This is me! My name is Kimmie Banks and I'm currently the GOT co-op from Northeastern University. I've been here for about 4 months now, and I've quickly learned that there is never a dull moment in the GOT. I was really excited to wear a costume in the tank, but isn't easy to think of a costume that is hydrodynamic and won't look like delicious food to our animals. The angelfish were really interested in eating my Bumble Bee outfit, but luckily it stayed intact.

Earlier that day our volunteers and interns had fun carving pumpkins to put in the GOT.




This year we had such a great turn out for volunteer divers, and Lizzie and Brian were no exception.

Amidst all the candy, Popeye encouraged children and adults alike to eat their spinach.



A fearless Spiderman scaled the windows of the GOT with ease. If you could hear her speak underwater, visitors would hear: "My Spidey senses are tingling."



Luckily, we also had the most graceful of creatures in the tank.



Sam as an angelfish and Ariel as a ballerina.



Anna as a jellyfis. I hope Myrtle didn't try to take a bite!



Being at the top of the GOT was so exciting, you never knew what costume would jump in the tank next.

Where's Kristen? Oh, there she is! As Waldo she's tricky to pick out among all the fish.



We thought the tourist season was over, but Andrea just couldn't miss out on such a fun dive.



We've never tried giving the sharks hot dogs, but apparently they wanted a sample.



All staff and volunteers had a blast this year, and based on the smiles and waves we saw through the windows, we're sure families and their friends had a great time too.




Until next year, have a safe and happy Halloween!



-Kimmie

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Start submitting today! If we like your name, we'll put it in an online poll for everyone to vote on. The person who submits the winning name will get a chance to come to the Aquarium next month and help us introduce the new turtle to the Giant Ocean Tank!

It's not your normal cook out cuisine but Myrtle seems to enjoy it.

-Andrea

We're asking for everyone to help us by voting for the Aquarium in this year's Partners in Preservation grant contest. You can vote EVERY SINGLE DAY until May 17th. Cast your vote on the Partners in Preservation website. You can also sign up to get reminders form the Aquarium to vote.

American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has identified historic places throughout the Boston area that reflect the region's rich and diverse cultural heritage, and we're in the top 25! If the Aquarium gets the most votes we will get a $100,000 grant to restore the interior concrete to its original finish.

Here's a picture of the Giant Ocean Tank when it was first built:

You can vote once every day, so please get out there and show your support! The sharks, rays, sea turtles and fishes will all appreciate it :)

THANK YOU!

-Sarah

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We wanted to take this opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to an amazing company that has been a supporter of the Aquarium--Keen Footwear. Since 2004, Keen Footwear has donated 150 pairs of their Newport H2 shoes to us. Keen Footwear not only makes a great product but is dedicated to environmental conservation and social causes around the world. Please check out their website for more information: www.keenfootwear.com.

During these tough economic times, donations are even more important for non-profit organizations like us. We can't thank Keen Footwear enough for their generosity! Meet some Aquarium staff members and volunteers as they show off their Keen shoes.

Our marine mammal trainers Patty, Cheryl, and Belinda (and two of their friends):

And the exciting thing is--who knows what's going to happen in 2009!

Probe tip making contact on the window frame.

High-calorie foods like donuts are a must for a diver, especially on Thanksgiving when it's important to carbo-load in preparation for the evening's turkey feast.

It's my favorite time of year - Halloween! Each year, the Aquarium throws a party exclusively for members and their guests, called Fish, Fun & Fright. To add to the festivities, we carve a few dozen pumpkins and put the Jack-O-Lanterns into the Giant Ocean Tank around the reef with glow sticks inside. Myrtle and some of the angelfishes like it when we do this, as some of them find pumpkins tasty!

Here is Mike as a clown, always a crowd favorite.

Don wore a Davy Jones (from Pirates of the Caribbean) mask, which he said prevented him from seeing much of anything during his dive.

Paul, for his costume, borrowed a vest and a hardhat from Turner Construction Company, who is heading up the construction of the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center (coming Summer 2009).

Andrea's idea was to incorporate the SCUBA backpack into her costume, and was a Ghostbuster.

Liz (right) was a fairy and had a lot fun casting spells on the visitors through the windows. She won 'best underwater costume', as voted by all costumed divers. I (left) dressed up as a man on the moon, and walked around weightless-like on the bottom of the tank.

Sam, arrrgh, dove in as a pirate (with a fake sword I promise), and took 2nd prize.

Once the transport team arrives at the Aquarium, they are met by another team who will assist in getting the shark from the transport truck to the Giant Ocean Tank exhibit (GOT). First, a large stretcher designed specifically for shark handling is lowered into the transport tank.

