Damning Investigation Into UK Public Aquaria

Bluemouth fish seen dying on tank bottom (c) Captive Animals' Protection Society / Casamitjana

A new scientific report on UK public aquaria has been published by the Captive Animals' Protection Society (CAPS). The comprehensive report is the culmination of the largest and most in-depth  investigation ever made on any public aquaria industry (involving visiting the majority of the public aquaria currently in the UK), which was commissioned to an independent animal welfare consultant in 2004. As a result of the study CAPS is launching the campaign SUFFERING DEEP DOWN aimed to highlight the plight of fish and other animals in public aquaria.


CAPS had become increasingly alarmed at the continuous growth of the UK aquaria industry - and the animal welfare consequences on captive fish – and by the lack of published information about the public aquarium trade, as well as what really goes on behind the public facade of the aquarium tanks. As a result, an in-depth investigation was commissioned which involved the visiting and video recording of 31 randomly selected public aquaria throughout the UK, looking at most aspects of their performance, from the welfare problems of fish, the design of the exhibits, to the risk aquarium visitors may be exposed to.

(c) Captive Animals' Protection Society / Casamitjana
                          A starfish removed from the tank so that visitors can touch the animal

Among many findings, the investigation found that the majority of public aquaria in the UK:

• display animals showing abnormal behaviour

• keep many animals with evidence of physical health problems

• keep mostly wild-caught individuals

• do not prevent physical contact between visitors and animals (with the subsequent health risk to both).

A staggering 98% of the animals kept in UK public aquaria do not belong to species classed as threatened by the World Conservation Union, and at the very least 45% of the public aquaria release fish to the sea for reasons other than conservation, which could be considered illegal.

Jordi Casamitjana, author of the scientific report, concluded, "On almost every front public aquaria seem to fail. Many animals suffer in public aquaria, and no conservation, education or research work can compensate for this. However, in UK public aquaria, there seem to be minimal conservation activities, the education value is very poor and scientific research is almost non existent, so even the aquaria's own claims that could possibly justify the animals’  ‘sacrifice' are totally unfounded. Furthermore, in the context of the new UK zoo legislation, it appears that many of UK public aquaria no longer meet the new zoo licensing conservation criteria that would allow them to stay open to the public."

This starfish lost limbs because of rough handling by visitors

(c) Captive Animals' Protection Society / Casamitjana

Craig Redmond, CAPS Campaigns Officer, said, "We are very concerned about what we have found during this investigation. There are clear and serious animal welfare problems that should, by themselves, result in the closure of public aquaria, but there are also very grave and wide conservation implications of the activities that take place in such centres. Most public aquaria exist only because of the trade in animals removed from the wild, and in some cases welfare problems in aquaria are so great that many animals die soon after being put on display, to be soon replaced by yet more wild-caught individuals.