"Today we have different contemporary means available to educate children and adults in order to sensitise them for our environment. The most important basis for this is that our children know and appreciate nature in their immediate environment. For real nature conservation, we need marine protected areas - not aquariums."

"Large aquariums are outdated models. Basel has proclaimed a climate emergency. If this is more than symbolic politics, we now have the chance to do something serious and stop the ˈOzeaniumˈ."

"Basel is located by the ocean. Zurich has a rainforest. Snow falls in Dubai. Icebergs are in the desert. Globalization shifts the world."

"The ˈOzeaniumˈ is just another luxury project with an insufficient traffic concept. Like other big local construction projects, such as the Stücki shopping center, the new buildings of Messe Basel or Kunstmuseum - it won't work out as planned. And in the end, it will need to be rehabilitated with tax money."

"Public aquariums like the planned ˈOzeaniumˈ in Basel are absolete. For ecological and animal welfare reasons they are totally unacceptable. The project Vision NEMO could introduce new ways of adventure, knowledge transfer and marine protection."

"The ˈOzeaniumˈ will trigger hundreds of thousands of visitors by car each year. This puts a burden on the climate and the Basel residential areas.”

"The Heuwaage is to be upgraded by an expansion of the ‘Nachtigallenwäldeli’ and not by more constructions. We need more green space and public recreational areas, rather than more concrete buildings and ticketed consumption offers."

"The ˈOzeaniumˈ is not an upgrade, but a privatization of today freely accessible public space. Although the land will remain property of the canton Basel-City, it can only be used in the future when Basel residents pay the entry fee to the aquarium. Furthermore, this privatization is undertaken at almost no cost for the ˈOzeaniumˈ. At a symbolic yearly land lease price of CHF 50 for the entire land, the canton de facto heavily subsidizes the zoo."

"Only a NO against the planned ˈOzeaniumˈ will equal a NO to animal cruelty."

"An ˈOzeaniumˈ will hardly contribute to people’s sensitization for the oceans and its marine inhabitants, but serve the sole purpose of entertaining its visitors. From an ethical standpoint, I find this very questionable."

"The ˈOzeaniumˈ goes against the principle of ˈmore space for less animalsˈ the zoo has strived towards. Our zoo has no need for an overdimensioned new building at the Heuwaage that is filled with sea creatures caught in the oceans around the world. Therefore: NO to the 'Ozeanium'!"

"The ˈOzeaniumˈ runs contrary to everything we observe right now: In times of climate change we don’t need a climate-damaging commercial aquarium. Therefore: NO!"

"System change, not climate change: Not everything has to be available any place any time for immediate consumption. A so-called ˈOzeaniumˈ Basel does not fit with the sustainable system change that we call for."

"The Zolli has followed a good path of improvement with regards to energy consumption and animal welfare. The oversized ˈOzeaniumˈ would mean an unwise and regrettable step backwards. As an animal lover, I cannot approve of the almost incontrollable trade with marine organisms. And as a veteran politician, I know that one can never rely on budgeted investment and operating costs!"

"Vision NEMO is a wonderful, contemporary project that enables our children to get to know and experience the marine world. At the same time, it saves and protects marine resources responsibly. In New York, the National Geographic shows with Encounter Ocean Odyssey (https://natgeoencounter.com) at the Times Square what would be possible. Really great - that's what I wish for Basel!"

"Basel is NOT by the sea. And even if this was the case, there wouldn't be any justification for removing wildlife from an already widely depleted sea. Unfortunately, the public is not yet aware of the devastating aftermath of the aquarium industry. This is exactly where Basel could act as a pioneer: instead of wasting money on an antiquated and overpriced large aquarium, investing in an environmentally friendly, visionary education and awareness-raising project!"

"I used to catch a lot of marine animals for zoos and aquariums in Europe. Therefore, I know what is going on behind the scenes. If the visitors knew all this, nobody would go to any aquariums or zoos anymore."

"The low education value of aquariums does not justify the capture and keeping of wild animals. Alternatives like documentaries and virtual reality are much more sustainable and wise."

"80% of all marine ornamental fishes die before they are even sold. And those that are sold, usually see mortality rates as high as 90 % within the first year of being kept in captivity."

"As a biologist and lover of fishes, I am saddened by the destruction and suffering caused by the aquarium industry. The conditions of wild capture, transport, and captive life for the beautiful creatures caught up in this trade result in high death rates. It is like the trade in cut flowers - only with sentient animals."

www.jonathan-balcombe.com

"There are almost no controls or protection regulations for the ornamental fish trade."

"Public aquariums stimulate the exploitation of coral reefs and set a bad example: By catching reef fishes, additional pressure is exerted on the coral reef ecosystem, which already suffers from overfishing, pollution and the consequences of climate change. We do not need another aquarium, but more individuals who are committed to preserving the oceans."

"I'm fascinated by marine animals. This is why I would never want that these animals are captured, transported under high risk of death and displayed in Basel. I anyway learn much more about animals through modern media than through old-fashioned fish tanks."

"The illegal use of cyanide in fish capture is widespread and implicated in up to 90% of the fish displayed in marine aquaria. Cyanide kills wildlife, destroys habitat and is a crisis for coral reefs."

"100 million francs for the Ozeanium – really?! This money should rather be invested in research for preventive measures to protect the ocean. The ocean is the most important habitat on earth to which we landlubbers are directly related to."

"Serious species conservation starts with the protection of habitats. The offspring of endangered species, that cannot be released into the wild, is self-perpetuating and has very little to do with genuine species conservation."

"Biodiversity in the world's oceans has never been as threatened as it is today. Therefore, it would be wrong to exhibit wild-caught fish. Only a few of the coral fish kept in aquariums can be bred at all."

"Among many harms in the aquarium business is microbial resistance from antibiotic loading to fight stress-related infections in fish; with incalculable costs to animal and human health."

"Basel as an innovative city should not rely on antiquated things."

"Showing wild caught fish and sharks in the ˈOzeaniumˈ while claiming to protect the oceans? How absurd! If the shark dies, the ocean dies. If the ocean dies, we die."

"In Europe, more and more dolphinariums are closing. But these must not be replaced by large aquariums. Sharks and other marine inhabitants belong to the ocean and not in fish tanks."

"Coral fish that are found in sea-water aquariums come almost exclusively from the coral reef. There are almost no controls or protection regulations, and many fish die already when they are captured."

"Since 2012 Switzerland has an import ban of whales and dolphins and campaigns against overfishing of the seas worldwide. This role model function should not be risked for the sake of an un-ecological and anachronistic project, such as the planned ˈOzeaniumˈ in Basel - for the sake of our sea inhabitants and the rest of us."

"30% of all coral reefs are in an extremely threatening state and it could exacerbate in the next few years. The capture of these coral fishes destroys the sensitive ecological balance and the illegal use of cyanide causes immense damages. Also, the fact that on average, at least 70% of the animals die during the capture or the transport, is in contradiction to the statement to bring people closer to nature."