Aquarium - Suizokukan (English spelling) aquarium

Japanese: 水族館 - すいぞくかん（英語表記）aquarium

A facility that breeds various aquatic creatures (aquatic animals) and exhibits them for social education and entertainment. Also called an aquarium.

history

There are various theories about the oldest aquarium in the world, but it seems appropriate to call it the Fish House at London Zoo, which opened in 1853, the first in the world, as it was the first to use plate glass that could withstand water pressure. All tanks at that time were still-water type, but after W. A. Lloyd of England invented the circulating tank in 1860, full-scale aquariums were opened one after another in various parts of Europe, including Paris (1860), Hamburg (1864), London (1871), and Naples (1874). From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, as electricity became practical, a major reform was brought about in the internal facilities of aquariums, and developed countries competed to build large-scale aquariums. The main ones were the New York Aquarium (1896, 131 tanks), the Berlin Zoological Gardens (1913), which had 100 tanks and many amphibians and reptiles, the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco (1923, 158 tanks), and the London Zoological Gardens (1924, 90 tanks). All of them had recirculating freshwater and saltwater facilities, as well as heating and cooling systems for the water. The pinnacle of these was the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago (1929), which had 203 tanks in radial galleries and 175 extra tanks. Marine life was transported from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in a special freight car called the Nautilus, and freshwater fish were collected from almost all over the world.

Initially, all of these aquariums were run by public organizations, but later private enterprises took over management, and a completely new type of large aquarium was born, as typified by Florida's Marine Studios, which opened in 1938. These large aquariums were characterized by the fact that they were able to raise large fish such as sharks and migratory fish such as bonito, and by the presence of huge tanks where feeding shows and other events could be held.

The first aquarium in Japan was the fish viewing room at Ueno Zoo, which opened in 1882 (Meiji 15). With the exception of the privately run Asakusa Aquarium, which opened in 1899, many of Japan's early aquariums were built as annex facilities to expositions, such as those in Wadamisaki, Sakai, and Uozu. From then until the Taisho era, aquariums were built as annex facilities to university marine research laboratories, such as the Misaki aquarium at the University of Tokyo, the Seto aquarium at Kyoto University, and the Asamushi aquarium at Tohoku University. The three most representative aquariums that were opened or renovated in the early Showa era were the Hanshin aquarium, the Shinmaiko aquarium, and the Sakai aquarium. Judging from their size, facilities, and content, it can be said that it was around this time that aquariums in Japan transformed into modern facilities. Aquariums that were destroyed during World War II were gradually restored from the late 1940s. Furthermore, from the 1950s onwards, there was a boom in the construction of aquariums over the following four periods.

The first boom was in the 1950s, when 21 new aquariums were established across Japan. During this time, display tanks were mainly small and medium tanks lined up in a row, and among them, the Oceanarium (240 tons and 300 tons) at Misaki Park Natural Zoo Aquarium and Aqualand (400 tons) at Suma Aquarium stood out as the forerunners of large tanks. In addition, the circulation tank at Marine Palace (Oita Ecological Aquarium, reopened in 2004 as Oita Marine Palace Aquarium "Umitamago") was a unique, endless waterway with a constant flow in a large donut-shaped tank.

The second boom came in the early 1960s, when a total of 14 aquariums were built across the country. Particularly unique among them were the semi-underground Amakusa Undersea Natural Aquarium, which evoked the feeling of walking under the sea, the Shimoda Undersea Aquarium, which had its exhibits set up on a circular boat, and the Kushimoto Undersea Park Center Aquarium, which began full-scale breeding of reef-building corals.

During the third construction boom in the 1970s, 13 new aquariums were built, including the Okinawa Memorial Park Aquarium (now the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium), which featured whale sharks in a 1,000-ton tank, and the Sunshine International Aquarium, which bred and exhibited dolphins on the 10th floor (40 meters above ground) of a building in the city center. In 1983 (Showa 58), the Aomori Prefectural Asamushi Aquarium opened as the first of the huge aquariums with a wide variety of exhibits, leading to the fourth boom in the Heisei era.

