WINTER 2015

2 TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM • WINTER 2015

LETTER FROM OUR CEO

The Texas State Aquarium is

Proud Partners with:

It has been a frenzied fall here at the Aquarium; in addition to ongoing Caribbean Wing construction and our lobby expansion, which caused us to relocate our admissions area, we took down AMAZON, and in its place premiered our newest temporary exhibition, Saving Sharks. I hope you have had a chance to experience this interactive new program. While we have shared wildlife conservation challenges in previous exhibitions, such as the plight of illegal animal smuggling out of the Amazon region, Saving Sharks is the first exhibition that focuses exclusivley on the conservation of a particular group of animals. Everybody knows something about sharks thanks to their popularity in documentaries and other films. Many Baby Boomers, myself included, recall the 1971 classic Blue Water, White Death. Since then: dozens and dozens of movies have leveraged our fear of these amazing animals; Snow Shark, Swamp Shark, Ghost Shark, Super Shark, Sharknado, and of course, Jaws.

Unfortunately, sharks have much more to fear from us. Scientists estimate that over 100,000 sharks are killed every day, many ending up as unwanted bycatch, or, simply killed for their fins. Sharks and rays are slow to mature and only produce a few young, making them highly susceptible to overfish-ing. As apex predators, sharks play a critical role in the marine food web, and unless we act quickly, many species will likely go extinct in the coming years. You can learn more about sharks, what scientists at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies are discovering about them, and what each of us can do to help save these incredible fishes.

Tom SchmidPresident and CEO

Greetings Members And Friends,

AQUARIUM NEWSAQUARIUM NEWS

T he scariest thing about sharks is not their razor sharp teeth, their horrifying efficiency as apex predators, nor their

(misrepresented) reputation as maneaters – it’s the fact that they’re disappearing from our oceans to the terrifying tune of an estimated 100,000 per day. Saving Sharks, the Texas State Aquarium’s newest exhibit, aims to inform, excite, and capture the hearts and minds of would-be conservationists and life-long shark fans, alike. Along with OCEARCH, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and the Harte Research Institute (HRI) for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the Texas State Aquarium is proud to present Saving Sharks to you and your family.

We opened the exhibit amid fanfare and media Tuesday, October 13. Children from local elementary schools and OCEARCH crew members assisted during the ribbon cutting ceremony. Being a large component of the exhibit, OCEARCH members were also on hand to launch their Expedition Gulf of Mexico in the following weeks. The shark research

and tracking organization has partnered with the HRI and Dr. Greg Stunz to track gulf sharks like the Tiger, Mako, and Hammerhead in order to learn more about their habitats, physiology, and migration patterns between the United States, Cuba, and Mexico.

Organizations like OCEARCH help us to better study sharks currently swimming. OCEARCH is a non-profit organization and leader in open source data collection and research concern-ing Great whites and other apex predators. OCEARCH is able to bring live shark tracking straight to your fingertips via the Internet and their Global Shark Tracker, featured in Saving Sharks. Follow majestic creatures like Kath-erine, the 14-foot Great white who has swum over 15,000 miles in the two years since she was tagged, or cruise alongside Sam Houston, the 10-foot long Tiger shark tagged off the coast of Port Aransas last summer. OCEARCH plays a critical role in providing scientific information necessary in tracking and measuring shark species across the globe, helping to lead and better steer conservation efforts.

Some of the first identified sharks that OCEARCH ever tracked were tagged by Cor-pus Christi’s own Dr. Greg Stunz of the HRI. Stunz was one of the first grantees to benefit from the Texas State Aquarium’s Wildlife Care, Conservation, and Research Fund. Stunz’s main project focus was to gain a better understanding of shark migration patterns in the Gulf of Mexico, which the Gulf of Mexico Expedition, referred to on social media as #ExpeditionGoMex, will help accomplish.

There is also a live touch tank area where visi-tors can see and feel whitespotted bamboo, horn, and epaulette sharks, view wobbegongs and zebra sharks, and even stand inside a life-sized underwater diving cage - it’s a shark showcase that’s sure to excite and engage every member of the family! Take a dive into the underwater world of Saving Sharks and together we can join fins and work to con-serve these beautiful and fascinating fish!

