Qawra’s fishy guests

More than 1,000 fish of all shapes and colours will be gracing the 26 tanks at the national aquarium, which opens its doors to the public at the end of the month. Some, like black tip reef sharks, were flown over from the Caribbean Sea and others, such as sea bream, were brought from the Aquaculture Research Centre in Fort San Luċjan, Marsaxlokk. Work on the €15.6 million project, partly financed by the EU and private investment, started in November 2011 and has now reached the stage where fish are being gradually introduced to get used to their new home. There will be more than 50 different species of fish imported from the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Caribbean. Curator Mike Hutchinson said the aquarium would also be working on a conservation project to breed the local seahorse. With 25 years experience, Mr Hutchinson has built similar aquariums in China, America, North Korea, Scotland and New Zealand. Nursehound and small spotted cat shark eggs have also been brought from San Luċjan, where Mcast and Sharklab Malta are carrying out a conservation project to make up for the species’ declining numbers. Children will be able to touch starfish, sea urchins...