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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, June 6, 2002

Oceanic curiosities in new exhibit

By Shayna Coleon
Advertiser Staff Writer

A 167-pound clam and a family of jellyfish that gracefully dip and sway around each other are part of a new gallery opening today at the Waikiki Aquarium.

Jellyfish reflect off the display windows of the aquarium's new interactive gallery.

Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

After nine months of renovation, the new gallery is the showcase for an interactive computer display and some of the most exotic and diverse sea life from the South and West Pacific.

"Gallery I: South Pacific Marine Life Communities" has more than 145 marine and coral species from places like Tahiti and the Republic of Palau.

For the first time, aquarium visitors can use a touch-screen computer to identify any fish and marine life in the exhibit.

"We're really pleased to see it all come together," said Cindy Hunter, the aquarium's interim director. "The exhibit was basically built to show how intrinsically beautiful and valuable the shorelines and coral reefs of the South and West Pacific are, and also to bring awareness that they are under constant threat from coastal construction and fishing."

The coral reefs of the south and west Pacific Ocean contain the greatest diversity of marine life on Earth — more than 5,000 species of fish and 500 coral species have been found from these rich marine communities, Hunter said.

"Visitors will be able to see a lot more animal life by coming to the new exhibit than if they simply went out and did a reef walk," said Alan Nelson, a aquarium biologist.

"The exhibit is more encompassing, and you must also remember that a lot of the marine life in the gallery is not found in Hawaiian waters because they are from the South Pacific," he said.

Renovations to the gallery cost more than $500,000. Separate viewing windows allow visitors to explore a typical South Pacific shoreline; reef relationships between sea anemones and anemone fishes; a lagoon coral community; and lagoon drifters, the transparent jellyfish that glow against black lights.

"With anything that deals with a living animal, we at the aquarium really understand and hope that these new conditions will provide the stability that these animals need to thrive," Hunter said. "That is why we make sure that we are providing excellent standards."

A 167-pound giant clam is featured in a new exhibit at the Waikiki Aquarium displaying creatures from the South and West Pacific.

Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

A fifth exhibit, the largest in the gallery, contains a barrier reef with a 15-foot long and 6-foot high viewing window that holds about 5,000 gallons of salt water, said aquarium biologist Charles Delbeek, who created gallery's barrier reef.

Delbeek, an avid deep-sea diver who has explored the waters around the Solomon and Marshall islands, said that the gallery's barrier reef accurately mimics the real thing.

"We also have two, 250-gallon tanks that simulate surges in the reef," Delbeek said. "These tanks release fresh water into the tank every couple of minutes, while evacuating some of the air."

The fish in the South Pacific gallery were either bought from private collectors or were already part of the aquarium's collection for years, Delbeek said.

"The coral, however, all grew here at the aquarium and started around this size," Delbeek said as he held up his pointer finger.

The gigantic clam was the size of a man's fist when it arrived at the aquarium 20 years ago. Over the years, Delbeek said, many have asked him what the clam would taste like.

"I just tell them it would taste like an old leather boot," said Delbeek, laughing as he inched toward the giant clam as if warding off tempted visitors.

This newest gallery is an addition to three others.

The money for the renovation came from sponsored gifts from the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, Friends of the Waikiki Aquarium and individual contributors.

Administered by the University of Hawai'i, the Waikiki Aquarium is the third oldest public aquarium in the United States, and is home to more than 2,000 animals representing 400 species of Hawai'i and the Pacific.

Reach Shayna Coleon at 525-8004 or scoleon@honoluluadvertiser.com.