SIEMENS

The major highlight at EXPO 98 in Lisbon was the Ocean Pavilion. The structure, which was built in the middle of an artificial harbor basin and can only be reached via a narrow pedestrian bridge, reminded visitors of a futuristic research platform. Most of the buildings were torn down after the exhibition, but the giant aquarium was left standing and has been used successfully ever since. Today, the Oceanário de Lisboa draws around one million visitors a year, making it the most frequented cultural facility in Portugal.
At the center of the Oceanário is a gigantic tank containing 5,000 cubic meters of saltwater that is meant to symbolize the global ocean. Several large panoramic windows offer visitors a look at the species inside the tank — sharks, rays, moray eels, and ocean sunfishes. The central tank is surrounded by four smaller basins that represent the rocky coasts of the North Atlantic, the icy Antarctic, the kelp forests of the Pacific, and the tropical coral reefs of the Indian Ocean.

“Siemens has been working with the Oceanário for quite some time now. For example, we supply a large part of the infrastructure — in other words, operation services and equipment for security and maintenance,” says João Seabra, Healthcare Sector CEO from Siemens Portugal. “Now, this collaboration has been taken to a whole new level that goes beyond a purely business relationship.” That’s because Siemens has donated an ultrasound system that was originally developed for use in human medicine to the Oceanário. Biologists at the aquarium are using the device to monitor the pregnancies of bluespotted ribbontail rays (Taeniura lymna), among other species.
As a result, the gestation of these stingrays, whose blue spots make them very popular, can now be studied better than ever before. “Compared to our old equipment, the image quality is so good that we can now view and examine the rays’ reproductive organs and the fetuses at a level of detail never achieved before,” says Dr. Nuno Marques Pereira, a veterinarian at the Oceanário. “We can also record the examinations for later study. Previously, we had to carry out the time-consuming image analyses during the examinations. The new device speeds up the process and makes things a lot easier for our ‘patients.”

Incubation Pouch. Bluespotted ribbontail rays are aplacental viviparous, which means their eggs remain in an incubation pouch inside the mother’s body, where up to seven babies then hatch and are born “live.” The pregnancy lasts for anywhere between four and 12 months and the baby rays are around 14 centimeters long when they emerge. In order to monitor the pregnancies, staff at the Oceanário regularly remove the Blue spotted ribbon-tail rays from the large basin and place them into smaller plastic containers. As with normal ultrasound procedures in human medicine, they run the probe along the ray’s body, which can be up to 70 centimeters long. Both the probe and the cable are wrapped in plastic to protect them from the water. The biologists can view the babies inside the mother’s pouch on a monitor and draw conclusions about their health and development on the basis of their size and movements.

Thanks to the ultrasound unit, the biologists can now analyze how different conditions in captivity affect the pregnancies of the bluespotted ribbon-tail rays. The results of their studies will be disseminated to the well-networked European aquarium community. Staff members who provide care for the rays can also detect complications at an early stage of pregnancy. For example, if a fetus dies inside the mother’s body (i.e. no movement can be seen on the monitor), specialists can perform an operation in time to prevent the deaths of other babies — or even the mother.

Such high-tech efforts are helping to safeguard ray populations. “In response to overfishing and the deterioration of coral reefs, the bluespotted ribbon-tail ray has been placed on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, where it is classified as ‘near threatened,’” says the Oceanário’s Curator, Dr. Nuria Baylina. The rays’ natural habitat is the tropical coastal regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. During high tide, they swim in small groups to shallow waters near the shore to feed. They then return during low tide to the safe coral reefs off the coast.

The Oceanário is monitoring the entire population of bluespotted ribbon-tail rays in European aquariums on behalf of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).The main goal is to use the newly gained husbandry and breeding knowledge to improve breeding and thus reduce the number of captures in the wild. “If the situation worsens for this species, the importance of having a sustainable population in aquariums will increase,” says Baylina. “And more successful breeding means better research and improved monitoring of stingray pregnancies.” The ultrasound unit donated by Siemens could thus play an important role in helping to maintain the species. “We also plan to use the device with other fish species, reptiles, and penguins,” Baylina adds. As a result, Siemens’ donation might end up benefiting every resident of the Oceanário aquarium.