Waikiki Aquarium - Definition and Overview

The Waikīkī Aquarium is one of the premier marine science institutions in the City & County of Honolulu and the State of Hawai'i. Founded on March 19, 1904, this marine aquarium is the third oldest public aquarium in the United States. Since 1919, the Waikīkī Aquarium has been an institution of the University of Hawai'i System.

Situated beside a living coral reef on the Waikīkī shoreline, the Waikīkī Aquarium is home to more than 2,500 organisms of 420 species of marine plants and animals. Each year, over 350,000 people visit. The Waikīkī Aquarium was designated a Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center of the Coastal America Partnership federal program.

Establishment

The Waikīkī Aquarium was established by the Honolulu Rapid Transit Authority, a forerunner of the present-day O'ahu Transit Services, Inc. It was hoped that the aquarium would entice travellers to ride the trolley all the way to the end of the line at Queen Kapi'olani Park where the Waikīkī Aquarium is located.

Considered a state-of-the-art scientific institution at the time of its opening, William Jennings Bryan and Jack London traveled to Honolulu to see the Waikīkī Aquarium first hand. Renowned biologist David Starr Jordan proclaimed the Waikīkī Aquarium to have the finest collection of fishes in the world.

External links

• Waikīkī Aquarium (http://waquarium.otted.hawaii.edu/)
• Waikīkī Aquarium Webcams (http://waquarium.otted.hawaii.edu/cameras.html)
• Coastal America Partnerships (http://www.coastalamerica.gov/)