The North Sea Aquarium Borkum

underwater world up close

from Dennis Möller | April 03, 2019

The North Sea is considered one of the most productive seas in the world and is home to millions of small creatures in every litre of water. Although it is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, the North Sea is a special natural region.

If you would like to learn more about this special habitat, you should visit the North Sea aquarium at Borkum Stop by. Located directly on the sea, it offers an ideal view of the roaring North Sea and invites both strollers and curious visitors to linger.

As soon as you enter the building, which opened in 2015, you can literally smell the sea air. And that's no wonder, since the pools are filled with seawater from the North Sea. State-of-the-art pumping and filtering systems supply the individual pools with water and provide the numerous plants and animals with an excellent habitat. Just like home. But not only the water comes from the "front garden"; the animals living in the aquarium also all come from the North Sea. I learn from the employees Maria and Ihno Oetjen that many of the fish, mussels, and plants come from the BorkumThe whelk clutch was found at the harbor or in the surrounding area of the island. They placed it in the aquarium. A total of 250 specimens hatched, some of which were transferred to the OCEANEUM in Stralsund. The further breeding of the whelk is going so well that some of the animals may soon be released into the mudflats. Borkum This species is almost extinct.

The whelk

Speaking of breeding, it is not only the whelk that breeds in the North Sea aquarium. Borkum magnificent. Cat sharks, moon jellyfish, and sea dahlias are now also bred and raised in-house. Other fish, such as thornback rays and cod, are brought into the aquarium when they are small and are cared for there. When the animals are big enough, they are released into the wild. The Oetjen couple always takes care of this themselves and sometimes stay in the water for many minutes to check that the animals don't swim back towards the shore. Both are passionate about their work and have an almost dictionary knowledge of the marine habitat. I also learn from them that the sea bass was originally a Mediterranean fish. Due to climatic changes, however, it also migrated to the North Sea and can also be examined in the aquarium. So it is a neozoan, Maria Oetjen told me. But not all of the animals and plants have arrived recently. The cylinder anemone, which shares a tank with the sea dahlias, is already 40 years old.

A clutch of catshark

A very special highlight for the many little guests is the hands-on pool. There, the starfish are within reach and can be held and stroked. Those who would rather learn the knowledge themselves can of course do that too. In the newly designed multifunctional room, there are many information boards about the individual creatures and their habitats.