Since the Heisei era began, super-large aquariums have been built one after another, including Umi-no-Nakamichi Marine Ecology Science Museum, Kasai Rinkai Aquarium, Marinepia Nihonkai, Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, Noboribetsu Marine Park Nixe, and Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, and the content of exhibits has become more diverse.

[Tadakazu Araga]

Exhibition Contents

Depending on the creatures they exhibit, aquariums can be broadly divided into urban and regional types. The former are those that do not only collect domestic aquariums, but also collect famous aquariums from all over the world, such as Kasai and Suma. The latter are those that aim to introduce the underwater biota of their local area, such as Kyoto University's Seto Marine Biological Laboratory (Shirahama Aquarium) and Kushimoto Underwater Park Center, and each aquarium is unique. Many aquariums in Japan are located in tourist destinations around the country, and should ideally be regional, but since the 1970s, many aquariums have been aiming to be urban in order to meet the needs of a diversifying audience. In addition, as a way to deepen the bond between visitors and the aquariums, more and more aquariums are introducing shows featuring trained marine animals and fish, and setting up experience tanks where visitors can touch the aquariums.

[Tadakazu Araga]

Tank type

The basic format is a row of small and medium-sized rectangular tanks, commonly known as the train window format. Although this format has limitations such as not being able to keep large aquariums, it has the advantage of allowing close-up observation of the shapes and movements of aquariums, and is still the main format for tank layout in many aquariums today. In contrast, the scale of tanks has become enormous, such as rectangular tanks with a capacity of several thousand tons aimed at creating dynamic underwater scenery, and swimming tanks with endless donut-shaped waterways that create a current and allow schools of fish to swim constantly. On the other hand, micro aquariums have been developed that use universal projectors and microscopes that combine lenses, lighting, and circular screens to introduce the appearance of tiny organisms. Landscape tanks, in which the water level is lowered to about half the surface of the glass and a background of tropical plants and other materials is displayed alongside the underwater scenery, are also being adopted in large aquariums around the country. In this way, the format of tanks for exhibition at aquariums is becoming significantly more diverse.

[Tadakazu Araga]

Breeding facilities

A still-water tank filled with water can be used to keep a small number of creatures for a short period of time, but to keep many aquariums, one of the following water quality maintenance facilities is required. The open-water tank (discharge type) is a system in which pumped seawater is directly supplied to the tank and then discharged back into the sea after use, and has the advantage of being able to use a large amount of fresh seawater at all times. However, it is subject to significant restrictions in terms of location, and has the disadvantages of being difficult to regulate the water temperature and to use chemicals to prevent fish diseases. The closed-water tank (circulating type) is a system in which water stored in a tank within the facility is supplied to each tank, and the water after use is purified in a filtration tank and then returned to the tank, so it is not affected by location conditions and can be used to keep marine life even in inland aquariums. Using heating and cooling equipment such as boilers and freezers and heat exchangers, temperature regulation is more efficient than in the open-water tank, so tropical and polar aquariums can be kept at the same time. However, repeated use of the same water over a long period of time inevitably leads to a decline in water quality. The most important part of a circulating tank is the filtration tank. Fine sand is generally used as the filter medium, and its function is not only to physically filter out suspended matter in the water with a layer of sand, but also to break down harmful substances in the water, such as nitrogen compounds, into harmless salts through the biochemical action of filtering bacteria that grow on the surfaces of the sand grains. In this sense, the filter tank is also a living thing, and the people behind the scenes at the aquarium pay close attention to its maintenance. In addition to the filter tank, there are devices that use the adsorption power of fine air bubbles to remove impurities from the water, and sterilization devices that use ultraviolet light or ozone are also commonly used.

[Tadakazu Araga]

Aquarium research

In the past, aquariums were fully occupied with breeding aquatic animals, but in recent years, improvements in breeding facilities and collection techniques (especially diving techniques) have freed up space for them to conduct research into the ecology of rare species and resource conservation. Steady progress has been made, particularly in the area of artificial propagation of fish.

