ข้อคิดเห็นถึง น.ส.พ. ภาษาอังกฤษ เรื่องอควาเรียม

หวังว่า น.ส.พ. สักฉบับ จะรับไปพิจารณาและยอมตีพิมพ์

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My head turned around in anxiety after visiting Bangkok’s latest aquarium Siam Ocean World at Siam Paragon department store. At one display tank, a number of elegant clown tank fish that naturally swims in solitary in open water were cramped in a small enclosure. Most of them were unstably floating atop of the surface, a sign of its unhealthiness. I heard a mother confusingly telling her young son that these fish were happily cuddled in school.

Opposite tank houses Moray eels that live as if in a slum. While fellow visitors saw its magnificent colors and its strangest appearance, I was agonized by the fact that their needed crevices were inadequate –a couple of them had no place to protect its eely bodies. I stepped out at the aquarium to the high-class department store with a worried relief.

Nominated as largest in Southeast Asia with as much as Baht 1,200 million investment, the aquarium is something special and enough for high expectation. Unfortunately, I have to say, my shining hope for my fellow Thai citizen in Bangkok to have a state of the art venue to learn about aquatic nature was suddenly faded away. Hesitant to mention, I feel sorry that Baht 450 worth of the admission ticket does not provide its customers, myself included, with reasonable products and pleasing experience. In short, as far as exploitation is concerned, not do they exploit those poor fish, customers are also being exploited.

At Siam Ocean World, the exhibits are well stocked with diverse organisms from around the world –ranging from impressive leafy dragon seahorse, magnificent spider crab, monstrous rays and sharks as well as flubbing jelly fish. Visitors are fortunate to experience at home fish and other creatures found nowhere in Thai seas.

However, the ill management of the husbandry that is obvious to the public eyes is somewhat irresistible –and it is very unprofessional of the management. In most tanks, fishes look very unhealthy –many swim in unusual posture, some were panic hiding in the corner, some were floating atop of the surface while others have infected and torn fins. Anyone who sees vigorous fish in the sea, even in his fish tank at home, would easily state this abnormality. Recent news coverage reported more than 1,000 or so fish deaths, including exotic sharks and prestigious dragon seahorses.

It may be reasonable for the management to claim that deaths and ills are common in the initial set up due to transportation shock. But the death rate should not be this high and they must be cautious in preventing this from happening. Bear in mind that most of stock are captured from natural habitats in oceans and coral reefs around the world. It inevitably affects environmental stock. The aquarium publicized that one of the sharks flew in from Africa and many tiny reef fishes were from the reefs of the Philippines and Indonesia.

What about its quality of husbandry facilities? This is, at heart, key to success in housing these fish in captivity. It involves curing sick fish and mimicking natural environment for the living creatures to thrive well. An effective system is not only constituted of advanced and cutting edge technology but also knowledgeable trained human operators. Fish sickness is often resulted from inattentive care and neglected details. Many newspapers reported the aquarium was opened 6 months ahead of plan, thus the fishes were put into unready tanks in a hurry manner.

This is very unprofessional. Experienced tropical fish hobbyist all knows that keeping marine fish is not impossible but very complicated and slow process –any rush is detrimental to the fish itself. One of the most difficult processes in setting up a reef tank is at its initial phase -that is to transform a bare tank into an ecologically-working condition. All the new tanks at Siam Ocean World are no difference –it requires patience and knowledge, not to mention effective technology in husbandry management that the aquarium has already owned. A run-in time, which refers to a period to activate nitrogen cycle, usually ranges from weeks to months, depending on the size of an aquarium. Completely working nitrogen cycle in an aquarium system is the most important to the healthiness of its dwellers –in the cycle, useful bacteria will colonized the tank and it will turn harmful ammonia into useful nitrite and nitrate.

Additionally, an aquarium is a vital learning mechanism in seedling sound public awareness and contributing in-situ conservation effort. Informed citizenry plays a coordinating role in environmental management and political support. With these stances in mind, it seems that Siam Ocean World does not put enough endeavors to this importance.

I truly understand that the building of the facility come with a high cost that the investor is bearing. Nevertheless, environmental sustainability will only be plausible only if private entity is equipped with corporate ethics –on the contribution to our fragile society and environment. The aquarium management might want to ask if how good they put the ethics in balance with its quest for profits.

At the aquarium, corporate logos of its business allies and snacks outlets were too overwhelming. For instance, there is a coffee shop, with shining neon-lighted coffee brand logo, amidst its rainforest section that was replicated into under-canopy dimmed atmosphere. It projects an impression of insincere intention to educate visitors on the importance of tropical forest.

To many, it would lead to a false intuition about real nature –one that is no such human development is an ecological part. I admire Siam Ocean World’s friendly staffs, particularly when they try their best educating school groups. But the exhibitional setting of the learning experience should also be considered. After the visits, those kids may know the name of the fish but wrongly perceive that such human settlement is common in nature.

Siam Ocean World has got great potential in improving its exhibits, and it can be much better. For instance, information plates could be developed from just general bio piece into more details. Such information and knowledge outlining geographical distribution and its special characters of particular fish could be added. In addition, tidbits of conservation aspect can be sparsely embedded into texts. More specific details are crucial in alluring visitors to learn about sea creatures in holistic and ecological-friendly manner.

It is worth noting that market today has commodified nature in almost every aspect –this is the truth. Aquarium is a good example. The notion of aquarium as an educational place is always sound and attractive to many investors in being a reliable source for revenue. But they should frequently ask themselves if this founding notion is strictly practiced.

Ultimately, we must reckon that everything comes with a cost –there is no free lunch. An extra aquarium being in operation means many additional extra fishes taken out from its natural habitats –many of them die during transportation while many others are lost at later stage. One fish costs more than one life –each catchment is associated with collateral damage and wasteful by-catch.

We must ensure that the cost the environment has paid is giving out a fruitful outcome, which is a better understanding of nature in a sustainable world. An aquarium can be a place to learn and understand nature. Do not compromise our grandchildren’s ability to see fish in the sea with the educational excuse and profits in an aquarium investment. We should display fish in an unselfish way –this is what Siam Ocean World should keep at its heart.

กบ

 

How do you want to be "famous"?

The river is famous to the fish.

The loud voice is famous to the silence,
which knew it would inherit the earth
before anybody said so.

The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds
watching him from the birdhouse.

The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.

The idea you carry close to your bosom
is famous to your bosom.

The boot is famous to the earth,
more famous than the dress shoe,
which is famous only to floors.

The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it
and not at all famous to the one who is pictured.

I want to be famous to shuffling men
who smile while crossing streets,
sticky children in grocery lines,
famous as the one who smiled back.

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it could do.

"Famous"
Naomi Shihab Nye
(from Words Under the Words 1995)

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