Portal de Murcia
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The rector of the University of Murcia, José Luján, and the Minister of Employment, Universities, Business and Environment, Javier Celdrán, visited this morning the Aquarium of the University of Murcia, located in the Artillery Barracks.
The visit has been framed in the conversations between the Ministry and the educational institution for the creation of a Bank of Species of the Mar Menor that allows to study and complete in captivity the reproductive cycle of some of the most emblematic species of the lagoon.
The project for the captive breeding of the seahorse has been underway for years in the UMU and the Aquarium has become a center of reference in its breeding, managing to close the cycle of ten different species, including the Hippocampus Guttulatus, characteristic of the Mar Menor
Specification of the Bank of Mar Menor Species would be an economic injection by the Autonomous Community that will allow to work in phases in the in-depth study of the species and the establishment of protocols for the captive breeding of both the seahorse and other species.
The project proposes the work in several phases with the seahorse, the needle and two types of mollusks: the nacre and the pholas dactylus, a species of the clam family.
To create this Species Bank, a number of genetically significant specimens would be selected to avoid the impoverishment of the populations and the ideal conditions, stable over time, will be recreated in the Aquarium of the University of Murcia, reproducing those of the natural environment in which these species live.
The ultimate objective of the Species Bank is to develop a captive breeding protocol that will ultimately enable reforestation projects if necessary.
José Luján, rector of the University of Murcia, said during the visit to the Aquarium that this bank of species has its origin in "the idea of ​​ensuring that the uniqueness of the lagoon has continuity, beyond the conjunctural situations that can be planted It will allow a reservoir to exist that will guarantee that these species will always be there. "
Extension of the Aquarium of the University of Murcia
The Aquarium of the University of Murcia develops an important work of investigation, informative and of sensitization on the care of the environment with multitude of projects and activities.
In order to continue improving in these areas, the Aquarium has among its short-term objectives the expansion of the exhibition and work area.
In a first phase the idea is to remodel a room that is currently used as a warehouse to fill it with tanks.
In a second phase, the University contemplates the possibility of having the ground floor of Pavilion 1 of the Artillery Barracks.
This extension of space would allow the UMU Aquarium to be promoted as a center of reference in research and conservation of the aquatic environment and as an exhibition to the public.
The entire project would aim to house new species and research areas.
More than 30,000 people visit this aquarium every year, where you can see more than a dozen sharks of different species (zebra and white tips, among others), about a hundred fish, as well as an important collection of corals and seahorses.
The price of admission to the aquarium of the University of Murcia is 1 euro and is open from Tuesday to Sunday.
Source: Universidad de Murcia
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