Fish, turtles falling dead as Aquarium renovation drags on

Fish, turtles falling dead as Aquarium renovation drags on
Over 270 fish of 15 species and 38 turtles from Taraporewala Aquarium are languishing at a fisheries centre in Versova and don’t have any handlers.

The delay in the renovation of the Taraporewala Aquarium by the Public Works Department has resulted in the death of at least 30 aquatic animals since March.

The aquarium was shut in March 2012 and over 270 fishes of 15 species and 38 turtles were moved to the Central Institute of Fisheries Education in Versova.

But with no trained staff to care for them at a centre that is ill-equipped to handle so many fish, at least 30 pacu piranhas have died so far. Further, three turtles and several other fishes have also died mostly due to fights among themselves.

Officials started the process of installing modern tanks and work on the Taraporewala building in April 2012. The PWD was given a deadline of September 2013 for the Rs 20 crore project, after which the aquarium was supposed to re-open to the public.

But early this year, officials found that the new tanks had started leaking and the outside of the building was not completed. Work will be completed only this September. The special glass for the tanks was supplied by a German firm. Sources said the PWD failed to install the glass correctly, resulting in the leaks.

Meanwhile, the fishes that were shifted to Versova were forgotten. While there were at least 15 fish-keepers at the aquarium, nobody was assigned to tend to the fishes when they were transferred to Versova.

Employees at the centre said 32 pacu piranhas have died since March as a shortage of manpower has meant that the water was not changed. Earlier, a sea turtle died after being bitten by another. A catfish (magur) jumped out of its pond and died, while three Singapore turtles died after fighting among themselves.

Despite being qualified, the fish-keepers at the Versova centre do not care for the aquarium’s fishes, saying it is not their responsibility. The aquarium curator who decided to move them to Versova has left the job since. The current curator S Shikre refused to comment.

KP Patil, who was the executive engineer in charge of the project till 10 days ago when he was transferred, said the civil work has been completed. However, Fisheries Commissioner Shamsundar Shinde insisted that the tanks were still leaking.

When this newspaper visited the old campus of the CIFE this week, we spotted crows attacking the turtles kept in an enclosure in the compound. The fish, which are kept in open ponds, are also attacked by the crows.

“There are regular fights between the turtles,” said Namdev Kadam, an employee at the Versova centre. “Taraporewala Aquarium staffers come and feed them occasionally, but basically there is no one to take care of the fishes and turtles here. They constantly fight among themselves or get attacked by crows.”

When Mirror spoke to CIFE director WS Lakra, he did not even know the Aquarium has kept its fishes in his complex. “I am not aware that the Taraporewala Aquarium officials have kept their fish in our complex.”

Joint-commissioner of the fisheries in charge of the aquarium, Rajendra Jadhav, said they thought the aquarium will be renovated in six months and chose the Versova centre as a temporary shelter. “But there was a lot of delay due to the Public Works Department. Something like this (attacks and deaths) may have happened. I have told my staffers to visit CIFE on Monday and check.”

Fisheries commissioner Shamsunder Shinde also said he will visit the centre on Monday.

Meanwhile, even the state of the remaining fish kept in the Taraporewala Aquarium backyard is also not very reassuring. The turtle that killed the other one has been kept in a pond covered with plastic sheets.

“Recently, an alligator fish jumped from the plastic tank and fell on the ground. Then on one occasion, the plaster of the ceiling fell into a pond,” said a staffer of the Taraporewala Aquarium.