For the first time since the late 1800s, the District of Columbia was aquarium-less the other day. The National Aquarium in Washington, DC, located in the basement of the Commerce Building, shuttered its doors. Its animal collection was dispersed to other aquariums, many of them to the aquarium's sister institution, the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Until fairly recently, there had been talk of expanding into a larger aquarium. There is no telling what will happen now. For the foreseeable future, DC will have no public aquarium.
The District of Columbia has a world-class zoo (which, among its collection, features many aquarium species, including octopi, sea lions, and an impressive assortment of freshwater fish). It also has an excellent botanic garden, and a host of wonderful museums (including the Museum of Natural History, with its Oceans Hall). All of these attractions, operated by the federal government, are free of admission. It was likely this that proved the greatest challenge to the DC aquarium - the difficulty in competing with the free attractions of DC. I've always thought it would be wonderful if the Smithsonian opened an aquarium up on the National Mall. Of course, these days I doubt the federal government really has the money to spare...
For a brief period of time, I volunteered at the DC aquarium. I had years worth of zoo experience, but knew little about aquatic systems and wanted to fill that gap in my knowledge. I found the aquarists who worked there to be a knowledgeable, friendly bunch, devoted to providing the best of care to their animals. I hope that they find success wherever they go. I hope that one day DC once again can boast of an aquarium.
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