Topic Presentation: A Filmmakers Journey into the Age of Aquariums

Hall C - Saturday, September 10 7:30 PM

I will give an overview the 50 year love affair I have had with the Ocean realm and also discuss my personal and professional journey and “awakening” into a shocking understanding about the major issues and negative changes confronting the marine world, with a focus on how I see the decades ahead.

I will discuss how virtual artists like myself and the aquarium industry can work together to preserve and conserve marine species facing extinction in the wild. We now have the ability and technology to help radically change the way humans think and relate to marine creatures.

There is now a growing awareness that both Virtual Marine Imagery and Living Aquariums can be successfully used in a wide range of professional and private medical and therapeutic applications. Looking ahead this offers some extraordinary opportunities to Virtual Artists like myself, the whole Aquarium Industry and in fact, the whole marine world.

If we are to save sea creatures from the extinction they face in the wild, the worldwide Aquarium industry will need to expand exponentially and also become a lot more sophisticated over the next decade. For the Aquariums of the modern world are destined to soon become, collectively, a modern equivalent to Noah’s Ark. Collection, preservation and the reproduction of as many endangered species as possible in Aquaria is critically important.

Sea Levels and Surface Water Temperatures are rising and Ocean Chemistry is radically changing through Ocean Acidification. Time is running out to save marine creatures. Food chains are collapsing. Undersea ecosystems are under severe environmental pressures and going through negative changes at a rate not seen since the last Great Mass Extinction Event over 60 million years ago.

Coral Reefs as we know them face extinction by mid century. We have already lost half of them. Every other day and Reef dies and they are currently disappearing twice as fast as rainforests. Reef ecosystems directly and indirectly support millions of other species of plants and animals.

By the end of the century we may finally have the technology to start to repair the damage done to the Oceans and to start to restore Ocean Chemistry to sustainable levels for marine life. But the only marine life left to re-introduce back into to our Oceans may well be what we have managed to save in Aquariums.

Presented By:

David Hannan

Sponsored By:

Exhibitor Spotlight:

Cherry Corals

http://www.cherrycorals.com/

Cherry Corals is a small company with a single minded purpose.....to bring you the best and hottest corals available! Our sources for the beautiful corals we sell are often local hobbyists who wish to share their corals with others and in turn offset some of the costs of running their successfull reef tanks. Wild corals are brought in monthly and the best and only the brightest are chosen for sale on the site. Check our our news section and the many websites we sponsor for updates on shipments and new corals. Sign up for our newsletter and receive email updates on new stock once per month. Zoa fragments can be especially sensitive to shipping. And may require additional heal time before they can be shipped. All Paly and Zoa frags are 100% healed and open before shipping. Our company policy is to always exceed your expectations! If you feel we have let you down in any way please let us know, so we can make it right!

Quick Links

Exhibitors & Sponsors

About