DON’T FEAR THE FINSAVING SHARKS AT THE TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM

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AQUARIUM NEWS

Construction of the Caribbean Journey

wing continues to progress rapidly as the

building continues to rise from ground level up.

The second level floor of the new addition, which supports the shark exhibit and other aquariums, is finished, as is the third level. On the third level, crews are building the forms which will house the tropical jungle habitat. Next spring, the concrete frame of the Caribbean Journey wing should be largely complete.

The next phase of construction will include the complex task of installing all of the mechanical systems, including plumbing, electrical systems, air conditioning, heating, and the life support systems for all of the new aquariums. Next will come the installation of the exhibits, the massive acrylic viewing windows, and hundreds of plants, as well as the commissioning of the aquarium systems and adding natural seawater. Finally, the birds, reptiles, and thousands of new fish will be introduced into their new homes before the Caribbean Journey addition opens to the public in 2017.

We hate that it had to happen, but we were happy to help. In early October, the Aquarium was able to take in a number of specimens, including angelfish, guppies, sea stars, and even an ema-ciated cat shark from the Aquarium Masters store on Saratoga Boulevard after the owner was ar-rested and the animals were left without care for a number of days.

These once neglected animals are now in the care of our experi-enced professionals who will ensure they live long, healthy lives. A number of them have come to be on display at our exhibits, such as our newest exhibit, Saving Sharks, where you can see and even touch some of the rescued carpet sharks. Some animals have also been placed at our exhibits inside Gloria Hicks Elementary School to help educate and excite young learners about fish and other various marine life.

YOUR AQUARIUM

AQUARIUM HELPS SAVE & RE-HOMEANIMALS FROM LOCAL PET STORE

CARIBBEAN JOURNEY

CONSTRUCTION

UPDATE

Looking down into what will be the coral reef in the new Caribbean Journey wing.

The Caribbean Journey’s 40,000-gallon shark exhibit will be a great part of the new wing.

WINTER 2015 • TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM 5

CURRENT EVENTS

CURRENTEVENTS

Scuba Santa ReturnsBeginning Saturday, December 12, the Aquarium welcomed back SCUBA Santa! The jolly man in red will be featured during our ‘Diver in the Water’ presentations at our Flower Gardens exhibit from the 12th through Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24.

Tamu Massif Expedition Completed

Aquarium Manager of Outreach & Distance Learning Suraida Nanez-James returned earlier last month from her expedition to the Pacific Ocean, where she worked alongside scientists mapping the world’s single largest volcano, TAMU Massif. The underwater geo-logical phenomenon has been the main focus of expedition leader and lead scientist Dr. William Sager of the University of Houston for nearly 25 years. Nanez-James was chosen as blogger, multimedia journalist, and class-room connector for the 36-day trip, where the team sailed the R/V Falkor hundreds of miles east of Japan and mapped the volcano for the first time in history. To learn more about what the TAMU Massif is about, please click here.

Aquarium Now At The Farmers MarketThe Aquarium is happy to now be a fixture at the Corpus Christi Downtown Farmers Market! Please stop by our table the last Wednesday of the month from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Corpus Christi Arts Center to learn about different aspects of the Aquarium and to meet an animal ambassador.

Seafood Wars

The next installment of the Aquarium’s popu-lar Seafood Wars event is slated for Tuesday, January 12. Grow Local South Texas will be providing competing chefs with a bounty of winter veggies to cook along with their chosen seafood dish – yum! Stay tuned to our social media channels so you don’t miss out on tickets – the last two have been total sell-outs!

WWild Flight Team ToRaise ChickensThe Aquarium’s Wild Flight team has added six new chickens to its bird and mammal family. The silkie and barred rock chickens are being raised up from chicks and will one day be part of the Wild Flight presentations.

