Unusual species of jellyfish, unique crustaceans, and an exhibition built below sea level. We are opening the largest complex in Poland, presenting the environment of the seas of the cold northern hemisphere. Opening on April 20, 2024.

The construction works for the implementation of the new investment in the Gdynia Aquarium started in 2021. From the very beginning, it has been an extraordinary challenge, the effects of which will soon be observable. Over the course of 4 years, an exhibition was created at the Gdynia Aquarium, showcasing the fauna and flora of cold seas. This includes over 30 species of animals, three times the volume of water compared to all of our previous tanks combined, and new experiences for visitors.

Below the surface of the Baltic Sea

The expansion of the educational path for the new exhibition at the Gdynia Aquarium was a challenge from the very first day of construction work. The biggest challenge was the transformation of the existing basement into usable space. This required lowering the foundations and the basement floor, as well as building new column foundations that support the weight of the rotunda structure. Due to the creation of new space below sea level, the contractor had to build a structure resembling a bathtub around the new floor, aimed at protecting the building from water ingress into its interior. Thus, when visiting the “Cold Seas” exhibition, we literally move underwater!

450,000 liters more water!

The new exhibition consists of 12 tanks with a total volume of 450,000 liters! They are inhabited mainly by bony and cartilaginous fish, as well as crustaceans and a species of jellyfish unique to us, Chrysaora quinquecirrha, bred by our aquarists. Visitors will be able to admire the behavior of schooling fish, those that thrive in surf zone conditions, and those that hide in the sand. The entire exhibition presents the fauna of the cold part of the Atlantic Ocean, including the North Sea, the Danish Straits, and the Baltic Sea. Ultimately, up to 1300 new organisms will inhabit the new space.

Cold Seas – from the Atlantic to the Baltic

The new exhibition is designed to showcase the diversity of an environment that is not commonly considered as such. The dynamic, well-oxygenated, and fully salted waters of the northern Atlantic provide excellent conditions for the life of many species of animals and plants. This exhibition is an invitation to embark on a journey that leads from the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean to the nearly enclosed, least saline sea in the world – the Baltic Sea.

Each tank located along the tour route brings visitors closer to discovering a slice of the unique richness of the cold European seas.

The ocean and humanity are inseparably linked

The new exhibition is not only a place where the Atlantic meets the Baltic. It is also a space where guests of the Gdynia Aquarium will be able to learn about the relationships that connect the marine world with the world of humans. The global ocean provides about 50% of the oxygen we breathe, shapes the climate, influences the weather, and is a source of resources that help people live healthily.

The implementation of the project is possible thanks to the support of the Marshal’s Office of the Pomeranian Voivodeship within the framework of action 11.4 of the ROP Pomerania 2014-2020.

The project in numbers:

Total Value: 19,365,271.32 PLN
Eligible Expenditures: 15,424,777.46 PLN
Requested EU Funding: 11,035,612.10 PLN
EU Co-Financing Level [%]: 71.54%
Number of tanks – 12
Amount of water – 450 000 liters
The largest tank – 126 700 liters
The smallest tank– 2 300 liters
Completion date – 31.12.2023 r.
Exhibition opening date – 20.04.2024 r.

The project contractor was selected through the second tender procedure. The company 3JM Michał Bryłka won the tender.

What did the investment look like?

This is how our basement looked at the beginning of the investment works.

The arrangement of the exhibition space, in a place previously unprepared for tourists, required a series of construction works. These included:

• reinforcement of the existing building structure,
• lowering of the foundations and basement floor,
• construction of a staircase,
• installation of a new elevator and all necessary utilities.

Aeoliscus strigatus

Order: Syngnathiformes | Family: Centriscidae

Distribution

This species inhabits the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa to Australia, including Southeast Asia. Its habitat includes coastal waters ranging in depth from 1 to 42 meters, where coral reefs, seagrass, or Black long spine urchins are present. The razorfish swims in large, synchronized schools and seeks shelter among coral or sea urchin spines.

