The Anglesey Sea Zoo is an aquarium

Aquarium

An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...

, and independent research and marine education centre on the south coast of Anglesey

Anglesey

Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...

 island in North Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. Anglesey Sea Zoo claims to be the largest aquarium in Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

, and displays over 150 native species.

History

The Anglesey Sea Zoo was opened in 1983 when the owners of a lobster wholesale business realized that their lobster tanks had become attractions in themselves.. In 2007 the attraction was sold to research ecologists who have since gone on to develop research and conservation projects based at the aquarium, as well as several community conservation initiatives.

Animals

The zoo hosts conger eels, a shark

Shark

Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....

 pool, a kelp forest

Kelp forest

Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth. Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds....

, and runs the Lobster Hatchery of Wales. the zoo currently has two species of sea horses—the short snouted seahorse found around the UK and Mediterranean, and the drab seahorse found in the Red Sea.

Conservation

The Anglesey Sea Zoo is a conservation zoo and tourist activity centre, involved in captive breeding programs and national and international consultancy. The zoo is one of the few places in the world that has been able to successfully breed and sustain native short-snouted seahorse.

Animal rescue

Started in 1995 when a stranded striped dolphin was successfully rescued, the zoo now contains a rescue center for sick or stranded marine animals, including dolphins, whales, porpoises, seals, turtles, and seabirds. The rescue center is part of a network being created in the British Isles by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).

Eating and shopping

The aquarium also houses one of the only shops and bistros that sell almost exclusively fair trade and locally sourced products. Around 85% of the food served in the bistro, although simple, comes from within 10 miles of the centre.