Aquarium des lagons, Public aquarium in Noumea, New Caledonia, France.
Aquarium des Lagons is a marine facility in Nouméa housing over 200 species of fish, turtles, and other sea creatures from New Caledonian waters. The tanks display animals collected from the reefs and lagoons surrounding the island.
The aquarium was founded in 1956 by biologist René Catala and his wife Ida Stucki, between Anse Vata and Baie des Citrons. The old building became too dilapidated to renovate or extend, so a new structure was built; after delays of one and then two years, it reopened on 31 August 2007, with the site enlarged fivefold.
The aquarium's name recalls the lagoons that surround New Caledonia, and its tanks trace the island's aquatic environments from reef to open water. Its best-known work is coral farming and the fluorescent corals it keeps, a subject visitors can observe directly in the displays.
The aquarium sits between Anse Vata and Baie des Citrons, and its seawater is pumped from the Baie des Citrons. The visit runs on one level, so the tanks, education room, cinema and shop are all reached without stairs. The staff offices and the access to the large tank and nautilus tank are on the second floor.
The aquarium is one of the few of its kind to run on open seawater: water is pumped in from the Baie des Citrons and the tanks are lit by natural light rather than artificial lamps. It also has a sister-aquarium partnership with the Toba Aquarium in Mie Prefecture, Japan.
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