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The National Marine Aquarium This is not just one of the best aquariums in the country but it has also taken its place as one of the most important aquariums in the world. It's a fascinating story as the water cycle begins on Dartmoor, where clouds coming in from the sea drop their rain to fill the huge spongy reservoirs of the upland bogs. Then the journey continues via the streams and rivers, along the shoreline, and into the seas and oceans of the world. Some of the species here are very rare. A giant squid, killed when caught in the nets of a fishing trawler off the coast of Scotland recently, has been transported to the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. Squids live in very deep waters, at about 500 metres and below, and provide fodder for the sperm whale. It's believed that the last known giant squid to be washed up in the UK - near Aberdeen - was 6 metres long, but that was way back in 1949. They are incredibly rare and scientists have never seen one alive. There's the popular Shark Theatre to visit, set in over 700,000 litres of water, but the aquarium is about much more. It studies the effects of sewage, chemicals from agriculture, and the dumping of radioactive waste. Out of sight out of mind may be the philosophy of large companies and governments but the aquarium offers an insight into what the consequences of this might be. It's often said that we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about our deepest seas - we will probably succeed in landing a human on another planet before we get one to the bottom of the deepest oceans on our own world. The Aquarium is well worth a visit if you can squeeze it into the cycle ride. Rope Walk Information and photograph National Marine Aquarium |
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