A PUBLICATION FROM THE TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM
MAGAZINE
SUMMER
2017
LETTER FROM OUR CEO
CORPORATE PARTNERS
Greetings members and friendS Many thanks to all of you who have contributed so generously to our Founder’s Campaign! Almost $200,000 has been raised over the last several months; these special gifts are helping us close the gap and get to our final $50 million goal. Every gift is important, and there is still time to secure your animal icon along the grand staircase.
Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation Frost Bank Gentry Co. Green Mountain Energy Orion Drilling Company, LLC Pattern Gulf Wind, LLC American Bank CC General & Implant Dentistry First Community Bank NuStar Energy Occidental Chemical Corporation The Bend Magazine ValueBank Texas
Now, on a more somber note, have you ever heard of the vaquita? If you haven’t, don’t feel surprised; it’s quite rare. Some of you might know that vaquita means “little cow”. It’s an apt description; the vaquita is one of the smallest, and one of the most critically endangered marine mammals in the world. This little porpoise resides in the northern region of the Sea of Cortez. And if we don’t take action, it will be gone soon. In 1997, there were almost 600 vaquita plying the waters of the Gulf of California; that population has plummeted over the last two decades. They are victims of bycatch, getting caught in gillnets, part of an illegal fishery for the totoaba, an endangered fish species prized for its swim bladder which is sold on the black market in China. Plans to remove these illegal nets are helping; however, more needs to done. Last year, we committed funding to help develop a conservation action plan, through our partners at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), to help save the vaquita. With only 30 animals now remaining, it’s time for us to do more. This spring, the AZA announced a $1 million effort to bring some of these remaining animals into a sanctuary, as a last ditch effort to prevent the extinction of these species. We are supporting this project, and have directed the majority of our Wildlife Care, Conservation, and Research (WCCR) funding in 2017 toward this effort. This plan, known as VaquitaCPR, is the final hope for this little known species. And because of your support, we are able to help. You see, our WCCR funding comes directly from you; each year we direct a portion of our net income into this fund. We then make grants available to researchers who are working to Save Animals From Extinction. Saving animals from extinction, or SAFE, has become the rallying cry for aquariums and zoos around the world and throughout Texas. In fact, between 2010 and 2014 AZA accredited aquariums and zoos have contributed over $160 million to field conservation to support aquatic species. So, when you purchase a membership, you are helping save animals such as the vaquita from extinction. And with the opening of Caribbean Journey, that means more members and guest visiting TSA, and more money for wildlife conservation. You can learn more about the vaquita in this issue of the STAR. And I look forward to seeing you in the Caribbean this summer!
Tom Schmid President and CEO
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SUMMER 2017
Your Aquarium
Become a Caribbean Journey Founder You still have the opportunity to become a Founder of Caribbean Journey! Caribbean Journey transports you to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and the Caribbean Sea. Explore jungles, freshwater wetlands, coastal lagoons, coral reefs and much more. Flamingos, crocodiles, moray eels, tropical fish and sandbar sharks are just a few of the exotic species that you will see when you visit. The new Caribbean Journey building doubles the size of the Texas State Aquarium, features a 400,000-gallon H-E-B Caribbean Sea Shark exhibit, houses the only 4D theater south of San Antonio, and much more. By becoming a Founder, you will have your name permanently listed on Caribbean Journey’s Founder's Wall.
MORE INFORMATION
Or to make a donation by phone, please call our Development Office at 361-881-1340 https://texasstateaquarium.org/support-us
SUMMER 2017
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AQUARIUM NEWS
Your Caribbean Journey Begins A
fter years of anticipation, we are excited to finally welcome guests to the brand-new Caribbean Journey at your Texas State Aquarium. Travel through waterfalls, jungles, and Maya Ruins to encounter flamingos, crocodiles, bats, and even a sloth, and look up to see vibrant tropical birds flying overhead. Dive below the waves and find yourself among countless colorful coral reef fish, then venture through an underwater tunnel to enter a sunken shipwreck: the territory of sandbar sharks. Catch a show in the Whataburger 4D Theater to explore the ocean with all of your senses, then soak in the sights from the top level, overlooking the jungle and the Corpus Christi Bayfront. These adventures and more await in Caribbean Journey. We invite you to explore with us and Discover a Bigger World.
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Caribbean Journey By the Numbers Caribbean Journey is the Aquarium’s most significant accomplishment to date, the final realization of 3 years of construction, $50 million in fundraising, and over a quarter century of development. Caribbean Journey represents so much more than the sum of its parts, but the building itself is an epic feat of engineering and design, an immersive space that replicates the natural features of the Yucatan Peninsula’s jungle and seas and more than doubles the size of the Aquarium. Let’s take a look at Caribbean Journey by the numbers to see just how big and incredible our new expansion is.
