| |
The Nausicaá Connection
People travel from all over to attend CMA's evening grunion runs and hatch grunion eggs, including as far as France! Well, not exactly…but CMA grunion eggs have been used in programs at Boulogne sur Mer, France, by another aquarium, Nausicaá.
This across-the-Atlantic relationship started during 2000 when two CMA staff members attended the International Aquarium Congress in Monaco. One of the primary coordinators of the event was Nausicaá, Boulogne, built along the north coast of France near Normandy.
As CMA staff gave a presentation on the Aquarium, Nausicaá staff members in the audience realized there were many similarities between our two aquariums. "Nausicaá is larger than Cabrillo, however they're located right on the sandy beach. They're also surrounded by a big city, not as big as Los Angeles, but they do have this urban ocean type of connection," explained CMA’s Director Mike Schaadt. "Nearby fishermen are working right there in their shallow ocean, so there were a lot of connections between what they do in education and what we do."
These similarities led to email conversations, which led to the first Skype call between staff. The success of the first call led to another call on World Ocean Day when CMA shared our messages with guests at Nausicaá. Despite the challenges of coordinating with a nine hour time difference, everyone was excited about continuing and taking it one step further with a shared grunion experience.
Ed Mastro, CMA's Director of Exhibits, set up a computer out on the beach for a Skype call during a grunion run. As the grunion rode the waves ashore close to midnight, Nausicaá staff and members of the public had the chance to experience the grunion mating ritual virtually as they enjoyed coffee and baguettes the next morning in France.
CMA staff members continue to ship grunion eggs to Nausicaá to give their staff and visitors a chance to experience the magic of hatching grunion eggs as part of their daily programs. Once eggs are hatched, Nausicaá displays the small fish in their exhibit hall to remind their visitors that we share the same oceans.
As opportunities for new interactions present themselves, CMA and Nausicaá continue to develop an international relationship. One year, CMA junior docents were given a virtual tour of Nausicaá’s latest exhibit and had the chance to ask Nausicaá staff questions. A possible topic for a future Skype call is Marine Protected Areas…another common interest connecting both aquariums.
Post Date: Thursday, June 07, 2012
Share
|
|
|
|
