“Aquarium as a Way to Explore the World”: Primorsky Aquarium biologists participate in an international conference
The International Conference “Aquarium as a Way to Explore the World”, which is Russia’s oldest forum for aquarists, was held on May 14-16, 2021, in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Province. The event was attended by experts from 200 cities and towns and 17 countries across the world: Russia, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Great Britain, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Ukraine, and the USA.
It was the first time that resources of the tropical marine exhibits at the Primorsky Aquarium were unveiled to the professional community during the conference.
“We have prepared a survey presentation about the diversity of the exhibit’s species, specifics of feeding the residents of our largest tanks, and feeding demonstrations with predatory fishes: sharks and rays,” said Natalia Gireva, Head of the Department of Tropical Marine Species Husbandry. “We have also touched on the topic of animal breeding at the Aquarium.”
In Natalia’s view, although there is a large amount of data available on the Web, participation in offline events can considerably expand one’s professional horizon.
“Firstly, it is an excellent opportunity to rub shoulders with colleagues – to share and adopt best practices, and not only through presentations and roundtables but in the course of behind-the-scenes discussions as well,” said Natalia Gireva. “Secondly, at such events you can meet people who actually do new things in the aquarium field. For instance, we are currently witnessing an evolution of aquascaping - the craft of decorating a fish tank and constructing an artful underwater landscape. This craft is quite popular among freshwater aquarists but it can also provide some ideas for furnishing marine aquariums.”
Another presentation devoted to the Primorsky Aquarium was delivered online: Vadim Serkov, a staff member of the International Cooperation Department, the A. V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology FEB RAS, told the conference attendees how the Aquarium had managed to overcome problems caused by the freezing rain in November 2020.