Today I went to the Shedd Aquarium for the first time ever as some out of town friends were visiting. It was really cool except for that they couldn’t get into the Oceanarium exhibit since their prepaid tickets didn’t include wristbands. Once we had seen all we could- which included an Amazon exhibit, Great Lakes, Asia and Africa exhibit, plus a whole section dedicated to the Philippines, I went to check out the forbidden wristband-only area.
I strolled around the underground section first and read the displays about the Exxon-Valdez spill, sea otters, and the physiology of dolphins and beluga whales. Then with a half hour to kill, I just went up to the auditorium area and got myself a seat. No one ever approached me to ask for my wrist band.
Anyway, at the Oceanarium the dolphins did their tricks, which included an insane 4-dolphin coordinated multiple jump trick! How they train those guys is genius. If dolphins can learn sign language what else can they learn?? I can’t help but think of Douglas Adams “So long, and thanks for all the fish!” 🙂
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p.s. if you go, be sure to pick up a Right Bite seafood wallet card: Save the Chilean Sea Bass!!
Here’s a quick re-type of the food you need to AVOID: avoid for now as these items are caught or farmed in ways that harm other marine life or the environment:
- Chilean Sea Bass/Toothfish
- Cod (Atlantic)
- Crab: King (imported)
- Flounders, Soles (Atlantic)
- Groupers*
- Halibut (Atlantic)
- Lobster: Spiny (Caribbean imported)
- Lake Trout (Lake Michigan, Lake Huron)*
- Mahi mahi/Dolphinfish (imported)
- Monkfish
- Orange Roughy *
- Rockfish (Pacific)
- Salmon (farmed, including Atlantic)
- Scallops: Sea (Mid-Atlantic)
- Sharks *
- Shrimp (imported farmed or wild)
- Snapper: Red
- Sturgeon*Caviar (imported, wild)
- Swordfish (imported)*
- Tuna: Albacore, Bigeye, Yellowfin (longline)*
- Tuna: Bluefin *
- *= Limit consumption due to concerns about mercury or other contaminants
Feel like you can’t eat anything? Click here to see what you CAN eat: Wallet PDF
The Inspired Dr.Mom 