The sea in the museum: A perspective on education at aquariums

Abstract

The musealization of the sea, today spearheaded by aquariums and oceanariums, encapsulated man’s relationship with these environments and the techniques used to explore them and keep organisms alive in captivity. Recognizing the combined roles of research and entertainment at aquariums, some aspects of their constitution over time are analyzed, especially the education and communication dimensions they have focused on more in recent times. For this purpose, we investigate in detail a Brazilian institution, Ubatuba Aquarium, indicating how its musealization incorporates clear intentions to promote education and communication in subjects from the realms of zoology, ecology and conservation.