Once the shark is gently coaxed into the stretcher, several staff and volunteers lift the shark up and out of the truck.

Once at the top of the exhibit, the stretcher is attached to an electronic hoist and slowly lowered into the GOT.

We currently have three sand tiger sharks; all were acclimated to the GOT using this transport method.

-Sherrie

Talking about the long-term New England Aquarium study involving the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) deepwater port off Gloucester Harbor, Dr. Idjadi says, "One of our research goals is to track fish movements around the LNG port. This means we have to deploy an array of expensive fish tracking devices in 300 feet of water. To retrieve these devices, we are using acoustic releases (the long gray tube shown in the images) which allow us to remotely release our tracking devices from the bottom. They work by receiving a sound signal generated by a transmitter located on the surface (on a boat, for instance), triggering the corrosion of two metal loops which hold the device to the bottom, and sending it floating to the surface. We wanted to be sure the releases were working properly so we tested them in the GOT before using them in the field. The test was successful! "



Here's some images from Tuesday's test (click to enlarge).

I was lucky enough to watch the experiment from a pretty good vantage point and therefore had a chance to see an acoustical pop-up in action.



Not only was the experiment a complete success, but it provided an opportunity to educate visitors on one of the many research activities the Aquarium conducts all over our blue planet. Here, researcher John Mandleman explains what is going on to people gathered at the top of the Giant Ocean Tank.



Oh, and it helped keep some of our angelfish entertained as well...

-John

There are seven species of sea turtles in the world; all are recognized as endangered or threatened. Six of the seven species are found in U.S. waters. Every fall hundreds of tropical and sub-tropical sea turtles end up in Northern waters along the Eastern seaboard. It is not entirely clear why this occurs, but there are two possible theories. Some scientists believe that New England provides an important foraging ground for young sea turtles, and their migration here is deliberate. Others believe small juvenile sea turtles get caught up in the Gulf Stream and their arrival here is involuntary. Either way, when water temperatures drop, many of these turtles suffer from hypothermia, and in some cases severe frost bite. The New England Aquarium's Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is a member of a stranding network that rescues these cold-stunned turtles. Our goal is to nurse them back to health and eventually release them back into the wild.

The Giant Ocean Tank offers a unique opportunity for endangered and threatened sea turtles that have been classified as non-releasable. This 200,000 gallon, 23 foot deep Caribbean reef exhibit provides sea turtles with an ideal habitat in which to live out their lives. Over the past 30 years, loggerheads, Kemp's ridleys, hawksbills, and green sea turtles have thrived in the Giant Ocean Tank. We currently have four sea turtles; two loggerheads (Carolina and Retread), one Kemp's ridley (Scute), and one green sea turtle (Myrtle).

Like all of our animals, they benefit from excellent water quality, sound nutrition and first-rate veterinary care. To ensure the good health of our turtles, we conduct medical exams every summer. This year's exams took place on Wednesday, August 6 and Thursday, August 7. Completing the annual sea turtle exams is an enormous effort, requiring the participation of many individuals from a variety of departments.



Staff biologists (the divers) from the Fishes Department collect the turtles from the exhibit and make sure everything is in place for the exams. Veterinary staff and biologists from our Animal Health Division perform all the diagnostic work, and our Educators interpret the entire procedure for our visitors. The procedure starts with the "turtle catch." Two divers enter the exhibit and gently grasp the turtle under the fore flippers. The turtle is swiftly escorted to the surface of the exhibit and placed into a large box designed specifically for sea turtle removal.



The box is then lifted out of the exhibit and into an adjoining support area with an electronic hoist. The turtle is lifted out of the box and onto a small exam table. Both loggerheads weigh well over 100 pounds, so it can take up to four individuals to accomplish this. Once the turtle is settled on the table, the veterinarians and biologists begin their work.



They begin by weighing and measuring the turtle. They carefully examine the eyes, mouth, flippers and shell, looking for any abnormalities. A blood sample is taken from a vessel on the top of the turtle's neck. The exam is concluded with an ultrasound which enables the vets to get a heart rate and determine if there is any egg development. The turtle is then placed back in the exam box, and returned to the exhibit. Staff divers monitor the animal's behavior for several hours after the exam.

Myrtle, our green turtle weighs around 550 pounds, and is too big for the exam table. Her exam is conducted in the box at the surface of the exhibit. Our loggerheads weighed in at 196 (Retread) and 152 (Carolina). Scute, our little ridley, weighs only 52 pounds. All four turtles are in good overall health, and will likely grace the Giant Ocean Tank for many years to come.

-Sherrie