First Shark Ray in America Tests the Water at Newport Aquarium

		Newport Aquarium in Newport, Ky., will be the first and only institution in the Western Hemisphere to display a shark ray, beginning on June 10. This new permanent addition to the Aquarium's collection will make it one of only five institutions in the world with this species on display. This rare female shark ray, named Sweet Pea, will call the Aquarium's Surrounded by Sharks exhibit home. Visit www.newportaquarium.com or call Jill Isaacs: 859-815-1432. (PRNewsFoto) NEWPORT, KY USA

NEWPORT, Ky., June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting on June 10, the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Ky., will be the first and only location in the Western Hemisphere to display a shark ray. This new permanent addition will make Newport Aquarium one of only five institutions in the world with this animal on display. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050608/CLW002 ) The 40-pound, four-foot-long shark ray, named Sweet Pea by Newport Aquarium cast members, is docile, graceful and looks prehistoric with horn- like ridges along her head and back. Very little is known about this extremely rare species (Rhina ancylostoma) that receives its name because of its flat, ray-like underside and shark-like dorsal fins. Sweet Pea is being held in an acclimation tank before being released into the Newport Aquarium's Surrounded by Sharks exhibit. Complete with 385,000- gallons of salt water and 85 feet of clear acrylic tunnels, this exhibit will allow the female shark ray plenty of room to grow fully to nine feet in length. She will share her home with three sand tiger sharks, three sandbar sharks, three nurse sharks and two zebra sharks, along with various fish, stingrays, a loggerhead sea turtle and a moray eel. She will be escorted by Newport Aquarium scuba divers to ensure her safe introduction to the other animals in the exhibit on June 10 at 9 a.m. The shark ray was collected in October 2004 after being caught in a trap off Penghu Island, Taiwan. After capture, she was purchased by a breeder in Taiwan and spent seven months in his facility before the Newport Aquarium acquired her in April. Shark Rays, native to the Indo-Pacific region, are listed as vulnerable to extinction on the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Animals. Threats to shark rays include habitat destruction, pollution, overfishing and the use of their fins for products including shark fin soup. "Little is known about shark rays in the wild. However, by supporting long-term conservation programs and hopefully, the eventual captive breeding programs, we have the best chances at protecting the species from extinction," said Newport Aquarium Senior Biologist and Shark Expert Mark Dvornak. "We hope that the shark ray will come to represent all that is unknown about the ocean and its fish populations." Footage available upon request. Newport Aquarium showcases thousands of animals from around the world in a million gallons of fresh and salt water. Named the No. 1 aquarium in the Midwest in the Zagat Survey's U.S. Family Travel Guide in 2004, this state-of-the-art facility is open to the public 365 days a year. Like its sister aquarium, Adventure Aquarium, on the Camden Waterfront, Camden, NJ, Newport Aquarium is an accredited member of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), a leader in global wildlife conservation. Located only two minutes from downtown Cincinnati at Newport on the Levee. For more information, go to http://www.newportaquarium.com or call 859-261-7444.