AQUARIUM NEWS2015 Wildlife Care, Conservation, and Research

Fund Recipients

Sharks with Spectators III – Real-time, Global Tracking of Texas’ Marine Apex Predators for Science, Education, and ResearchTexas A&M University – Corpus Christi – Harte Research Institute / Greg Stunz and Matt Ajemian

This project will build upon the work Dr. Stunz’s team completed with WCCR funds in 2013 and 2014. Project scientists will tag and track large sharks. Information concerning the animals’ cur-rent locations and past movements will be sent to the Coastal Bend and global community, allowing for outreach and educa-tion opportunities and better understanding of declining shark populations. The shark tagging and tracking work Dr. Stunz and his team have done with OCEARCH are featured in the Aquari-um’s Saving Sharks exhibit that opened in October 2015.

Waters for Wildlife: Monitoring the Use of Freshwater Ponds by Wintering Whooping CranesSan Antonio Bay Partnership / Kiersten Stanzel

This project will monitor the use of freshwater ponds by win-tering Whooping Cranes in order to understand their use of freshwater ponds during periods of drought and assist in their recovery from endangered species status. The last wild popula-tion of Whooping Cranes winter in and around Aransas National Wildlife Refuge north of Corpus Christi, Texas. This project is a follow-up to a project that received 2013 WCCR funding for creation of a man-made pond for Whooping cranes.

Genetic Composition of Immature Kemp’s Ridley Turtles in the Gulf of MexicoUSGS Southeast Ecological Science Center / Margaret Lamont

This project will examine genetic composition of immature Kemp’s Ridley assemblages in the Gulf of Mexico and develop a library of genetic information to link wild-caught and head-started turtles. This library can be used to fill the knowledge gaps about immature Kemp’s Ridley that continue to hamper the recovery of the species.

Improving Oso Creek/Bay, Corpus Christi Bay and Petronila Creek Water QualityTexas State University – Meadows Center / Meredith Miller

This project will utilize the South Texas Regional Stream Team to work on improving water quality and riparian/aquatic habitats in Oso Creek, Oso Bay, Corpus Christi Bay, and Petronila Creek, all of which are on Texas’ 303(d) list of impaired water bodies for not meeting contact recreation water quality standards. The South Texas Regional Stream Team is a motivated group of citi-zen scientists who were trained to collect water quality data and remove trash from the bays and creeks. They will also engage the community in stewardship activities, including quarterly trash cleanups and the Texas Stream Team Monofilament Finders Project.

Optimizing Coral Fragmentation Technique for PropagationUniversity of Texas at Austin / Mikhail Matz

This project will focus on optimizing a fragmentation technique to propagate coral stock for reef restoration. It is a follow-up to a study funded by WCCR in 2014 examining biological indicators that could be used to evaluate the risk of infectious outbreak at the Flower Garden Banks, as well as other Caribbean reefs.

Mapping Spotted Trout Spawning Habitat in Mission Aransas NERRUniversity of Texas Marine Science Institute / Brad Erisman

This project will feature cooperative research with recreational anglers to map spawning habitat of spotted trout in Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve. The spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is one of the most important and iconic sportfishes in Texas, yet nothing is known about the distribution of spawning habitats of spouted seatrout in Texas or how they overlap with seagrass beds, artificial reefs and oil/gas platforms, navigation channels, managed areas, and important recreational areas. Such information would be beneficial to the management of the fishery, regional ecosystem monitoring programs, and recreational anglers looking to maximize fishing opportunities and experiences.

Migrating Monarch Butterflies’ Use of Offshore Oil PlatformsUniversity of Texas Marine Science Institute / Tracy Villareal

This project will develop an app for use by citizen scientists to assess the use of offshore structures and vessels by migrating Monarch butterflies.

WILDLIFE CARE, CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH FUND

The Aquarium is proud to announce its 2015 Wildlife Care, Conservation, and Research Fund Recipients. Each year, the Aquarium awards funding to programs that focus on habitat restoration, wildlife management, conservation, and wildlife rehabilitation in the Gulf of Mexico. Projects must focus on species in the Aquarium’s living collection or habitats that support those species.

Aquarium Vice President of Education and Conservation Leslie Peart said, “The Aquarium is pleased to support this select group of scientists and conservation managers who aim to save important Gulf species and habitats of concern. We look forward to shar-ing their methods and results with visiting families and school groups through special exhibits and learning programs throughout the year.”

WCCR SPOTLIGHT

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Click here for more information.

