Recent News
BAMZ Releases Ten Rehabilitated LongtailsWednesday, September 11, 2013
Since July, the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo [BAMZ] has had 15 longtails brought in for rehabilitation, thanks to calls from the public, including three adults and 12 chicks. To date, 10 have already been released, and one will be released soon
Reef Watch set to become an annual event
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Over 100 people participated in the first ever Reef Watch hosted by the Bermuda Zoological Society that raised more than $21,000 for reef conservation awareness
Recently Held “Reef Watch” Hailed A Success
Friday, September 06, 2013
On Saturday [Aug 31], 21 boats made their way to over 40 reef sites around the island to take survey of the state of the coral, color and quantity of specific types of fish.
Reef Watch was fun and useful… …and volunteers are wanted all year round
Friday, September 06, 2013
Who knew that armed with just mask, snorkel, clipboard and a hula-hoop you can become a citizen scientist?
Reef Watch raise more than $15k
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
The inaugural Reef Watch citizen science research and awareness drive on Saturday has so far so far raised some $15k.
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All the latest updates and news from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, one of Bermuda's leading visitor attractions!
3/19/2012 3:57:00 PM
Department of Conservation Services Press Release
MONDAY, MARCH 19: The Department of Conservation Service today announced that it has released its seven-year-old male Galapagos shark back into the wild for health reasons.
The Galapagos Shark is a species of Requiem Shark, which live in reefs like Bermuda’s, feeding mainly on bottom-dwelling fish and squid.
Due to their slow reproductive rate and heavy fishing pressure their global population is in decline and as such it is recognized as a threatened species.
For the last six years the 6.5-foot-long Galapagos Shark named “Osbourne” has been a star attraction in the Northrock Tank at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ), along with a Black Grouper.
About a year ago Osbourne started developing a rubbed rostrum (nose) in the tank due to competition from the grouper.
Aquarium staff tried to reduce the aggression between the two through various training methods but were unsuccessful and as such plans were made to return the shark to the wild this summer.
However, two weeks ago the hostility between the grouper and shark escalated and the shark’s condition deteriorated.
As a result Principal Curator Dr Ian Walker made the decision to move up the release of the shark for his well being.
Dr Walker said: “The decision to relocate the shark was not made lightly as sharks need to constantly have water flowing over their gills and can go into shock from stress relatively easily.”
With assistance from Dr Neil Burnie and Choy Aming from the Bermuda Shark Project, Aquarium staff and volunteers moved the shark onto a fast boat using a specially made sling and placed it in a shark transport box.
Once on the boat the shark was monitored carefully and had water pumped over it gills while it rested upside down in a relaxed state known as tonic immobility.
After arriving seven miles off north shore at Northrock, the shark was released over the side of the boat and aquarist Steve Davis and Dr Burnie monitored its progress from the water as it swam away.
Dr Walker said: “The whole process went very smoothly. Osbourne was released with a satellite telemetry tag, donated by the Atlantic Conservation Partnership, which will provide us with very useful information on his swimming patterns and to some extent his wellbeing.
“We wish him well.”