Blog | Under the sea: marine life in museums

Aquariums, museums and zoos are all cultural institutions – however, each of them has a slightly different function. Aquariums are used for the conservation, education and (arguably) the entertainment of marine life; museums exhibit collections of artwork and/or artefacts from the beginning of time to the present day; and zoos protect and care for wildlife.

Recently, marine-related exhibitions with topics such as aquatic biodiversity, climate change, illegal wildlife trafficking, microplastics, plastic pollution and sustainable fishing have become increasingly popular in museums.

In an effort to educate museum visitors on these topics and with the intent to shock visitors, drastic and often disturbing images of the environmental crisis are displayed. These include images of seals entangled in fishing nets, beached whales, and the stomachs of birds filled with microplastics.

The idea is that visitors will have a negative emotional response to these images and, as a result, leave the exhibition compelled to take action towards ocean conservation. Unfortunately, visitors are immune to the ‘shock factor’ due to the images and stories they encounter in their daily lives through news and media outlets. This means that the original intent of the images is not effective.

One method to reverse this is to exhibit ‘aquarium-like’ displays of living marine life. To alleviate the depressive feelings associated with eco-anxiety, visitors are instead confronted with vibrant-coloured marine life. Watching them move freely through the water creates an uplifting sense of excitement and wonder.

This positive engagement for all ages acts as a hopeful catalyst for inspiring ocean-friendly changes in our day-to-day lives. With that said, it is critical to understand that by displaying living marine life, museums are without a doubt actively participating in ocean exploitation.

By its simplest definition, to exploit something is to take advantage of it. In other words, removing living marine life from their natural marine habitat is an act of ocean exploitation. Not to mention that this act of removal has a significant negative environmental impact on marine biodiversity within marine ecosystems.

Museums need to acknowledge, and ideally cease, their active participation in order to fully be transparent and work towards their commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of which is SDG 14: Life Below Water.

Despite implementing best practices and/or procedures for the care and/or welfare of aquatic animals, museums also participate in animal captivity. The question is whether or not museums view ‘aquarium-like’ displays of living marine life as ethical. Clearly they do – but why they do is still unclear.

27 November 2024