[Tadakazu Araga]

[References] | Aquariums [Supplementary information] | Major aquariums in Japan | Major aquariums around the world

Aquamarine Fukushima
An aquarium located at Onahama Port No. 2 Pier. The theme is the "tide line" of the Pacific Ocean, a major feature of the sea of Fukushima. There are 72 exhibition tanks, including the main tank where you can experience the tide line, and about 1,200 species of living creatures, including plants, are on display. Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture ©Seishohmaru ">

Aquamarine Fukushima

Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium
This aquarium is located in a corner of the wharf facing Nagoya Port. It opened in 1992. It is a four-story building consisting of the South Building, which has a theme of the oceans from Japan to Antarctica, and the North Building, which has a theme of the evolution of marine life. The retired Antarctic research vessel "Fuji" is moored nearby, and the surrounding area has been developed as the Garden Pier Waterfront Green Park. Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture © Nagoya Convention & Visitors Bureau ">

Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium

Hekinan Seaside Aquarium
This municipal aquarium is located in Hekinan City Waterfront Park. It opened in 1982. It exhibits around 300 species of fish that can be found off the coast of Japan, as well as aquatic life that inhabits the Yahagi River and Mikawa Bay that run through the city. It also houses the Hekinan City Youth Marine Science Museum, which features hands-on exhibits. Hekinan City, Aichi Prefecture © Aichi Prefecture Tourism Association ">

Hekinan Seaside Aquarium

Toba Aquarium
Facing Toba Port, this is one of the largest aquariums in Japan. It opened in 1955. It is characterized by the fact that there is no set viewing order, and the aquarium is divided into 12 themes, with approximately 1,000 species and 25,000 creatures kept and exhibited. It is known as the only aquarium in Japan that keeps dugongs. Toba City, Mie Prefecture © Toba Aquarium ">

Toba Aquarium

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
Ocean Expo Park and Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium Motobu Town, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium Large Tank
Ocean Expo Park and Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium Motobu Town, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium Large Tank

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

各種の水生生物（水族）を飼育し、その展示を社会教育と娯楽に役だてる施設。アクアリウムともいう。

歴史

世界最古の水族館については諸説があるが、水圧に耐える板ガラスを水槽に初めて用いたという点で、1853年にできたロンドン動物園のフィッシュ・ハウスを世界初とするのが妥当であろう。当時の水槽はすべて止水式であったが、1860年にイギリスのW・A・ロイドが循環式水槽を発明してから、パリ（1860）、ハンブルク（1864）、ロンドン（1871）、ナポリ（1874）などヨーロッパ各地に次々と本格的な水族館が開設された。19世紀末から20世紀初めにかけて、電力が実用化されるに及んで、水族館の内部設備にも大改革がもたらされ、各先進国は競って大規模な水族館を建設した。そのおもなものは、ニューヨーク水族館（1896年開館、水槽数131）、100の大小水槽のほか両生類・爬虫(はちゅう)類を多数展示したベルリン動物園水族館（1913年開館）、サンフランシスコのスタインハート水族館（1923年開館、水槽数158）、ロンドン動物園水族館（1924年開館、水槽数90）などで、いずれも循環式の淡水・海水両設備をもち、飼育水の加熱・冷却装置も備えていた。それらの頂点に位置づけられるのがシカゴのジョン・G・シェッド水族館（1929年開館）であり、放射状のギャラリーに203の水槽を展示し、それ以外に175もの予備水槽があった。また、海洋生物は専用の輸送貨車ノーチラス号で大西洋・太平洋から運ばれ、淡水魚はほぼ世界中から集められていた。

　これらの水族館は当初、いずれも公共団体が運営していたが、その後私企業が経営に乗り出し、フロリダのマリン・スタジオ（1938年開設）に代表されるようなまったく新しいタイプの大型館が誕生した。これら大型館の特徴は、サメ類などの大形魚やカツオ類などの回遊魚の飼育を可能にした点と、餌(え)づけなどのショーが可能な巨大水槽の存在にあった。

