can actually see their

data contribution and the data point generated. I feel like it’s a

very gratifying thing,”

TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM • SPRING 20166

7 SPRING 2016 • TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM

SECOND CHANCES

and released, can lead to residual issues like soft tissue damage and chronic pain.”

Martinelli said the issue is exacerbated by the fact that proper disposal of fishing materials like monofilament is simple. There are even designated disposal areas, called Monofilament Finders, where you can ensure your line is carefully and correctly taken out of the environment.

“It requires minimal effort to dispose of these items correctly, and it really can make the difference in the life of a bird or other coastal animal in our local ecosystem,” said Martinelli.

To learn more about Monofilament Finders, or proper disposal procedures, please visit our website, which provides multiple resources explained by one of our Wildlife Care, Conservation, and Rehabilitation Fund grantees, South Texas Regional Stream Team.

Hooks embedded in wings, bobbers and flies caught in gullets, bodies entangled or wrapped up in monofilament – our Second Chances Wildlife Rehabilitation staff see birds suffer from the harsh effects of marine debris all too often.

Sometimes, in the case of Brown Pelican 241, a released patient from December 2015, surgery can be done to remove embedded hooks, fishing line can be untangled, and a happy, healthy recovery can be made. But all too often, such as in the case of Laughing Gull 79, which was found with a hook embedded in its wing and fishing line wrapped around its body, the bird succumbs to its injuries.

Wildlife Rehabilitation Manager Laura Martinelli has seen her fair share of animals injured or killed due to marine debris.

“We’ve seen so many birds come in with monofilament entanglement or with embedded hooks. Injuries like this are serious because they can inhibit the normal functions of the bird and can also cause infections, explained Martinelli. “Hooks, especially, cause lots of trauma, and even if the animal is rehabilitated

“Hooks, especially, cause lots of trauma

and even if the animal is rehabili-

tated and released, can lead to residual issues like soft tis-

sue damage and chronic pain.”

MARINE DEBRIS HURTS, HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER

texasstateaquarium.org

Hours of OperationSummer Hours: Winter Hours:9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.Monday – Sunday Monday – Sunday(begins March 1) (begins Labor Day)

How To Contact Us:Accounting (361) 881-1286Admissions (361) 881-1230Donations & Development (361) 881-1324Education & SeaCamp (361) 881-1204Executive Offices (361) 881-1200Event Rentals (361) 881-1244General Information (361) 881-1200Gift Shop (361) 881-1232Group Reservations (361) 881-1307Guide Office (361) 881-1250Injured Animal (361) 881-1210Membership (361) 881-1340Shoreline Grill (361) 881-1239Volunteers (361) 881-1381

The Texas State Aquarium is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). AZA is America’s leading

accrediting organization for zoos and aquariums, and ac-credits only those institutions that have achieved rigorous, professional standards for animal care and management, veterinary care, wildlife conservation and research, educa-tion, safety, staffing, and more. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. With its more than 200 ac-credited members, AZA is building North America’s largest wildlife conservation movement and is your link to helping animals in their native habitats. For more information, visit www.aza.org.

The Texas State Aquarium was desig-nated as a Coastal America Coastal Eco-system Learning Center in 1998. Coastal America combines the resources of federal agencies with marine educational centers. The mutual partnership extends

to involving communities in protection, preservation, and restoration projects throughout the Nation.

TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM • SPRING 20168

CALENDAR

H-E-B Splash Park OpensH-E-B Splash Park opens for the season and will be open from that day through Labor Day weekend from 10 a.m. to close every day.

Aquarium Hours ChangeMarch 1, the Aquarium hours change to 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. through Labor Day.

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Celebrate Spring Break at the Texas State Aquarium!

Spring Break Mini-Camps BeginRegister your camper today!

Farmers’ MarketJoin Aquarium representatives at the Downtown Farmers’ Market from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Art Center of Corpus Christi at 100 N. Shoreline Blvd.

Seafood WarsJoin us for the next installment of our popular Seafood Wars event!

Beach Ball CarnivaleCome join us for Beach Ball Carnivale at the Texas State Aquarium. The Aquarium’s fundraiser will marry the colors and sounds of Carnivale with the casual atmosphere and fun of a beach party. Enjoy an evening of dinner, drinks, music, entertainment, animal ambassadors, and a chance to purchase some amazing auction items.

Endangered Species DayEndangered Species Day is an important time to spotlight the species we can and have saved to be aware of those we still need to help conserve. Join us as we help promote awareness on this internationally important day for both humans and animals.

Farmers’ MarketJoin Aquarium representatives at the Downtown Farmers’ Market from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Art Center of Corpus Christi at 100 N. Shoreline Blvd.

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MARCH APRIL

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Farmers’ MarketJoin Aquarium representatives at the Downtown Farmers’ Market from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Art Center of Corpus Christi at 100 N. Shoreline Blvd.

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Party for the PlanetJoin us as we party for the planet! Our annual Earth Day celebration is full of family fun with an eco-friendly theme!

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Our MissionTo engage people with animals, inspire appreciation for our seas, and support wildlife conservation.

Our VisionTo be a global leader in fostering support for the conservation of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.