I've always wanted to know what it's like to work in a big aquarium, so I came to the
New England in Boston to learn what it takes to be an Aquarist. How hard can it be?
Hi, I'm Jonathan Bird and welcome to my world!
Founded in 1969, the New England Aquarium is one of the most famous public aquaria in
the United States, and an icon of Boston. Over a million people visit the New England
Aquarium every year to see amazing exhibits and the world-famous Giant Ocean Tank━a
200,000 gallon tropical coral reef exhibit.
I arrive nice and early to meet Sherrie Floyd, the senior aquarist.
JONATHAN: Hi Sherrie!
SHERRIE: Hey Jonathan! How are you doing?
JONATHAN: Good. How are you?
SHERRIE: This is my co-worker Elisha...
JONATHAN: Hi.
ELISHA. Hi.
JONATHAN: Nice to meet you.
SHERRIE: She's going to be spending a good portion of the day with you today.
JONATHAN: Oh great!
ELISHA. Whip you into shape!
JONATHAN: Lucky you.
SHERRIE: OK we're going to be feeding sharks in the giant ocean tank today, but before
we do that your going have to earn your dive in the giant ocean tank.
JONATHAN: Uh oh...
SHERRIE: We are going to start by scrubbing the floors.
JONATHAN: Ooh.
SHERRIE: So come with me!
JONATHAN: I can hardly wait.
Shhshh!! People work here!
Dozens of aquarists work here and I'm going to find out what it takes to keep the exhibits
running by becoming an aquarist in training.
I must look smart because they start me right away on an important job. Being an aquarist
is hard work.
JONATHAN: Being an aquarist is hard work!
Soon, Sherrie recognizes my natural talents, and moves me up to something with much more
responsibility.
JONATHAN: I'm an aquarist in training, baby! Right here!
But cleaning the drain is definitely paying my dues.
You know when I thought I was going to be an aquarist today. I figured I'd be feeding
the fish, hanging out with scientists... learning all kinds of biology...but I'm getting goo
out of a drain!
At last, I have graduated to something important: food preparation. All the fish need something
special to eat, and all of that food has to be prepared in advance.
VOICE: These came in
ELISHA: Oh yeah, Smells good huh?
JONATHAN: Fishy!
Squid are one of the main items on the menu, and they have to be prepared by removing the
beaks and then cutting them into appropriately-sized pieces.
JONATHAN: All right buddy you're getting de-beaked!
Elisha: Flip the tentacles open..
JONATHAN: OK tentacle man..
Elisha: Pop it like a pimple.
JONATHAN: Wait..like this?
ELISHA: Yeah, and pull it out with your fingers.
JONATHAN: Aw..dude!! (Chuckles) Yuck!!
ELISHA: Ugh. You can give it to me.
JONATHAN Oh Thanks. Oh look some squid goo.
ELISHA: Oh yeah.
JONATHAN: That's goo. Oh delicious. Umm. This would be a bad time to cut yourself.
OK so I have some little squid rings...
ELISHA: Yup. So we then we put that...
JONATHAN: Can we deep fry that?
ELISHA: NO!
JONATHAN Oh good gracious!
ELISHA: So this is large squid.
JONATHAN: I'll say!
ELISHA: This is what the sharks eat.
JONATHAN: Ooh yummy.
ELISHA: So the beak is much larger here...
Food preparation takes a lot of time and it has to be done 4 times a day!
JONATHAN: Oh Ok
ELISHA: Um what else can I show you?
JONATHAN: Ewww!
ELISHA: It's not that...
JONATHAN: So far there is nothing here that I really want to eat.
Elisha: Aw come on!
JONATHAN: Except the squid.
ELISHA: You'd eat a squid.
JONATHAN: No I wouldn't!
ELISHA: You can hold that.
Next I learn to burp the air out of the swim bladder of a smelt, so it will sink.
ELISHA: You want to burp one?
JONATHAN: Sure. I'll burp one.
ELISHA: They are very slimy.
JONATHAN: Oh a slimy smelt!
ELISHA: Push like this.
JONATHAN: Like this?
ELISHA: Push like...on the stomach.
JONATHAN: Like this?
ELISHA: Push from down...
JONATHAN: I'm going to aim him at you when I do this...
