MARCH 2015 A publication of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Shrouded in Mystery Understanding the Conservation Status of Sharks DISPELLING MYTHS SAWFISH RECOVERY LOVE THEM OR HATE THEM Engaging People in Learning Is a Mythical Fish Recovering? Sharks are Both Feared About Sharks and Fascinating March 2015 Features 18 24 30 36 Shrouded in Mystery Dispelling Myths Sawfi sh Recovery Love Them or Hate Them The International Union for Through informative Once abundant in the Sharks are iconic animals Conservation of Nature Red displays, underwater waters of more than 90 that are both feared and List of Threatened Species tunnels, research, interactive countries around the world, fascinating. Misrepresented indicates that 181 of the touch tanks and candid sawfi sh are now extinct from in a wide array of media, the 1,041 species of sharks and conversations with guests, half of their former range, public often struggles to get rays are threatened with Association of Zoos and and all fi ve species are a clear understanding of the extinction, but the number Aquariums-accredited classifi ed as endangered complex and important role could be even higher. facilities have remarkable or critically endangered by that these remarkable fi sh play BY LANCE FRAZER ways of engaging people in the International Union for in oceans around the world. informal and formal learning. Conservation of Nature. BY DR. SANDRA ELVIN AND BY KATE SILVER BY EMILY SOHN DR. PAUL BOYLE March 2015 | www.aza.org 1 7 13 24 Member View Departments 7 County-Wide Survey 9 Pizzazz in Print 11 By the Numbers 44 Faces & Places Yields No Trace of Rare This Vancouver Aquarium ad AZA shark and ray 47 Calendar Western Pond Turtle was one of fi ve that ran as conservation. part of the Vancouver Sun’s 51 Exhibits Turtle survey failed to 12 Conservation Grants document any trace of Ocean Series. 52 Announcements the imperiled western Fund 10 New Research Scientists track migration pond turtle. 55 Advertiser Index Explores Scent patterns of arapaima in 64 8 Green Tales Communication in Guyana, South America. Births & Hatchings Inspiring our guests with Polar Bears 13 Conservation our green practices. New research provides the About the Cover fi rst systematic examination Spotlight Great White Shark 9 Animal Welfare Aquarium of the Bay is all of social information polar © Thinkstock Three new avenues about the conservation bears glean from scents left for learning about of San Francisco Bay, in paw prints. animal welfare. its watershed and local 10 Research aquatic ecosystems. This month’s selection of what has been published. VISIT US ONLINE Editorial policy: Connect is published by the aza.org Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), a nonprofi t, tax-exempt organization dedicated to the advance- LIKE US ON FACEBOOK ment of zoological parks and aquariums for conser- facebook.com/Association vation, education, scientifi c studies and recreation. Issued to members as a OfZoosAndAquariums free service; not available as a subscription. Mailed during the fi rst week of the month. Articles submitted for Connect do not necessarily refl ect the opinions FOLLOW US ON TWITTER and policies of AZA. twitter.com/zoos_aquariums Mission: Connect is a forum for promoting AZA’s mission by highlighting zoo E-MAIL THE EDITOR and aquarium trends, industry initiatives, conservation efforts and member [email protected] achievements. Copyright policy: All items appearing in Connect are copyright of AZA. Permission to reprint items must be obtained by contacting AZA’s Publications Department at [email protected]. Advertising policy: Advertising is available. AZA reserves the right to refuse advertising not consistent with its mission. Ad contracts are issued on an annual basis, and ads are accepted on a one, three, six, nine or 12-time basis. Deadline for insertion orders is the fi rst of the month preceding publication. Deadline for artwork is the 10th of the month preceding publication. Rates and mechanical requirements are available upon request. March 2015 | www.aza.org 3 EDITOR Tim Lewthwaite ASSISTANT EDITOR Jennifer Fields REDESIGN AND ART DIRECTION LTD Creative GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lisa Cadigan, Cadigan Creative ADVERTISING Gina Velosky Myth and Misinformation (301) 562-0777, ext. 254, [email protected] EDITORIAL BOARD Shrouded in myth and misinformation, sharks have long captured our imagination. Pop- Thom Benson | Tennessee Aquarium Julie Larsen-Maher | Wildlife Conservation Society ular depictions in the media have oft en done little to further our understanding of these Tim Lewthwaite | Editor remarkable fi sh, and even experts struggle to come to consensus on basic information Kristin L. Vehrs | Executive Director about many of the 501 diff erent species of sharks. At the recent Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Directors’ Policy Con- ference in Sarasota, Fla., several AZA organizations, including the Monterey President and CEO Jim Maddy Bay Aquarium, Mote Marine Laboratory Executive Director and Aquarium, the National Aquarium Kristin L. Vehrs in