　日本最初の水族館は1882年（明治15）に上野動物園にできた観魚室（うおのぞき）である。わが国初期の水族館は、1899年に開設された個人経営の浅草水族館を除き、和田岬、堺(さかい)、魚津(うおづ)など、博覧会の付属施設としてつくられたものが多く、以後大正年代にかけては、東京大学の三崎(みさき)、京都大学の瀬戸、東北大学の浅虫(あさむし)など大学の臨海実験所に付属する水族館が生まれた。昭和初期に開設または改装された代表的な水族館は、阪神、新舞子(しんまいこ)、堺の3館で、それらの規模、設備、内容をみると、このころからわが国の水族館は近代的な施設に脱皮したといえる。第二次世界大戦中、壊滅状態にあった水族館は、昭和20年代後半から徐々に復興していった。さらに昭和30年代以降は、次のような4期にわたる水族館建設ブームがみられた。

　第1期のブームは昭和30年代で、日本各地に新たな水族館が21館生まれた。この時代の展示水槽は中・小型水槽が一列に並ぶものが主流であり、そのなかにあって、みさき公園自然動物園水族館のオセアナリウム（240トンと300トン）と須磨水族館の(すますいぞくかん)アクアランド（400トン）は、大型水槽のはしりとして目だつ存在であった。また、マリーンパレス（大分生態水族館、2004年にリニューアルオープンし大分マリーンパレス水族館「うみたまご」となった）の回遊水槽はドーナツ形の大型水槽に一定方向の流れをつくり、エンドレスの水路とした独創的なものであった。

　第2期のブームは昭和40年代の前半で、全国で合計14館が建設された。そのなかでとくにユニークなものとしては、海底散歩の趣を演出した半地下式の天草海底自然水族館、円形の船に展示設備を設けた下田海中水族館、造礁サンゴの飼育を本格的に始めた串本海中公園センター水族館(くしもとかいちゅうこうえんせんたーすいぞくかん)などがあげられる。

　昭和50年代の第3期建設ブームでは新たに13館が新設され、そのなかでも1000トンの大水槽にジンベエザメを泳がせた沖縄記念公園水族館（現、沖縄美ら海水族館(おきなわちゅらうみすいぞくかん)）、都心のビル10階（地上40メートル）でイルカを飼育・展示したサンシャイン国際水族館などが目だつ。1983年（昭和58）には多彩な展示内容をもつ巨大水族館のはしりとして、青森県営浅虫水族館が開館して、平成の第4期ブームへと続いていく。

　平成に入ってからは、海の中道海洋生態科学館、葛西臨海水族園、マリンピア日本海、八景島シーパラダイス、登別マリンパークニクス、大阪・海遊館など、超大型水族館が続々と誕生し、展示内容も多様化していった。

［荒賀忠一］

展示内容

展示生物の顔ぶれによって、水族館は都会型と地方型に大別できる。前者は国内産の水族にとどまらず、広く世界各地の著名な水族を集める方針の館で、葛西、須磨などがこれに相当する。後者は京都大学瀬戸臨海実験所（白浜水族館）、串本海中公園センターなどのように、その所在地の水中生物相を紹介しようとするもので、各館それぞれ個性に富む。わが国の水族館の多くは各地の観光地にあり、本来は地方型であるべきであるが、多様化する観客の希望に応ずるために、昭和50年代以降は都会型を目ざす館が多くなった。また観客と水族の結び付きを深める手段として、調教された海獣や魚類のショーを取り入れたり、水族に手を触れることができる体験水槽を設けるところも増えている。

［荒賀忠一］

水槽の形式

基本的な形式は、直方体の中・小型水槽が1列に並んだ、俗に汽車の窓式とよばれるものである。この形式は、大形水族が飼えないといった制約があるものの、水族の形や動きを間近でよく観察できるという利点があり、現在でも多くの館で水槽配置の主方式となっている。これに対して、ダイナミックな水中景観の演出を目的とした容量数千トン級の長方形水槽や、ドーナツ形のエンドレス水路に流れをつくって魚群をつねに泳がせる回遊水槽など、水槽の規模が巨大化する一方、微小な生物の姿を紹介するため、レンズ、照明灯、円形スクリーンが一体になった万能投影機や顕微鏡を利用したマイクロ・アクアリウムが開発されている。水槽の水位をガラス面の半分ぐらいにまで下げ、水中景観と同時に熱帯植物などで造成された背景を見せるランドスケープ水槽も各地の大型館で採用されている。このように水族館の展示水槽の形式は著しく多様化しつつある。

