Rod and Reel

It's strange, but of all of the things that I disliked about Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium, the heavy emphasis on fishing didn't strike me at all as overdone or too heavy-handed.  Which is surprising, because it was not a subtle presence there.  From the bass fishing hall of fame to the display on US Presidents and their fishing fetishes, love for the sport was omnipresent through the building, as one might expect from an aquarium that was paid for with Bass Pro money.  It got to the point that, when I walked by the shark tank, I expected a hook and line to drop into view any second.

Fishing is just so closely associated with our ties to fish that it feels natural that a building displaying aquatic creatures - and especially one that focuses so heavily on freshwater fish - would talk a lot about it.  If anything, it enhanced the aquarium experience for me a bit by offering something unique, a new take on river and lake and ocean ecosystems.  These elements were interspersed among the aquarium displays, but were segregated enough that, if you did not have any interest in them, you could breeze through them without any difficulty and head straight to the next tank.  The emphasis on the ties between fishing and conservation is made throughout the aquarium.

I can certainly see why some visitors might find the focus on fishing to be off-putting.  I imagine it would be weird going to a zoo that was themed around big game hunting (though again, the Heads and Horns Museum at the Bronx Zoo was once of the signature attractions of that august facility, which was founded in large part by... big game hunters.  That collection is now on display at Wonders of Wildlife).  That being said, issues pertaining to conservation tend to be complex, especially when the welfare of individual animals (which, presumably, would not like to be fished and/or hunted) are added to the mix.  Rather than not talking about hunting and fishing at all, it was interesting to be in an aquarium that does discuss it...

...even if they have a vested financial interest in promoting it.