Researcher Karen Murchie installs equipment to look at how suckers migrate. Image: Charles Knapp
By Sabrina Alafita
In March, The University of Chicago Press published a book titled “The Ark and Beyond: The Evolution of Zoo and Aquarium Conservation.”
Suckers, the Great Lakes migratory fish species that The Shedd Aquarium is studying through citizen science partnerships. Image: Charles Knapp
In the book, scientists and scholars explain the importance of zoos and aquariums in the conservation of global biodiversity.
Among them is Chuck Knapp, vice president of conservation research at The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Knapp’s chapter is titled ‘Beyond the Walls: Applied Field Research for the Twenty-First-Century Public Aquarium.’
Knapp says aquariums are much more than tourist attractions.
“Our role is to try to advance the mission for conservation,” Knapp said.
Listen to an interview with Knapp below.