Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
hind me, but the lessons I was to learn about marine life were just be-
ginning and would continue for the rest of my career. I would learn
about the fascinating behaviors of a host of animals and in so doing
develop a profound respect for them. In time I would develop meth-
ods for collecting a whole range of animals safely and unharmed, know-
ing that it was my obligation to care for them as best as I could. A new
world lay ahead of me.
Ken showed me around the place, pointing out the smaller aquari-
ums, called “Jewel Tanks,” that would be my responsibility. These ex-
hibits were a rather haphazard mixture of freshwater and marine, lo-
cal and exotic, fishes and invertebrates and seemed to be randomly
scattered throughout the oceanarium complex. Marineland's star at-
tractions were the performing marine mammals—the bottlenose dol-
phins (
Tursiops truncatus
), Pacific white-sided dolphins (
Lagenorhynchus
obliquidens
), and California sea lions—but the facility also had a half-
million-gallon display tank of fishes and sharks. Most of the Jewel Tanks
weren't much larger than good-sized home aquariums, but a couple,
such as the Octopus Grotto and the Hawaiian Reef, were considerably
bigger, holding about ten thousand gallons.
Comparing the 1950s Marineland of the Pacific to the aquariums of
the present day reveals striking changes. Those were the days before
fiberglass tanks, acrylic windows, plastic pumps, and silicone sealant.
The technology to make curved windows or tank walls simply didn't
exist. The smaller Jewel Tanks at Marineland had rectangular welded-
steel frames with slate sides and bottoms and flat, glass windows. Aquar-
ists had to constantly scrape and paint the perpetually rusting tank
frames and reseal the frequently leaking windows.
I didn't appreciate the management style of Ken Norris at the time,
though I certainly do now. He gave me the responsibility, support,
and freedom to create what I believed in. He said, in e¤ect, “Here
are all the tanks; go to it. I'm here if you need help.” He left me alone
unless I needed his advice. He gave all those who worked for him the
feeling that he believed in us, and this motivated me and, I'm sure,
many others to do the best we could. I learned a lot by following
Ken's example, and, most important, I learned not to be afraid to try
things that had never been done before. He had a wonderful and
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