The National Marine Aquarium, which opened in May 1998, is situated in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

in south-west England. It is the largest

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

in the UK and houses over 5,000 animals. It acts as an educational institution by teaching visitors about the marine environment. The National Marine Aquarium is run by the Ocean Conservation Trust, a charity dedicated to ocean conservation. The marine aquarium is located in Sutton Harbour near the

Barbican A barbican (from ) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe Medieval Europeans typically b ...

and fish market. It is a member of the

British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) (formerly the Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland) is a registered charity and the professional body representing over 100 zoos and aquariums in United Kin ...

(BIAZA).

Exhibits

The Aquarium is divided into four main zones: Plymouth Sound, Eddystone Reef, Atlantic Ocean and Blue Planet.

Plymouth Sound

This zone displays a variety of marine life found in

Plymouth Sound Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a deep inlet or sound in the English Channel near Plymouth in England. Description Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point in Devon, a distance of abo ...

. There are 17 tanks, which are home to approximately 80 species of fish and invertebrates, including local

sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...

, rays, and

octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...

Eddystone Reef

The Eddystone Reef exhibit is the largest local sea life exhibit in Britain, housing life-size models of whales and dolphins located around the island. The large Eddystone tank displays animals found on the Eddystone reef, a reef 19km south of Plymouth.

Atlantic Ocean

This zone contains the 'Ocean Drifters'

jellyfish Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...

exhibit and the largest tank in the aquarium. The 'Ocean Drifters' exhibit was opened in 2009, and includes moon jellies, Japanese sea nettles, and upside-down jellyfish, housed in round tanks to prevent injury. The largest tank of the aquarium houses 1,000 Caribbean fish. The tank volume is 2.5 million litres. This exhibit was updated at the end of 2009, with the largest ever shipment of live fish into the UK from

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. It was updated again in 2015 and 2016, with the addition of

lemon The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

and sand tiger sharks.

Blue Planet

This zone includes 'Biozone' and the 'Great Barrier Reef'. Biozone showcases the

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

found in the world's oceans and displays species such as; the longhorn cowfish,

lionfish ''Pterois'' is a genus of venomous fish, venomous marine fish, commonly known as the lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific. It is characterized by conspicuous aposematism, warning coloration with red or black bands and ostentatious dorsal fins tip ...

, giant Pacific octopus and seahorses. This zone also includes the second largest tank at 700,000 litres. It contains over 70 species of fish.

Conservation

The National Marine Aquarium led a project to sink

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

in 2004 to create an

artificial reef An artificial reef (AR) is a human-created freshwater or marine benthic structure. Typically built in areas with a generally featureless bottom to promote Marine biology#Reefs, marine life, it may be intended to control #Erosion prevention, erosio ...

in Whitsand Bay, Cornwall.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.national-aquarium.co.uk Aquaria in England Buildings and structures in Plymouth, Devon Oceanaria Tourist attractions in Plymouth, Devon Wind power in England Wind power in the United Kingdom