SUMMER 2017
OVERALL
70,310ft
GALLONS
530,000
WATER CAPACITY OF ALL CARIBBEAN JOURNEY WATER EXIHIBTS
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POUNDS
2,265,549
SIZE OF CARIBBEAN JOURNEY
weight of reinforcing steel in building
Animals
JUNGLE SKYLIGHT
DIAMETER
Species
$107 MILLION
14,500
ECONOMIC BOOST DURING CARIBBEAN JOURNEY’S CONSTRUCTION
CUBIC YARDS VOLUME OF
CONCRETE IN BUIDLING
100
$69 MILLION
SEATS
150 ft
Annual economic impact of Aquarium with Caribbean Journey
capacity of Whataburger
4D theater
weight of frame
H-E-B CARIBBEAN SEA EXHIBIT
capacity
341,613
GALLONS
446 glass panels
POUNDS
145,000
APROX.
60
APROX.
2,500
68ft
length of display window
117ft length of tunnel
AQUARIUM NEWS
Net Loss
OUR FIGHT TO SAVE THE VAQUITA
The vaquita is the world’s smallest marine mammal, and unfortunately, the most endangered one as well. With fewer than 30 vaquitas remaining in their sole habitat in the Gulf of California off the Mexican coast, things have never been so dire for this tiny porpoise. The vaquita has been struggling for at least two decades, being listed as critically endangered since 1996. But recent years have seen the vaquitas’ numbers quickly plummet, from 600 in 1997 to 100 in 2014 and now, 30 or less. The main cause for their precipitous decline is illegal fishing. The vaquita, like all marine mammals, needs to surface to breathe, and often tragically drowns after being entangled underwater in gillnets meant for the totoaba, a critically endangered fish in the Gulf of California. Driven by demand from China, where totoaba swim bladders are considered a delicacy and falsely believed to have medicinal value, fishermen have relentlessly pursued the fish, driving both it and the vaquita to the brink of extinction. Responding to calls from conservationists, the Mexican government instituted a gillnet ban in July 2016 and set up patrols to enforce the law, but with totoaba bladders fetching such a high price on the black market, illegal fishing has persisted. With theirs disastrous drop in numbers, some experts have predicted it’s only a matter of time before the vaquita is extinct. But there’s still hope. A last-ditch effort, undergone with the help of members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, aims to establish
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a protective seapen for the vaquita. This specially-designed enclosure would be used to provide those few remaining vaquitas with a refuge where they would be safe from the local fishing industry and be able to breed. The Aquarium has supported vaquita conservation for years, and as the situation has grown more desperate, we’ve in turn stepped up our contributions. To date, we’ve given over $75,000 to efforts to save the vaquita, and will continue to assist however we can. In addition to our significant financial contributions, we continue to raise public awareness on the plight of the vaquita through social media, interpretive displays in our Dolphin Bay exhibit, and by commemorating International Save the Vaquita Day on the first Saturday after the Fourth of July. As more members of the public hear about the vaquita, the Aquarium hopes they are inspired to help care for this endangered marine mammal and fight for its conservation.
One way you can help is by contributing to VaquitaCPR at vaquitacpr.org. Your tax-deductible donation will go directly towards ongoing plans to save the vaquita. Even if you are unable to donate, you can make a difference with your voice. Show your support of the vaquita on social media by participating in our #Pied4APorpoise campaign or using the hashtag #SaveTheVaquita. We know people are more likely to take action when encouraged by their friends and family, and sharing these vaquita-related hashtags and your own thoughts raises awareness and compels everyone to respond. Mark your calendar as well for Save the Vaquita Day on July 8, when thousands of people come together around the world to help save the vaquita. We’ll be holding our own Save the Vaquita Day event, and would love to see you here. The most important thing is to believe it’s possible to save the vaquita, and then take action. Passionate conservation work has brought back whooping cranes, bald eagles, and green sea turtles from almost certain extinction, and the same can be done here. With your voice and your support, the vaquita still has a fighting chance.
SeaCampers pledge to help save the vaquita.
SUMMER 2017
AQUARIUM NEWS
Swimming into Summer
A Caribbean Journey Awaits at SeaCamp 2017
SeaCampers embark on aquatic adventures.
