Biology Reference
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ment. Arriving at the fairgrounds, I was amazed. The aquarium build-
ing was complete, and the two large concrete pools for the seals and
sea lions were filled and ready to go. Bleachers and ramps had been
built around the mammal pools to give the visitors good views of the
animals. Everything was painted and functioning, just as they'd told
us it would be. Meanwhile, frantic activity was going on all around as
fisheries exhibitor's booths were installed and stocked.
The fairground crews had been responsible for all of the construc-
tion, and I was most impressed with both its quality and their speed.
We were told that the crews had worked night and day, and seeing
what they had achieved I could well believe it. They had done a re-
markable job.
I set up the aquarium and the touch pool and filled them with artificial
seawater made from salts shipped from San Diego. The next day, right
on schedule, the five hundred pounds of moist, oxygenated filter sand
arrived; it was immediately poured into the two tanks and the filter
pumps were turned on. The following day Styrofoam boxes of live fish
and invertebrates arrived by plane from San Diego, to be installed in
their appropriate exhibits. All went according to plan, and, most im-
portant, the crucial filter bacteria got right to work taking care of the
fish's wastes. My part of the show was ready.
The marine mammals, which were under the care of Sea World's vet-
erinarian, Jay Sweeney, arrived on a chartered DC-8 jet freighter. The
harbor seals and sea lions were no problem to move but the crated ele-
phant seal, weighing in at a ton, required a crane to be lifted o¤ the
truck and onto the dry area of the pool. Released from its shipping
cage, it lumbered eagerly into the water with a huge splash. It was an
impressive sight.
The exposition opened to the public two days later, and people came
in droves. Sea World's marine mammals and aquariums were tremen-
dous draws, having been heavily advertised throughout Mexico. Visi-
tors stood in line for hours. The security sta¤, in an e¤ort to keep things
moving, allowed each person less than five minutes inside the aquar-
ium building. That amounted to walking in the door, slowly walking
by the aquarium and graphic exhibits, and exiting out the back.
I got the sense from watching all this that these people were starved
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