how to feed a sea turtle

I just completed my second day as a semi-part-time-intern at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and I'm exhausted, salty, and smell like fish. But it was a great day and while the fact that I chopped up dead, frozen fish for about an hour slightly ruined my appetite for seafood (actually, take that back, I had crab cakes for lunch), it was worth it.

I'm hanging out at the aquarium for four fun-filled days. Yesterday I spent the morning and afternoon hanging out with the volunteer dive crew and having my own personal tour of the entire building. Today I came prepared with a bathing suit, wet suit, and mask and ready to dive! My first dive was in the "ray tray" = where most of the stingrays are as well as tarpons, a zebra shark, and Calypso the green sea turtle. I didn't exactly know what I was going to be doing but underwater I was handed some shrimp and pieces of fish (ones that I had help cut up only an hour prior) and shown how to feed the rays. This involves placing a piece of fish in the palm of your open hand, low to the ground for a ray all the while fending off with your other hand/elbow/head/leg/SCUBA gear the other rays that have already had their chance to eat. Seriously, I was swarmed but big and small rays. They are completely inconsiderate and plow right into your body, face, and arms. After I realized I wasn't going to be eaten alive I relaxed and shoved them right back. Next came the feeding of the green sea turtle which now involves attempting to not get your fingers bitten off but also scratching Calypso's shell when she has finished eating.

My second dive came shortly after the first and we got into the Atlantic Coral Reef (ACR) tank which is mostly filled with small to medium-sized fish, small rays, and a moray eel. This was more of a fun dive and I followed the divers as they took me through nooks and crannies, up and down, and all around the tank. The visitors to the aquarium are able to see us divers readily and I enjoyed saying hi to families, smiling at kids, floating upside down, and pretending to eat shrimp. I remember when I was young seeing the divers in the water and thinking - "wow, that is really really cool." So, I'm hoping the kids thought my diving was really cool and fun and perhaps they'll turn into the next Sylvia Earle, Carl Safina, or Cousteau.

And that was just my morning!

This afternoon I spent with the fisheries department checking out the behind-the-scenes area and helping feed many of the animals in the exhibits. It is amazing how much it takes to keep up exhibits - energy, water, man-power. This is when my uncertainty about aquariums comes up. Energy is needed to cool water, heat water, clean water, bring water in, light the exhibits, run the currents and jets, run the scrubbers, and probably much more that I'm not aware of. I like to think that the ocean, lakes, rivers - they are my aquariums. But not everyone has the time nor money to go out and check out these natural aquariums or learn to dive. Is it so bad that we expend this large amount of energy to bring these natural systems to the general public so they might learn a bit more? I guess it's always a give or take.

But in the meantime, I'll enjoy the learning as well.