Birch Aquarium Birch Aquarium

[Thomas]

I went to the Birch Aquarium today and was blown away by the Living Seas Hall, and there were a lot of people, mostly kids from summer camps.

I even talked to a couple of staff members about the Aquarium's plans for the Future, the Patio Tank, where the Sharks and stingrays live will get a renovation in the Future, but the next project they plan to redo is the iconic outdoor tide pools patio.

I was told it would be more naturalistic with no waterfalls and would simulate high and low tides.

 

[Local_Shark]

I went to the Birch Aquarium today and was blown away by the Living Seas Hall, and there were a lot of people, mostly kids from summer camps.

I even talked to a couple of staff members about the Aquarium's plans for the Future, the Patio Tank, where the Sharks and stingrays live will get a renovation in the Future, but the next project they plan to redo is the iconic outdoor tide pools patio.

I was told it would be more naturalistic with no waterfalls and would simulate high and low tides.

Both of these are great to hear! I'm really hopeful for an expansion to the Shark and Ray tank, purely for more space and more viewing windows haha. It already has a legitimately incredible species roster for a Californian tank so there's not much more they need to do there, but it'd be nice to be able to see them better.

 

[Thomas]

Both of these are great to hear! I'm really hopeful for an expansion to the Shark and Ray tank, purely for more space and more viewing windows haha. It already has a legitimately incredible species roster for a Californian tank so there's not much more they need to do there, but it'd be nice to be able to see them better.

As for the Touch Tide Pools Reimagining?

 

[Thomas]

What I like is the pathway that teaches visitors that fish can make sounds, and when you stand on the circles, you can hear them through audio speakers from the ceiling.

It was the first time for me to see the Sycthe Butterflyfish, and the Epaulette Sharks were active.

 

[Northwest_FIsh_Keeping]

As for the Touch Tide Pools Reimagining?

Personally, i think if they made a surge machine which it sounds like they're doing, that'd be a nice replacement for the waterfall. I guess these could go into one of the small Living Seas tanks, but that little tent area where they had a couple sea stars and a horn shark (at least when I was there), if they turned it into a Nudibranch spotlight area, that'd be incredibly cool. San Diego / La Jolla has some of the most Nudibranch diversity i know of that you mainly find by just going through the tidepools, and a lot of them are incredibly colorful. I know Seaworld and Sealife don't have anything like that, so it'd be a great opportunity for Birch to take.
So a Nudibranch spotlight area and some renovated touchpools with a surge / tidal system would be my ideal choice to see them do

 

[Thomas]

Personally, i think if they made a surge machine which it sounds like they're doing, that'd be a nice replacement for the waterfall. I guess these could go into one of the small Living Seas tanks, but that little tent area where they had a couple sea stars and a horn shark (at least when I was there), if they turned it into a Nudibranch spotlight area, that'd be incredibly cool. San Diego / La Jolla has some of the most Nudibranch diversity i know of that you mainly find by just going through the tidepools, and a lot of them are incredibly colorful. I know Seaworld and Sealife don't have anything like that, so it'd be a great opportunity for Birch to take.
So a Nudibranch spotlight area and some renovated touchpools with a surge / tidal system would be my ideal choice to see them do

A Surge Machine example, please?

Maybe suggested that for the staff on the Nudibranches?

 

[Northwest_FIsh_Keeping]

A Surge Machine example, please?

Maybe suggested that for the staff on the Nudibranches?

Something that produces an artificial wave every other minute or so, like it would happen in nature. They are right by the water so (assuming they already bring in natural seawater), they could redo the waterfall pump and make it a wave / surge device instead so its more natural.
Their situation is a little tricky since its an outdoor touchpool so algae growth control isn't exactly an option. I think maybe just stocking it a little more would be nice too (it was kind of empty when I went), like a couple more invertebrates and such

 

[Local_Shark]

As for the Touch Tide Pools Reimagining?

I think it will be nice to see, but I actually do like their Tide Pool as it is so I'm sure it will just be a nice upgrade. Sharks it feels like needs it more desperately, the tank's kind of falling apart.

 

[SeaOtterHQ]

More than 350 Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs have been reintroduced into the wild in Southern California’s San Bernardino Mountains, marking one of the largest releases to date and a significant step in efforts to save this endangered species. The release also represents a milestone for Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego — the aquarium’s first-ever species reintroduction and a historic moment in its growing conservation work.

“It was an incredibly exciting and emotional day for our team, as releasing these frogs into the wild marks a historic first for Birch Aquarium,” said Sean Bruce, Assistant Curator of Fishes and Invertebrates. “We have been raising these frogs for more than a year, and to finally reach this milestone is truly remarkable!”

Of the released frogs, 220 were raised behind the scenes at Birch Aquarium, while the rest were raised at SDZWA and UCLA.

Hundreds of Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs Leap Back Into the Wild

 

[Northwest_FIsh_Keeping]

Via a Facebook post from 1 day ago, the Pacific Hagfish in the Pacific Northwest section of Living Seas are officially on exhibit. It looks like at least 2 or 3 from the photos. I couldn't find anything about the Japanese Pink Isopods, though.
I will hopefully have another chance to visit before the end of the year, so thankfully it looks like the species that were previously missing from the opening are starting to be moved in.
(Via "Rhys E. Cooper on Facebook)