Then, I remove the roe from capelin. The eggs are food for smaller animals in the exhibits
and the fish themselves are fed to larger animals.
BOTH: Umm!
JONATHAN: Fish eggs!
ELISHA: Yeah
JONATHAN: And...
ELISHA: Do they smell fresh?
JONATHAN: They smell very fishy.
ELISHA: It's about a fresh as you get.
Finally, it's out to the G.O.T.━the Giant Ocean Tank━to start feeding some of the
fish. I'm surprised to learn that the fish are hand fed!
It's hard to believe that with this big tank, we have to actually sit here and feed
specific fish. You can't just throw the food in. You have to actually pick and choose
which fish you are feeding. It seems like a lot of work to me.
Oh yeah good job!
Finally, Sherrie gives me a briefing on what to expect in the GOT and I start suiting up
for my dive. Outside, it's the middle of winter in Boston, with temperatures below
freezing, but I'm getting ready to do a tropical dive!
I check my camera and it's off to the dive site.
JONATHAN: And off I go!
Down the hallway and through the double doors.
I'm really excited about my dive, but I can't help worrying about what tasks lay
ahead of me in my aquarist training program.
JONATHAN: All right it's moment of truth. It's February in Boston and I'm going
diving...with no hood. OK here we go...
AQUARIUM ANNOUNCER: There's Jonathan Bird!
I hit the warm water with a splash while hundreds of people watch, and head down below the surface
to swim with the fish in this enormous fish tank. Except for all the people looking in
through the glass, it would be easy to believe this was a real Caribbean reef. There are
so many fish and the water is so clear, I feel just like I'm diving at some beautiful
Caribbean island.
Of all the animals in the tank, of course the Sand Tiger sharks are my favorite. The
aquarists keep them well fed, so they are not aggressive at all. But they are beautiful
to watch.
Unfortunately, I have to work. A diver has to scrub these windows every day to keep the
algae from growing on them. I tried to tell them I don't do windows, but an aquarist's
job is never finished.
Meanwhile, Sherrie is checking the health of the fish. She's down on the bottom examining
a nurse shark that has a small cut.
When I finally finish the windows, Sherrie demonstrates how she feeds the Sand Tiger
sharks.
They aren't always hungry since they are fed regularly. But the aquarists use a pole
to feed them because when they do decide to eat, you wouldn't want your fingers anywhere
near those teeth!
I hang back and film the action for a while, but soon Sherrie decides that I'm ready
to try feeding the fish. This is exciting! I finally get to do the fun stuff!
She hands me some squid and I look for a taker. The pressure is on because everyone is watching!
A cownose ray comes up and tries to take the squid from me, but I haven't quite gotten
the hang of it. The ray gives up and moves on.
So I try feeding the nurse shark using the pole, just like Sherrie showed me. Talk about
getting the cold shoulder!
At last Sherrie takes pity on my pathetic attempts and gives me some capelin. I'm
told I can't go wrong with this irresistible delicious fish.
My first taker is a cow nosed ray, and I can't resist giving her a little belly rub as she
swims over.
I must be doing something right because she takes a lap around the tank and comes back
for more.
Next Myrtle the Turtle comes over. Turtles are supposed to eat plants and jellyfish,
but Myrtle isn't picky. As you can see from her figure, she likes food. And when Myrtle
wants food, you just give it to her! Forget the sharks, Myrtle runs this tank.
The cow nosed ray is back for thirds. Aren't they cute??
Next I try my luck with a large Pompano.
With all the fish fed, my job in the GOT is finished and I head for the surface.
It has been a long but thrilling tropical reef dive━right in the heart of Boston.
I head back to the swim step. Reluctantly, I must get out of the water.
That was great! 3 sharks and none would eat anything from me. They don't like me
Back in the dive locker room, I can enjoy a nice clean shower. And I know the drain
won't get plugged up!
So what did I learn? Being an aquarist is hard work. It's not all fun and games. Much
of the job is devoted to prepping food and cleaning exhibits. But if you love the creatures
of the ocean, few things can beat the fun of working with animals like this. And if
you are lucky enough to spend a few hours a day diving in the Giant Ocean Tank, well
this just might be the best job in the world.
( ♪ music )