A LOCAL authority is facing renewed calls for the Northern Ireland’s only public aquarium to be reopened at a time when the region’s young people are in danger of losing touch with the sea.
The National Trust this week warned that visitor numbers to the region’s seashores were falling, with only 27 per cent of people going on holiday to the coast in the past 12 months – three per cent less than the UK-wide average.
Eighty two per cent of Northern Ireland participants in the research agreed that visiting the coast or seaside was “an important part” of their childhood while 87 per cent said that youngsters who do not get the opportunity to do so are “missing out on an important part of childhood”.
Eighty nine per cent of people said it was “important that all parents give their children the opportunity to experience” the coast or seaside.
However, the trust worryingly discovered that young adults, aged between 18 and 24, were far less connected to the coast than those aged over 55.
In a bid to raise awareness of the important of the coast, the National Trust is hosting a Shellsphere event at the City Hall in Belfast on August 31 from 10am to 4pm. Further details to follow.
The publication of the trust’s findings are timely, given that fresh calls are being made to ensure that one of the island of Ireland’s most invaluable tourist and education facilities is reopened without delay.
The Exploris aquarium in Portaferry, Co Down, has been closed to the public for several months for refurbishment, raising concerns about its long-term future.
Described by Lonely Planet as an “outstanding state-of-the-art aquarium, with displays of marine life from Strangford Lough and the Irish Sea”, Exploris looks set to remain shut until mid 2016 at the very least.
Earlier this year the BBC reported that the aquarium would not reopen for the peak summer 2015 season after a local authority failure to appoint a contractor for refurbishment work had led to the loss of £214,000 in funding from the Department of the Environment.
In a statement to The Irish News, the new Ards and North Down Borough Council insisted it was committed to the facility, discussing options at a meeting in June regarding “both refurbishment plans and new management arrangements to be in place for reopening by summer 2016”.
The council has launched what it describes as “an engagement/expression of interest process” – more details are available on http://www.ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk/business/tenders/current-tenders/exploris-visitor-attractions-business-opportunity.
The results of the trawl for interested parties are due to be brought before the council this month for “further consideration” before the tendering process begins. Getting the process kick-started to the next phase, when work actually takes place, of course depends on whether a developer is found.
A spokeswoman also said the council would “continue to work closely” with the DOE in an effort to resolve the funding issue, with ongoing discussions aimed at securing a “flexible deadline” for spending funds.
However, Dr Julia Sigwart of the Friends of Exploris group, expressed concern there had been “no movement to reopen Exploris in the short term”.
“Friends of Exploris feels that it is essential to the future of Exploris and to the economy of Portaferry to see the aquarium reopened as soon as possible, and that the future development must focus on the amazing marine diversity of Northern Ireland,” she added.
The fate of Exploris has hung in the balance for years. That seems highly surprising given that around 50 per cent – that’s a fact, not a guesstimate – of the north’s biodiversity is found beneath the sea.
Beyond the region’s 650km of coastline the waters boast two species of seal and 17 species of whale, dolphin and porpoise, as well as basking shark, and countless smaller species of marine flora and fauna.
Any facility that serves to safeguard the future of such a precious resource – both environmentally and economically – must be protected for the generations to come.