SECOND CHANCES

7 WINTER 2015 • TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM

KIDDIE POOLS (used or new)Animals like sea turtles, pelicans, laughing gulls, spoonbills, and more

need access to water and we want to make their environment at the hospital as close to their natural habitat as possible. Giving them

access to water via kiddie pools is a great way to do so!

WELDING GLOVESHandling animals safely is important for our staff AND our animals! Thick welding gloves help keep all members of the hospital safe.

BATH TOWELS(in good shape, with no ragged edges)

They are used to pad animals’ enclosures, to help dry them, and to keep them warm.

ANIMAL FOOD DISHES (all sizes)From pelicans to baby ducklings, and more – we

need animal food dishes of all sizes to accommodate the various species that come through the Second

Chances Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital.

SWIFFER WET MOPPING PADSAgain, with so many animals around and the need to keep enclosures and floors clean, we are always in need of cleaning supplies!

AJAX DISH SOAPCleaning up after and handling lots of

animals requires a LOT of hand washing!

Know how you write a list to Santa every year? So do we! We want the very best for our animals and we love to give them educational and enrich-ment-based treats and items in addition to their normal diets and routines, and we are turning to you, our generous community, visitors, and fans, to help us fill their stockings extra full this year!

We’ve put together a Holiday Wish List from our Second Chances Wildlife Rehabilitation Program, and we would greatly appreciate any help you can give!

If you would like to donate, please call our Second Chances Hotline at 361-881-1210, or drop off your donation at our Second Chances Hospital, located at 4230 Rincon Road, Corpus Christi, TX. 78402. Click here for more information.

SIBLEY’S BIRD BOOKSAuthor David Sibley is known for his highly-detailed, extremely informative and comprehensive guides to North American birds and the Aquarium would love to own as many of his books as possible.

INCUBATOR (ALL SIZES) Many birds - all of varying maturity levels – come through the hospital. Sometimes we

receive recent hatchlings that still require the heat of an incubator to keep them healthy and

to help them grow.

texasstateaquarium.orgHours 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)

Our MissionConnecting people with nature and inspiring conservation of the Gulf of Mexico.

Our VisionTo be a nationally-recognized Aquarium leader in creating entertaining, educationally-enriching programming; con-ducting wildlife rehabilitation; and supporting conservation.

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 designated as a Coastal America Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center in 1998. Coastal America combines the resources of federal agen-cies with marine educational centers. The mutual partnership extends to involving

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

TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM • WINTER 20158

CALENDAR

SCUBA Santa will be featured during our ‘Diver in the Water’ presentations at our Flower Gardens exhibit. Click here for show times.

Into the Abyss! Pressure, bizarre creatures and alien landscapes are what you will find when exploring the deep sea. Through hands-on and video-based exploration students will investigate adaptations for survival in the abyss and learn how researchers use technology to explore these dark and unknown ocean regions. Morning sessions are 9:30 a.m. – 11:3o a.m. and afternoon sessions are 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. and the cost is $12 per student and $5 per parent.

12/12 - 12/24 SCUBA SANTA 1/12 SEAFOOD WARS

12/16 HomeschoolEND OF JANUARY

12/25 CHRISTMAS DAY

2/14 Valentine’s Day dinner

3/12 – 3/20 SPRING BREAK

DECEMBER JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

Join us for our next installment of our popular Seafood Wars series, where local chefs compete to see who can come up with the best fish dish and everyone wins!

Pardon our dust! We will begin a renovation of our Floating Phantoms exhibit to bring you more species and to improve upon our existing exhibit space.

Don’t miss our 5th annual Valentine’s Day dinner! Join us for a romantic evening under the sea with delicious food and a one-of-a-kind setting only the Texas State Aquarium can provide.

3/12 – 3/20: Aquarium Spring Break hours will be 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. 3/12 – 3/19, and go to 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday, 3/20. The Aquarium’s Splash Park will also reopen during certain hours for Spring Break. The Aquarium’s Spring Break Camp will be 3/14 – 3/18. Stay tuned for more details as they become available!

The Aquarium will be CLOSED Christmas Day.

The Aquarium will be at the Downtown Corpus Christi’s Farmers Market from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

12/23 Farmer’s Market