talking points Flashcards
study the topside talk
intro
Welcome to the National Aquarium. You are looking at our newest exhibit, Black tip reef. My name is Tami and I work as a Volunteer Diver. I have been a volunteer diver for 2 years. Looking at this exhibit you might see a lot of animals. Raise your hand if you can spot our turtle calypso, the beautiful whip tail reticulated rays, the back tip reef sharks? All of these animals depend on each other for reasons like food and shelter. Did you know that the sharks in the ocean are important to keeping coral reefs healthy? Did you know that 71% of the earth is covered by the ocean?
about our reef
Lots of different kinds of animals live in coral reefs, including sharks; before I explain how sharks and corals are connected I would like to introduce you to a few of black tip reef’s animals.
Raise your hand if you know Dory from finding Nemo… she is a Hippo Tang and many of her friends are living here in our new reef. Have you spotted zeek and zoey? Our zebra nurse sharks. And my favorite animals in the exhibit are the orbicular batfish. As you can see, black tip reef is a healthy habitat filled with many different kinds of animals.
Corals
Coral reefs like what we have here is a very delicate ecosystems. Do you think a coral is an animal, plant, or rock? Raise your hand if you think it’s an animal. Raise your hand if you think it’s a plant. Rock? Well it’s primarily an animal but it is kind of all three… Imagine a jellyfish on its back with its tentacles up in the air. Then imagine that jelly builds a hard skeleton around itself. And that is basically what coral is. A piece of coral is an entire colony, or city, of small coral polyps all living within the same hard skeleton. During the day it hides inside the hard shell and at night it sticks out its tiny tentacles to catch food floating by. One touch to the delicate coral polyp could hurt or even kill it. And it takes a long time to grow. In fact – if this coral were real it would take hundreds of years to grow to this big. Even though they may appear like rocks coral and coral reefs are delicate and beautiful animals.
sharks are inportant
Sharks maintain the balance of life in coral reefs to allow corals to thrive. The sharks in this exhibit eat mackerel and squid. Sharks in the wild primarily eat other smaller fish and those smaller fish that eat even smaller fish and invertebrates. What do those smaller fish and invertebrates eat? Algae, sometimes known as seaweed or the plants of the ocean.
They may not be interacting right now but all of the animals you see in this exhibit are connected to each other, either through predator/prey relationships or maybe in a beneficial way. See if you can spot fish using the coral reef as their home. Putting the pieces together means that a lot of these animals are predators and prey to each other. So why aren’t they snacking on each other right now? One of the reasons is that we put in an extra effort ourselves to provide food for all of the animals. We even train some of the fish to come towards us when they see and object or target appears.
connection
So back to that connection between sharks and coral. Let me explain it with just one example:
Sharks eat parrotfish that eat coral. Too few sharks mean more parrotfish and less coral. Sharks eat fish that eat fish that eat algae. Too few sharks mean too many bigger fish that eat the smaller fish. Too few smaller fish means too much algae build up and not enough sunlight for the coral. So sharks help maintain the balance in the ecosystem to have a healthy coral reef.
one step further
Let’s take it one step further, even though we don’t live in the ocean we are part of the chain. In fact, we play a very large role in the health of the oceans. Who here likes to eat seafood? It’s okay to eat seafood – I bet you didn’t think I’d say that!! However, the choices we make in the seafood aisle of the grocery store can have a large impact on the health of the oceans. We can choose to only eat certain fish – fish that are quicker to reproduce and with fishing methods that don’t harm the oceans called sustainable seafood. This has a lighter impact on our oceans. We have free sustainable seafood brochures at the information desk. You can also download the free seafood watch app for free at www.aqua.org/action .
Maryland was the first state in the east coast to ban shark fining.
how can we help? Plastic
Do you wonder what else you can do to make a difference?
• Plastic debris in the ocean degrades marine habitats and contributes to the deaths of marine animals. Because floating plastic often resembles food to many marine birds, sea turtles and marine mammals, they can choke or starve because their digestive systems get blocked when they eat it. Help prevent these unnecessary deaths by using reusable water bottles and cloth grocery bags
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Additional ways to help
Aviod cosmetics containing shark-based squalene (look at your moisturizer and sunscreen).
• Avoid buying jewelry made of coral or tortoiseshell. These products are directly linked to unsustainable fishing and harm ecosystems.
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Simple ways to help
There are many simple ways you can reduce your carbon footprint. Ride a bike, walk or use public transportation. Use high efficiency appliances in your home. Turn off appliances when they aren’t in use. Turn up your thermostat a few degrees in the summer and down a few degrees in the winter. Use fluorescent light bulbs.
Last ways to help
- Excess fertilizer eventually ends up in the ocean. One result is the appearance of “dead zones” — areas with very low levels of oxygen in the water. In the Gulf of Mexico, a dead zone the size of New Jersey forms during the spring and summer. Since all marine life requires oxygen to live, they must flee the area or die. Many other coastal areas are at risk too. Use fertilizer sparingly if you use it.
- And my favorite way to make a difference: when planning your next vacation, consider a scuba diving trip. Not only will it bring you face to flipper with marine animals and wonderful ecosystems, your tourist dollars give a good reason for leaders to protect reefs.
Closing
Thank you for visiting us today. If you have any questions or you would like to talk further I will be available after this presentation. In addition look for any staff member throughout the Aquarium, we’re happy to help. Enjoy your visit at the National Aquarium.
