is a

public aquarium A public aquarium (plural: ''public aquaria'' or ''public Water Zoo'') is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, which houses living aquatic animal and plant specimens for public viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept b ...

located in

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...

Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the nort ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It opened in 2015 as a successor to the

Marinepia Matsushima Aquarium is a public aquarium located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It opened in 2015 as a successor to the Marinepia Matsushima Aquarium, which had been open for 88 years. Exhibits Inherited from the Marinepia Matsushima Aquarium are Commerson's ...

, which had been open for 88 years.

Exhibits

Inherited from the Marinepia Matsushima Aquarium are

Commerson's dolphin Commerson's dolphin (''Cephalorhynchus commersonii''), also referred to by the common names jacobita, skunk dolphin, piebald dolphin, panda dolphin, or tonina overa (in South America), is a small oceanic dolphin of the genus ''Cephalorhynchus'' ...

s and

finless porpoise ''Neophocaena'' is a genus of porpoise native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as the freshwater habitats of the Yangtze River basin in China. They are commonly known as finless porpoises. Genetic studies indicate that ''Neophocaena'' is ...

s, along with fish from the

Sanriku , sometimes known as , lies on the northeastern side of the island of Honshu, corresponding to today's Aomori, Iwate and parts of Miyagi Prefecture and has a long history. The 36 bays of this irregular coastline tend to amplify the destructivenes ...

region. The facility is a two-story building with 100 fish tanks. Inside there is a dolphin and sea lion show pool that can accommodate about 1,000 people.

Captive blue sharks

The aquarium has a focus on rearing and exhibiting

blue shark The blue shark (''Prionace glauca''), also known as the great blue shark, is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, which inhabits deep waters in the world's temperate and tropical oceans. Averaging around and preferring co ...

s as representative fish from Sanriku. Bred in a cylindrical tank separate from the main, large tank, most of the young sharks did not last long initially. In 2016, three blue sharks were captured and brought to the aquarium. In 2017 one of these, a male, broke the previous record of captivity of 244 days. The previous record was set at

Tokyo Sea Life Park is a public aquarium located in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo. It is located in Kasai Rinkai Park in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, and Kasai Rinkai Bird Garden is also located in the park. It can be accessed from Kasai-Rinkai Park Station. The Predecessor is the U ...

. A blue shark was later captured in 2018 and survived in captivity for 873 days until it died in December 2020, significantly increasing the record. The shark was captured in Shizugawa Bay on July 27, 2018, and taken to the aquarium. The total length at the time of delivery was , the estimated weight was 345g, and it was estimated to be a year old. The cause of death was attributed to disordered

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

due to

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...

. At the time of death, the total length was and the weight was 4kg. This growth rate was said to be the same as that of

wild Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 A ...

blue sharks.

History

Marinepia Matsushima Aquarium

was a public aquarium in

Matsushima, Miyagi 270px, Matsushima Town Office is a town in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 13,804 in 5663 households, and a population density of 260 persons per km². The total area of the town is . It is most famous as the ...

. It opened on April 1, 1927, and closed on May 10, 2015, making it the second longest-running aquarium in Japan, after

Uozu Aquarium is an aquarium in Uozu, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. Opened on the 21st of September 1913, it claims to be the oldest aquarium in Japan still open. History The aquarium was established as a venue for the 1913 Eight Prefectures Exhibition in what ...

. Marinepia Matsushima Aquarium was operated by

Sendai express is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the ''daimyō'' Date M ...

which, in 2001, began to consider a renewal of the aquarium due to aging. Following the opening of

Oga Aquarium Gao , officially Akita Prefectural Oga Aquarium, is an aquarium located along Oga Peninsula coast, Oga, Akita Prefecture, Japan. GAO stands for Globe, Aqua and Ocean, and sounds like an Oga-native Namahage shout. Overview Overlooking the Sea of Jap ...

and

Aquamarine Fukushima (officially ) is an aquarium located in Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan. The aquarium opened on 15 July 2000. The public aquarium is the largest in the Tohoku region and is focusing on education of environment. 　 History The nickname "Aquamarine Fuku ...

, the number of visitors to the aquarium began to decrease. In 2009, Sendai City announced plans to relocate the aquarium to

Takasago Central Park Takasago may refer to: Related to Japan * ''Takasago'' (play), a Noh play by Zeami Motokiyo * Takasago, Hyōgo, a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan * Japanese cruiser ''Takasago'', a protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy in servi ...

Sendai Port is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the ''daimyō'' Date M ...

.マリンピア松島水族館移転問題、仙台港背後地に証券化で新水族館開発へ
2021-05-01 However, in February 2010, Sendai express canceled its investment in the relocation due to the lack of prospects for raising funds. Then, in 2013, six companies, including

Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise is an amusement park consisting of an aquarium, shopping mall, hotel, marina and amusement rides. It is located in Hakkeijima, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. It opened for business on May 8, 1993. It is a pay-as-you-go theme park, ha ...

, established the Sendai Aquarium Development Co., Ltd. The new company built Sendai Umino-Mori Aquarium in the

hinterland Hinterland is a German word meaning "the land behind" (a city, a port, or similar). Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated ...

of Sendai Port, where the Marinepia Matsushima Aquarium was supposed to move. Sendai express did not invest in the new aquarium, but the new aquarium accepted

animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

from the Marinepia aquarium.

Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

In 2011, the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami caused seawater and mud to flood Marinepia Matsushima Aquarium, breaking the circulation pump. This resulted in the loss of about 5% of the aquarium's approximately 4000 animals. The aquarium received new tropical fish and jellyfish from Kamo Aquarium, Osaka Aquarium, and Kagoshima Aquarium.

Facilities

Floor (1F)

* Welcome Hall * The seas of Japan **1. The Submarine Forest of Sea pineapple (Maboya) **2. Sparkling of Life **3. Oyashio, Cold Current **4. Irodori, Sea of seaweed **5. Tairyo, Great Fish **6. Naiwan, Sea of Blessing **7. Amamo, Sea Cradel **8. Higate, Cultivating Sea Life **9. Shinkai, Deep Sea **10. UMINO－MORI Lab. **11. The Hirose River, the Source of Sea *UMINO-MORI Beach

Floor (2F)

* 12. The Gallery for People * 13. Scene I Oceania * 14. Scene II Europe * 15. Scene III Africa * 16. Scene IV North America and South America * 17. Scene V Asia * 18. Our Mother Sea * 19. Communication Wall * 20. Jellyfish Room *The Plaza of Marine Animals (supported by Mitsui Life)

Shops

* Cabana * Umimori shop Museum Shop * Wakuwaku ocean Food Court

References

External links

Official Site

Animal theme parks Aquaria in Japan Amusement parks opened in 2015 Miyagi Prefecture Museums in Miyagi Prefecture {{zoo-stub