National Marine Aquarium at Swakopmund closed for extended period
By Adolf Kaure.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources announced that the National Marine Aquarium in Swakopmund will be closed to the public with immediate effect for an extended period.
According to the ministry’s spin doctor, Uaripi Katjiukua, the closure is due to major repairs and rehabilitation work to be conducted in the facility.
The National Marine Aquarium in Swakopmund opens a window to the wonders of marine life found in the cold Benguela Current off the Namibian coast. Seawater, drawn from the old jetty, is pumped through a series of filter systems before reaching the exhibition tanks. The main tank has a holding capacity of 320,000 litres, is 12 m long and 8 m wide.
“The Aquarium environment is very corrosive due to the constant exposure to seawater, both outside and inside the facility. Years of exposure to seawater has caused damage to many of the external and internal concrete structures as well as the steel reinforcing inside the concrete,” she said.
She added that the ministry could not determine the exact period of the closure, but it is set to be an extended period. “At this stage it is not possible for the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources to say how long the aquarium will be closed, since most of the critical damage to all the concrete structures is internal due to corrosion.”
“The extent of the structural damage and the cost implication can only be determined after opening the damaged areas and assessing what the best rehabilitation procedures will be.”
“The aquarium will be closed for several months, or even up to the end of 2024,” said Katjiukua.
Fish species that can be viewed in the aquarium include galjoen, steenbras, kabeljou, baardman, ragged-tooth shark, shyshark, bronze shark, kipfish and blacktail.
Commercial species include chub mackerel, horse mackerel, hake, orange roughy, alfonsino, sole, kingklip, mako shark, red crab, rock lobster, anchovy, pilchard, mullet, silver kob, monkfish, swordfish, snoek, yellowfin tuna, blue shark and even a few cape fur seals
An underwater dome allows visitors to view sharks, rays and fishes from close range. The smaller exhibition tanks house organisms from the inshore waters, mainly found along sandy and rocky beaches.
The functions of the National Marine Aquarium are to disseminate information about Namibian marine life, to inform visitors about the sensitivity and complexity of the Benguela System and to serve as a place of recreation for those who merely want to put their feet up and relax.