Appearance

This fish is remarkable due to its peculiar body shape and its unique swimming behavior, where it swims head-down with its back oriented in the direction of movement. Its 15-centimeter-long body is surrounded by armor composed of thin, transparent plates. It is elongated and has a long tubular snout without teeth. The ventral edge is strongly compressed and sharp. The razorfish lacks a lateral line. The fins of the razorfish are significantly reduced, transparent, and positioned unusually. The tail fin is located on the ventral side, while the dorsal fin, which possesses a long first spine, is situated at the end of the body where the tail fin typically is. The spine has a distinctive bend, and its tip is movable and usually curved at an angle towards the body.

The color of the fish’s body varies depending on the habitat, ranging from silvery-greenish to yellowish-brown or fairly pale. Individuals living among seagrass typically have a more greenish-yellow dorsal side with a scattered light brown stripe running from the snout to the tail fin. Those inhabiting sandy or rubble-covered habitats or near coral reefs have a light silver body with a black or brown stripe on the sides.

Feeding

This fish is carnivorous and feeds on small planktonic and benthic invertebrates. Larger individuals mainly consume amphipods from the Gammaridae family, while smaller ones prefer planktonic copepods.

Black long spine urchin – is its role solely to provide shelter for the razorfish?

The razorfish is a dioecious species, but without clear sexual dimorphism. External fertilization results in pelagic eggs and larvae. When the larva reaches a length of about 20 mm, it usually settles among the spines of the sea urchin. In contrast to the mature individuals, the bodies of juvenile specimens are stout, almost rectangular, with an undeveloped beak and the absence of a visible dark stripe on the sides of the body. Similar to the mature individuals, they are capable of changing body color depending on the habitat. This species has no commercial use. It is caught as bycatch and collected for sale in the aquarium industry.

In its natural environment, the razorfish hides among the spines of the sea urchins, and its coloration and mode of movement assist in this behavior. It serves as both a defensive and hunting mechanism. When faced with threats from larger fish, the razorfish seeks refuge among the spines of nearby sea urchins or coral. Its hunting strategy is also associated with hiding among the spines of the sea urchin, where it awaits small invertebrates. When the prey approaches, the fish attacks and attempts to capture it.

On the occasion of the upcoming Easter holiday, we wish you joy, good health, and time to spend with your loved ones.

If you would like to spend it by visiting the Gdynia Aquarium, we would like to remind you that the exhibition will be closed on Easter Sunday. On other days, including Easter Monday, we invite you to visit us from 9 am to 7 pm. If you would like to visit us in April, please note that the Aquarium is closed on April 24th.

Why are those Easter eggs on the paper so strange?

This is our variation on ‘Easter eggs’ – a picture of eggs from our marble sharks in the form of Easter eggs

For those interested – here’s a little piece of what it’s like to be an aquarist – Easter version – eggs.

We collect newly laid eggs of the marble sharks and transfer them to breeding tanks where conditions are suitable for their incubation.

There are special racks in the breeding tanks, where we attach the eggs using their tendrils.

It’s important that water flows through the eggs, to wash and oxygenate them at the same time.

After about 50 days, a delicate ‘unsealing’ of the egg occurs. At that point, the embryo is no longer tightly enclosed in its shell. This allows it to live and function in the surrounding water.

Incubation takes about 90-100 days. In the final period, the young shark no longer fits inside its capsule. It wriggles and nibbles at the capsule. If it can’t get out of the egg, it could lead to its death! Therefore, careful observation is important at this stage.

Often, the young hatch still with remnants of the yolk sac attached to their bellies, which will be absorbed within a few days.

During hatching, young marbled catsharks are about 10 cm long.

Newly “born” individuals are transferred to another tank. Each litter has its own tank, which helps to avoid situations in which older and stronger individuals would steal food from younger and weaker ones.

Feeding trials start with giving them plankton: first live, then frozen. The next step is trying to feed them mussels, shrimps, and chopped fish.

The young have specially prepared hiding places in their tanks. As a secretive species, they need such places.

Dear Guests,

Due to a malfunction in the telephone exchange, there may be difficulties in reaching us by phone.

We apologize for the inconvenience! The fault is already being repaired.

In the meantime, we invite you to contact us via email!

To sign up for educational classes or for any matters related to the activity of the Gdynia Aquarium Education Center, please contact us at:

• akwarium.edukacja@mir.gdynia.pl
• or call us at 690 119 184 (only for booking classes, from 07:30 to 15:30).

For matters related to promotions, please contact us at akwarium.info@mir.gdynia.pl.

