The National Aquarium of Norway


The logo of the National Aquarium in Bergen Norway podcast showing a sailing ship, fish, Aslak Sverdrup (director), Joachim Ekeli (zookeeper), and the phrases Verdens Havseneret O and One Ocean.

The Seattle Aquarium is expanding to include sharks from Indonesia. Is this for the entertainment value or is there an educational component as well? What is the role of aquariums regarding public education, anyway?  Is it to appreciate and have empathy for the fish, otters, seals, penguins, etc. or motivate conservation and sustainable behavior? At the same time, Seattle’s sister city in Norway (Bergen) is planning to completely rebuild the National Aquarium in a new location.

Join us as we visit the Bergen Aquarium to ask these questions about the role of the aquariums today.  First we take a tour with zookeeper Joachim Ekeli to hear about flatfish, the national fish, penguins, the “flowers of the sea”, and the tall ship, Statsraad Lemkuhl, sailing the world on the One Ocean Expedition.  Then we meet the aquarium’s CEO, Aslak Sverdrup, to learn the history of the aquarium and its connection to the Institute of Marine Research. Who owns the aquarium now, how will a new one get built, and where will it be? What will it take to get all the various jurisdictions, including business, industry, academia, and the public onboard, to build the World Ocean Center known simply as “O”? 

This podcast is a combination of fascinating marine biology, a study in how humans affect their environment, and the political will and fortitude necessary to create an even better National Aquarium in the future.  Check out our links and photos at our episode website at nordicontap.com so see Joachim, Aslak, the Lemkuhl, and other neat things.

Disclaimer – this podcast and episode website was written, recorded, edited, and built entirely by Nordic on Tap and does not claim to represent the Aquarium or its representatives. Any mistakes or errors are entirely ours!

Links

See the Bergen Aquarium’s website and their collection of marine mammals, birds, fish, kelp forest, and some of the “herpes” and terrestrial invertebrates (e.g. alligators, spiders, and beetles). Use the three-line menu at the upper right (affectionately called the ‘hamburger’ menu by geeks) to navigate to a header where you can read the website in English. Check out their Facebook page too for pictures and videos of the animals.

Check out the Verdenshavsenter (the World Ocean Center) that they’re planning, including a video (in Norwegian) on why they’ve selected “O” as the short name. Right-click on the home page and drop down to “Translate to English”.

Sail along with the tall masted “barque” called the Statsraad Lemkuhl, now sailing as the One Ocean Expedition around the world. Click on the “EN” at the upper right on the home page to view the website in English. Click on “Følg skipet” (Follow the ship) below the right-hand menu to see where the ship is currently located.

Images

Joachim and Eric (host of Nordic on Tap) during their aquarium tour. Photo: Dana Stavney


Aslak Sverdrup, CEO of Det Nasjonale Akvariet i Bergen. Photo: Han Jørgen Brun, used with permission.


The greatest protein source in the world swims in the mesopelagic layer (400-2000m or 66-3,330 feet deep). Graphic: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, CC license.


The magnificent Statsraad Lemkuhl from Bergen accompanied by the STS Lord Nelson from Bristol, England. Photo: Wikipedia


An Atlantic sturgeon with barbels (“whiskers”) at the Bergen Aquarium. Sturgeons are one of the oldest types of fish, first seen in fossils 190 million years ago. Photo: Eric Stavney


Subject to verification, this is where we (Nordic on Tap) think where the World Ocean Center “O” will be built. Map: Creative Commons

The atlantic hagfish is actually not a “true” fish. That’s because its skeleton is made of cartilage and not bone. The hagfish is also called the “slimål” (or slime eel), but it’s not an eel either. This should have been the national fish of Norway, but that Atlantic cod [currently] has that distinction. On the slimPhoto: Arnstein Rønning under CC license.


This sign at the aquarium isn’t about smoking, but “smokke” (aka “binky” – what we called it at home). Talk about a way to get your child to give up plastic early. And you get a diploma for doing so! Photo: Eric Stavney at Bergen Aquarium


Is there an aquarium you can visit near you? This map shows many of the aquariums around the world (the color of the dots doesn’t mean anything here). From daSilva et al. , 2018.

No aquariums near you? Try these virtual (online) aquarium visits:

Do you know of any aquarium with an online tour, especially outside the USA? Email us at nordicontap@gmail.com.




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