Summer is nearly here, and with it another year of the Aquarium’s celebrated SeaCamp program. SeaCamp has been a seasonal mainstay at the Aquarium for years, welcoming thousands of children from Pre-Kindergarten through 10th grade to participate in fun activities centered on aquatic adventure and discovery. A day at SeaCamp can include fishing, arts and crafts, live animal encounters, and scientific field investigations. While activities are carefully planned to each age group, the camp leaves plenty of room for spontaneous adventure and discovery. As SeaCamp counselors like to say, “you never know where the day will take you”. Each year’s camp carries a theme, and with Texas State Aquarium’s long-awaited Caribbean Journey now open, SeaCamp will of course highlight the Caribbean Sea and all of its amazing ocean life. With Caribbean
SUMMER 2017
A SeaCamper gets a hands-on interaction with a juvenile alligator.
Journey’s new species and exhibits, SeaCampers will be able to explore a whole new area of the world. This year’s SeaCampers will explore the Caribbean jungle and meet many of Caribbean Journey’s new residents. They’ll also reunite with their old animal friends in the Gulf of Mexico exhibits, including dolphins, otters, stingrays, and more. Some of the older campers will even have the opportunity to venture outside the Aquarium, embarking on trips across the Coastal Bend that include hiking, waterfront activities, and even overnight stays. Campers of all ages will be immersed in the underwater adventures of marine life, explore STEM topics, and be inspired to reach their full potential. Not to mention, it gets them out of the house every day for a week. What other summer camp can offer that? SeaCamp runs in weekly sessions, with the first beginning June 5, and the last on August 14. Registration is now open and members receive a discount on registration. For more information visit texasstateaquarium.org/seacamp.
With Caribbean Journey’s new species and exhibits, SeaCampers will be able to explore a whole new area of the world.
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Second Chances about the damage that fishing lines can inflict upon local wildlife. We don’t blame the sport of fishing or anglers in general. In fact, when practiced responsibly, fishing can even be a benefit to the environment. Fishing licenses and fishing organizations help pay for countless conservation programs, and many fishermen have been inspired to care more for nature during a peaceful day casting their lines out into the bay. But when fishing tackle is lost or carelessly discarded during a fishing trip, birds may ingest the appetizing-looking lures or be caught in a tangle of filament, and a fishermen’s innocent hobby can mean death for an innocent animal.
A shorebird entangled in monofilament fishing line.
Lives on the Line
How Fishing Gear Endangers Local Wildlife Every summer, thousands of fishermen flock to the Coastal Bend, eager to hook any number of the large and beautiful gamefish waiting in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, these anglers’ lines, hooks, and other tackle often end up embedded in another unintended victim: shorebirds, raptors, sea turtles, and other marine life. Entangled in nearly unbreakable monofilament fishing line, these animals are unable to fly or even walk. Fishermens’ sharp hooks, designed to securely hook a fish, can pierce these
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animals’ skin, leading to infections and causing their health to quickly deteriorate. Here at the Aquarium, we know the problem of line entanglement all too well. In the surgical center of the Second Chances Wildlife Rehabilitation program, staff keep a box overflowing with every type of fishing lure and hook imaginable. But this gear wasn’t picked up from the local tackle shop, it was extracted from the throats, wings, and legs of local wildlife, many which didn’t survive their ordeal. Those animals that do make it out alive can be left with scars, missing limbs, and other injuries that will last a lifetime. Some of these animals are unable to be released into the wild, and many find new homes here at the Aquarium. Many of the birds in our Nearshore exhibit and Wild Flight show are victims of entanglement. In Islands of Steel, you’ll see Tiki the loggerhead turtle, who survived line entanglement but paid for it with three of her flippers. These animals serve as a vivid everyday reminder to our guests
To prevent accidents like these occurring, Second Chances asks that fishermen be better stewards of the environment by properly disposing of their fishing lines. If a bird is diving on your bait while fishing, we ask that you relocate to a different area. And if you do by chance happen to snag a bird or another animal on your line, resist the instinct to cut the line. Instead, try to gently reel in the bird, then call Second Chances at 361-881-1210. Do not attempt to rescue or detangle a bird yourself, and call Second Chances even if the bird seems unharmed. Its injuries may not evident at first, and it will need to be examined thoroughly before being released. To learn more about Second Chances, line entanglement. and how you can help, visit texasstateaquarium.org/secondchances.
SUMMER 2017
Conservation Spotlight
Seasick
How plastics are harming the ocean, and how we can help We lead by example to show it’s possible to reduce and even eliminate plastics. We’ve gotten rid of single-use plastic bags from our gift shop and most plastic from our restaurants. In 2016, we made another major step by getting rid of plastic water bottles on our premises.
Members of the Aquarium’s AquaTeen program with the trash they removed from local beaches.