Baltimore, Disney’s Th e Seas and the Chief Operating Offi cer Jill Nicoll Wildlife Conservation Society, partici- Senior Vice President of Conservation R & D and Policy pated in a round table discussion on the Paul Boyle, PhD global status of sharks. Th e conversation Senior Vice President of Conservation and Science Debborah Luke, PhD highlighted some interesting themes. Senior Vice President of External Affairs First of all, signifi cant shark science Rob Vernon is already underway at AZA-accredited Senior Vice President of Finance Phil Wagner facilities but more could - and should - Vice President of Animal Programs be done, given the lack of understanding Candice Dorsey, PhD about basic shark, ray, and skate biology, Vice President, Conferences and Membership as well as their natural history. Melissa Howerton Vice President of Congressional Affairs Secondly, sharks have experienced some conservation successes due to legal pro- Jennifer Keaton tections in United States waters, but complementing and expanding upon patchwork Vice President of Accreditation Programs protections in international waters is an area wide open for leadership by AZA members Denny Lewis Vice President of Federal Relations and our visiting public. Steve Olson And fi nally, it became apparent that these holes in both shark science and legal pro- For a full listing of AZA’s staff, visit www.aza.org/about-aza tection are indicative of how conservation action on issues impacting the planet’s oceans AZA BOARD OF DIRECTORS are less developed than eff orts to protect land-based species and habitats. Chair I’d like to thank the participating institutions for providing real insight into the mul- Dennis E. Pate | Executive Director and CEO, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium titude of issues facing shark species around the world and the role that the AZA com- Chair Elect munity can play. Conserving sharks and their ocean habitats is complex, and nobody has Steve Burns | Director, Zoo Boise identifi ed all the solutions. However, the very complexity provides real opportunity for Vice Chair Dennis W. Kelly | Director, Smithsonian National AZA and AZA-accredited facilities to expand upon the important work we are already Zoological Park doing and become central players in shark and ocean conservation. Past Chair Jackie Ogden, PhD | Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Directors Jim Breheny | Executive Vice President and General Director, Zoos and Aquarium, Jonathan Little Cohen Director of the Bronx Zoo, Wildlife Conservation Society Lynn B. Clements | Director, Virginia Aquarium and Marine Dennis E. Pate Science Center | Executive Director and CEO Jim Hekkers Managing Director, Monterey Bay Aquarium Gregg Hudson | Executive Director and Chief Executive Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium Offi cer, Dallas Zoo Management, Inc. Steve Marshall | Zoo Director, El Paso Zoo Amos Morris | Zoo Director, Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden Douglas G. Myers | President and CEO, San Diego Zoo Global Craig Pugh | CEO, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo Peggy Sloan | Director, North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher 4 www.aza.org | March 2015 6 www.aza.org | March 2015 County-Wide Survey Yields No Trace of Rare Native Turtle A two-year comprehensive turtle survey, the fi rst of its kind in Clackamas County Oregon, has failed to document any trace of the imper- iled western pond turtle during its fi rst year of searching, according to a recent report. © Oregon Zoo A biologist-led team of volunteers searched Pond turtle populations have declined Since 1998, the Oregon Zoo has worked 15 sites, returning to each site four times throughout their West Coast range for a closely with partners, including the Wash- during the spring survey, which was funded number of reasons, including destruction of ington Department of Fish and Wildlife and in part by an Oregon Zoo Future for Wild- their wetland habitat, confl ict with inva- Woodland Park Zoo to recover Washing- life grant. Th e sites ranged from remnant sive species and a recently discovered shell ton’s western pond turtle populations. Th e natural wetlands to stormwater ponds disease. Th e species is listed as sensitive in Oregon Zoo participates in a “head-starting” found behind big-box stores, representing Oregon and endangered in Washington, project, rearing turtle hatchlings in a protect- a spectrum of available turtle habitats in can live up to 70 years and prefers streams, ed environment until they’re large enough to Clackamas County. ponds, lakes and permanent wetlands. evade predators such as the invasive bullfrog. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Th e survey documented two other turtle Head-started turtles are released back into (ODFW) conservation biologist Susan species in Clackamas County: the native Washington, into areas of suitable habitat Barnes called the failure to spot a single indi- western painted and the non-native red- protected and managed specifi cally for vidual at the 15 sites “moderately alarming.” eared slider.