Nausicaá - Centre national de la mer - Boulogne-sur-Mer

[kerouac2]

This is the main attraction of the northern coast of France and is billed as the largest aquarium in Europe.  This is actually not the point of the place, because there are lots of wonderful aquariums all over Europe, and it is not the size that really counts.  In recent times, I remember being super impressed by the aquariums in La Rochelle and Cherbourg (both have benefited from Anyport reports) and when I was in the cusp of adulthood way back when, I was gobsmacked by the aquarium in Monaco.  Just like everybody else, no foreign aquariums really come to my mind, because visiting an aquarium is generally not the first thing that is placed on the agenda when travelling in a foreign country.

But aquariums are really cool, since it is a world to which we airlubbers do not have much access.  Nausicaá is exceptional, but not even necessarily for the fish tanks.  It is a complete pedagogical experience concerning the oceans of the world, but also the coastal areas, pollution, sustainable resources and the future of the seas.  I'm sure that all of the teachers of northern France and most of Belgium dream of taking their classes there.  In any case, there were plenty of classes on the day that I visited.

I have taken better aquarium photos in the past, but I will nevertheless present a number of them here.

This tank had artificial waves crashing on top to give the fish a more authentic environment.

We were also presented with some of the underwater debris in the ocean, both beneficial and harmful.

[kerouac2]

I think a lot of us just like to look at fish frolicking underwater.









Since the place is huge, there are displays of all sorts of other things.



This area explained the importance of the mangrove.





You could also see how the plants develop underwater.

[kerouac2]

on to another zone















Under the shark tank, there were places for children to climb into little domes to see everything better.

[lugg]

Oh I would really like to visit this aquarium -

Apr 13, 2022 15:38:56 GMT kerouac2 said:

because visiting an aquarium is generally not the first thing that is placed on the agenda when travelling in a foreign country.

I know I am odd but often it is one of my first things to check out when I am visiting another city; if I cant get into the water then the next best thing is to see an aquarium and I think they play such an important part in educating us ; so of course huge kudos to the mangrove section. Love the photos bat fish and the sponges . I think that the shark in the pic is fairly harmless despite its appearance - I do wish thy were given a better rep rather than a warning sign.



S

[whatagain]

We had lunch on the platform above the sharks.
And yes our kids loved to have a peek under the dome. I had to carry them when small.
Good memories.

[kerouac2]

Was this fish sewn together by Dr. Frankenstein?



A lot of the new section is about the fishing industry.



There was an explanation of sustainable development of the fishing industry.





There was also a life size depiction of what it's like to be on one of the fishing boats on the high seas.



A caiman lurked in one of the tanks.

[kerouac2]

It was mentioned that this tortoise was born in an aquarium and had not been captured.





The penguin zone was stinky because they had just given them a big dish of dead fish. It made me realise that all of the rest of the place had no odour at all, not even of the sea.





Finally, the outdoor area had sea lions "which are not seals" it was stated very clearly.





I prefer to see the grey seals living free just a few kilometres from here, but I didn't have any transportation.



As I left, more school groups were flowing into the building.



My video will probably give you a better idea of the size of the place.

And that's all for this trip.

[mich64]

What a wonderful jolt to the senses this would be after the past two years.

School children are so fortunate to be able to have this as a field trip!

[lugg]

Really enjoyed seeing this - thanks K2 . nice capture of the unicorn fish

[htmb]

Nice report and super video!