［荒賀忠一］

飼育設備

水槽に水を満たしただけの止水式でも短期間なら少数の生物を飼えるが、数多くの水族を飼い続けるには、次のいずれかの水質維持設備が必要である。開放式（放流式）は、くみ上げた海水を直接飼育水槽に供給し、使用後は海に流し捨てる方式で、新鮮な海水を常時大量に使えるのが強みである。しかし立地条件の制約が大きいうえに、水温の調節や薬品による魚病対策がむずかしいという欠点をもつ。閉鎖式（循環式）は、館内の貯水槽に蓄えた水を各水槽へ供給し、使用後の水は濾過(ろか)槽で浄化したのち貯水槽へ戻す方式で、立地条件には左右されず、内陸の水族館でも海の生物を飼育できる。ボイラー、冷凍機などの加熱冷却装置と熱交換器を用いて、温度調節は開放式より効率的にできるので、熱帯性、寒帯性の水族も同時に飼育しうる。しかし長期間同じ水を反復使用すると水質の低下は否めない。循環式水槽でもっとも重要な部分は濾過槽である。濾材には一般に細砂が用いられるが、その機能は、砂の層で水中の浮遊物を物理的に濾(こ)し取るだけでなく、砂粒の表面に繁殖した濾過バクテリアの生化学的な作用により、窒素化合物など飼育水中の有害物質を無害な塩類に分解する点にある。この意味では濾過槽も生き物であり、水族館の裏方はその維持管理に細心の注意を払っている。濾過槽のほかに、細かい気泡の吸着力を利用して飼育水中の不純物を取り除く装置があり、紫外線やオゾンによる殺菌装置もよく用いられている。

［荒賀忠一］

水族館での研究

かつては水族の飼育に精いっぱいだった水族館も、近年は飼育設備や採集技術（とくに潜水技術）の向上によって生じた余力を利用し、希少生物の生態調査、資源保護などの研究を進められるようになった。とくに魚類の人工増殖の面では、着実に成果があがりつつある。

［荒賀忠一］

[参照項目] | アクアリウム[補完資料] | 日本のおもな水族館 | 世界のおもな水族館

アクアマリンふくしま
小名浜港2号埠頭に立地する水族館。福島の海の大きな特徴である太平洋の「潮目」をテーマとしている。潮境を体験できるメイン水槽をはじめとする展示水槽は72、植物を含め約1200種もの生物が展示されている。福島県いわき市©Seishohmaru">

アクアマリンふくしま

名古屋港水族館
名古屋港に面する埠頭の一角にある水族館。1992年（平成4）開館。地上4階建てで、日本から南極までの海をテーマにした南館と海洋生物の進化の歴史をテーマにした北館からなる。近くには退役した南極観測船「ふじ」が係留保存され、一帯はガーデンふ頭臨港緑園として整備されている。愛知県名古屋市©公益財団法人名古屋観光コンベンションビューロー">

名古屋港水族館

碧南海浜水族館
碧南市臨海公園内にある市立の水族館。1982年（昭和57）開館。日本沿岸で見られる魚類など約300種類を展示するほか、市内を流れる矢作川や三河湾に生息する水生生物を紹介する。参加体験型の展示を取り入れた碧南市青少年海の科学館を併設する。愛知県碧南市©一般社団法人愛知県観光協会">

碧南海浜水族館

鳥羽水族館
鳥羽港に面して建つ国内最大級の水族館。1955年（昭和30）開館。観覧順序のないのが特徴で、12のテーマごとに分けられた館内に約1000種、2万5000点の生きものが飼育、展示されている。日本で唯一ジュゴンを飼育している水族館として知られる。三重県鳥羽市©鳥羽水族館">

鳥羽水族館

沖縄美ら海水族館
海洋博公園・沖縄美ら海水族館　沖縄県国頭郡本部町">

沖縄美ら海水族館

沖縄美ら海水族館大水槽
海洋博公園・沖縄美ら海水族館　沖縄県国頭郡本部町">

沖縄美ら海水族館大水槽

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