Secretariat – akwarium@mir.gdynia.pl

Chiloscyllium punctatum

Order: Orectolobiformes | Family: Hemiscylliidae

This is a small shark that lives on the seabed and inhabits the coral reefs and coasts of the western Indo-Pacific, from Australia to India and Japan. This shark is oviparous. It is quite popular in the aquarium scene due to its simple needs and tolerance to habitat changes, especially hypoxia (low oxygen levels in water).

It leads a nocturnal life, spending its days hidden in the nooks of coral reefs. Although sexual dimorphism is not especially apparent, the male can still be easily distinguished from the female by the presence of the clasper, composed of two elongated structures formed from pelvic fin parts.

Research conducted by the Steinhart Aquarium in California revealed that females can store the male’s sperm for a long period of time, making delayed fertilization possible. Juveniles have distinct black and white stripes on their bodies, which match the coral reef structures and serve as camouflage. These stripes are no longer visible in adults.

These sharks live up to approximately 25 years. Destructive fishing methods and habitat destruction threaten the population of this species.

Shape your future. Small waves create a big ocean!

Network of European Blue Schools

In the period from April to December 2021, the NMFRI Gdynia Aquarium in cooperation with the Environmental Department of the City of Gdynia implemented an education project called “European Blue School Network”. The NMFRI Gdynia Aquarium is an institution committed to providing reliable information about seas and oceans, supporting initiatives for water protection, arousing curiosity and sensitivity in the younger generation, and creating a space for participants of educational meetings to exchange thoughts, opinions, and experiences.

It has been a year since the Aquarium Education Center of Gdynia began building the network of European Blue Schools. In 2021, eleven educational institutions from Gdynia responded to the call of the European Commission’s “Find the Blue” initiative and obtained the certification of a European Blue School through project experience.

We invite you to watch a movie about the project!

On a journey where water was our element, we took 11 schools from Gdynia, which were:

1. Early Education Team No. 1 (Primary School No. 45)
2. General Secondary Schools No. 6 (Primary School No. 53 and Primary School No. 49 for the Hearing Impaired)
3. Primary School No. 8 named after the Defenders of Hel
4. Primary School No. 21
5. Primary School No. 34 with Integration Classes named after Leonid Teliga
6. Primary School No. 35 named after Captain Stanisław Kosko
7. Primary School No. 37
8. Primary School No. 40 named after Captain Navy Karol Olgierd Borchardt
9. Primary School No. 48 named after Professor Kazimierz Demel
10. Liber Private Primary School
11. Gdynia Community School

The Network of Blue Schools are educational institutions that include “marine awareness” education in their teaching programs. This is realised through school projects carried out by students under the supervision of teachers or by incorporating knowledge about the sea into various subjects such as biology, geography, art, music, and even foreign languages. Spreading Ocean Literacy is particularly important in the context of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), whose theme is “the science we need for the ocean we want.”

The NETWORK OF EUROPEAN BLUE SCHOOLS is an initiative of the European Commission, supported by the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, developed by partners of the EU4Ocean Coalition.

Discover the Blue

European Blue Schools bring the ocean into the classrooms. On their journey to become part of the network, teachers and students acquire knowledge and begin to better understand and appreciate the impact that the vast body of saltwater has on life on the blue planet. Building awareness and a sense of responsibility encourages students to become more engaged citizens of Europe and the world. The program challenges schools to “Discover the Blue” and investigate their relationship with the ocean while creating networks across Europe.

Why is it worth becoming a European Blue School?

Schools that would like to take on the “Discover the Blue” challenge must identify a marine environment-related topic that is important to their students, and then create a school project related to it. The goal is to make seas and oceans a central part of the curriculum through project-based learning. Student self-reliance, cooperation with people involved in research and protection of aquatic ecosystems, and building communities with similar interests are key values of these initiatives. After successfully completing the “Discover the Blue” challenge, schools receive the European Blue School certificate.

All certified educational institutions become initiators of change for sustainable ocean development, share experiences with teachers and students from other schools in the network, and connect with a wider community engaged in combating marine illiteracy.

Project coordinator: Małgorzata Żywicka
e-mail: mzywicka@mir.gdynia.pl
tel: +48 587 326 622