Plastic is everywhere these days. You’ll find plastic materials in every room of your home, your workplace, even in your automobile. Unfortunately, you’re also likely to find plastic littering the sands of your favorite beach and piling up along the coast, or even floating miles offshore. Because plastic items are so cheap, they’re often used only once and then immediately thrown away, where they can find their way to the ocean and wreak terrible havoc on ocean life. Eighty percent of marine debris is plastic, with as much as 100 million tons of plastic clogging the ocean to this day. Once in the ocean, this overwhelming mass of discarded trash can entangle, suffocate, or even be ingested by marine life large and small. Plastic presents a particular problem because its doesn’t biodegrade
SUMMER 2017
quickly, meaning it can exist for hundreds of years. Even when plastic does begin to disintegrate in seawater, it can break down into tiny harmful particles which are consumed by ocean life. We must all do our part to minimize plastic’s disastrous affect on the ocean. The easiest and most obvious way is to reduce our dependence on disposable plastic. Small measures such as getting rid of plastic straws and utensils is a good start. You can also try drinking out of glasses and reusable water bottles instead of plastic bottles, using reusable bags to grocery shop, and purchasing items packaged in glass or paper instead of plastic whenever possible. If you must use plastic, try and recyle and reuse whatever you can, keeping it out of the trash and out of the ocean.
The plastic waste we can’t prevent from reaching the ocean, we do our best to clean up. As the coordinator for the Texas General Land Office’s Adopt-A-Beach cleanup program, we organized 850 volunteers in 2016 to help preserve and protect Texas beaches, cleaning up more than five tons of garbage. We also spread the word about marine pollution during World Oceans Day in June. This environmental holiday encourages people worldwide to get involved in solutions for healthy oceans. We invite you to join us this year on June 10 as we once again provide several fun and informative activites for World Oceans Day. While we’re doing what we can, we’re still fighting against the tide as plastic pollution continues to escalate. Only through your support and commitment to reducing and reusing plastic can we help create a brighter and healthier future for our oceans. Please consider joining us in ditching the plastic. It’s a small price to pay for a healthier and more natural future for our oceans.
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CALENDAR
5JUN18AUG SEACAMP
A new and exciting Caribbean Journey awaits at SeaCamp. Spaces are still available for a popular summer program. During our weeklong programs designed for Pre-Kindergarten through 9th grade, campers will have opportunities to participate in aquatic activities, learn about ocean life, and make friends. Your child’s Caribbean Journey starts right here this summer. For more information, please call 361-881-1204
10JUN
World Oceans Day
To commemorate this worldwide holiday, we’ll have activities available to get you involved in supporting a healthy ocean. Learn about marine pollution, sustainable seafood, and other issues and how you can keep our seas in good shape for generations to come.
texasstateaquarium.org
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16JUN
SEA YOU @ CARIBBEAN JOURNEY Enjoy a special viewing of Caribbean Journey with appetizers, drinks, and live musical entertainment. This adults-only event treats our guests to a private after-hours look of all Caribbean Journey levels with their family, friends, or significant others. For tickets and more information please call our Sales Department at 361-881-1244
4JUL
FOURTH OF JULY EVENT We commemorate America’s birthday with a star-spangled celebration. Join us as we celebrate with music, a view of the city’s fireworks display and food and drinks. A VIP event will also be available in our brand-new Caribbean Journey event space. For tickets and more information please call our Sales Department at 361-881-1244
8JUL
8JUL
Save the Vaquita Day Show your support for the vaquita, the world’s most endangered marine mammal. We’ll have activities available to learn more about this amazing porpoise and ways you can help save it from extinction. You’ll not only have fun and learn a lot, you’ll be making a difference.
15AUG SEAFOOD WARS
Our signature MasterChef-like event features talented seafood chefs competing to prepare the best sustainable seafood dish. Guests not only get the opportunity to sample each chef’s tasty recipe, they can vote for a winner, and hear from a guest speaker about sustainable seafood choices. Find more details and purchase tickets at texasstateaquarium.org/seafoodwars
Hours of Operation Summer Hours 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. daily H-E-B Splash Park Hours 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. daily
Volunteer Information Session
How To Contact Us:
We depend on our volunteers to help care for our animals and provide a superior guest experience. Attend our volunteer session to learn how you can help. No matter what your background or skillset, there’s a place for you here at the Aquarium. For more information please call our Volunteer Department at 361-881-1381.
The Texas State Aquarium is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
Accounting (361) 881-1286 Admissions (361) 881-1230 Donations & Development (361) 881-1340 Education & SeaCamp (361) 881-1204 Event Rentals (361) 881-1244 General Information (361) 881-1200 Gift Shop (361) 881-1232 Group Reservations (361) 653-2602 Naturalist Office (361) 881-1250 Injured Animal (361) 881-1210 Membership (361) 881-1341 Pepsi Shoreline Grill (361) 881-1239 Volunteers (361) 881-1381 Second Chances Wildlife Rehabilitation: (361) 881-1210
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