The “Aquarium des Lagons” is a public establishment operated jointly by the Government of New Caledonia, the Government of the Southern Province, and the City of Noumea.
Our core mission is to help the public discover the beauty and diversity of New Caledonia’s aquatic ecosystems.
The tour of the Aquarium is a journey through the different aquatic ecosystems of New Caledonia. The visitor enters a watery world, where he is first offered displays of lake and river habitats. Then, following the flow of the water, he arrives at the mangrove forest, discovers the lagoon, admires the reef-building corals, and the visit ends on a dive down to the ocean depths.
The Aquarium is a valuable educational tool for discovering, observing and understanding marine environments.
Beyond presenting the various ecosystems, the Aquarium aims at developing an awareness of their fragility, and of the need to preserve them.
The transmission of knowledge and awareness is accomplished through tours, guided or not, of the displays, and through a rich programme of weekly activities, evening presentations and lectures, and temporary exhibits. Through a network of volunteers, the Aquarium is present in the country at large: information booths on turtles in the various country fairs, ecological tours and mini-lectures for tourists on the lagoon islands, etc.
Scientific research has been an important facet of the Aquarium’s activities from the beginning. It was first brought to the public attention when our founder, Dr René Catala, presented the newly discovered fluorescent corals, and through the publication of a number of learned articles. It has made the Aquarium world famous.
Over the years, much research was conducted, and many partnerships were established with other institutions.
The basic aim is to contribute to a better understanding of New Caledonia’s aquatic environments, while, by doing so and sharing the knowledge with the general public, help foster a culture of respect and intelligent management.
From the beginning, the Aquarium has operated an animal clinic, particularly concerning ill or injured sea turtles, suitably equipped for the purpose.
The Aquarium has a staff of 22, representing many different specialties,
but sharing a common passion for the marine environment and its denizens.
The upkeep of the tanks and basins and the daily care required to keep the resident specimens healthy requires the presence of 7 technicians, who must be ready to respond to a call 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
Their mission is to ensure the quality of the displays, manage and diversify the resident species, make sure they are kept healthy, while monitoring reproduction.
All these technicians must have a variety of talents :
During the visiting hours, 3 members of the staff are on hand to advise and explain.
They contribute to making the visitor’s experiencce more entertaining and educational, whether during regular visits or on the occasion of special events (eg: World Oceans Day).
They are also responsible for setting up the temporary exhibitions.
One of their most important role is to oversee group visits by school children : every year, nearly 9000 school children are taken to the Aquarium for guided tours and workshops ( lien : en savoir plus sur les visites scolaires – non traduit )
Our guidess are also responsible for developping the teaching support material proposed by the Aquarium: interactive quizes, posters, educational games
Scientific research has always been one of the Aquarium’s missions.
The research team comprises a PhD in marine biology and a technical assistant. They also participate in the educational programmes proposed by the Aquarium.
They participate actively in the furthering of knowledge of the aquatic environments of New Caledonia, and in the transfer of this knowledge to the public with a view of improving their conservation.
Their research is conducted either in-house or in partnership with local research establishments. They contribute to the developofment experimental protocols and data processing, participate in field collection, and publish scientific articles.
Theirs is an essential but thankless task: the public is not even aware of their existence.
Yet they are very much on the job throughout the facility, always with something to maintain of fix (pumps, filters, aeration, lighting, air-conditioning, etc.), from the entrance hall to the projection auditorium, and even in the gardens.
They also participate in any new improvements or extensions to the Aquarium, providing field savvy and skills, whether as plumbers, carpenters or electricians.
Our hostesses add greatly to the pleasure of a visit to the Aquarium. Two of them work at the ticket counter, welcoming the visitors, and two operate the shop. Often, they are the only staff members that the public gets to meet.
Not only do they have an indispensable role in the good running of the establishment, they are the face of the Aquarium: their ready smile and efficiency will leave the visitor with a pleasant memory.
They are the Director, two secretaries/accountants and one in charge of communication (part-time). They ensure the smooth running of the establishment.
The administration staff prepare the purchase orders, the invoices, the payroll, they handle the suppliers, they communicate with the other institutions and the media. They define the annual objectives and establish relationships with international institutions. They make sure the Aquarium endures, is widely known and widens its scope of activities.
While the public is only aware of the various exhibition areas, much goes on ‘backstage’.
In 2011, on the site of the original Aquarium, a facility was erected to house a variety of technical functions, called ” Plateforme Humide Expérimentale” (PHE).
The PHE receives new live specimens, keeps them in quarantine, and makes sure they are stabilized before introduction into the Aquarium.
The PHE also shelters a number of research projects.
The 400 m2 building contains the technicians’ office, staff locker room, mechanical and electrical rooms, and a large multi-purpose area which can be configured to suit the different species of new animals and their handling. It also houses laboratories for the study of the reproduction process of various marine animals (jellyfish, corals, fish, echinoderms, molluscs). A 200 m2 outdoor area has also been set up outside the building for ponds used for coral reproduction and care of sea turtles.
An outdoor area has also been set up for ponds used for coral reproduction and care of sea turtles.
