Marine biologist Viliame Waqalevu is one of the senior researchers at the world’s largest and most expansive marine-life aquarium, SeaWorld, in Abu Dhabi.
SeaWorld Abu Dhabi will house more than 68,000 marine animals of about 150 different species, including sharks, schools of fish, manta rays, sea turtles, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates as well as birds like penguins , puffins, murres, flamingos and more.
The park’s animals will be cared for by a team of zoologists, veterinarians, nutritionists, and animal specialists.
Mr Waqalevu hails from Nabouono Village in Udu Point, Vanua Levu and is married to Sai Veitata-Waqalevu.
He started as a volunteer at the University of the South Pacific’s seawater lab 1 in 2008.
Mr Waqalevu specialises in live feed development for marine fish larvae at the critical developmental stage of first feeding (the first few days when the mouth of a fish larvae opens after it hatches).
He was also a Post-Doctoral researcher for EPHE (Paris, France) from 2020-2021 but as it was in the middle of the COVID pandemic, travel was impossible.
“Outside of aquaculture, I also have international collaborative research projects with scientists from all over the world and work also in the field of coral reef ecology, coastal ecosystems, larval ecology/biology which have currently culminated in 26 peer reviewed scientific papers published in international journal,” he said.
Today, he is leading the aquaculture research project at Abu Dhabi.
SeaWorld Abu Dhabi
SeaWorld Abu Dhabi will also be home to SeaWorld Research and Rescue Abu Dhabi, the first dedicated marine research, rescue, rehabilitation, and return center in the United Arab Emirates, providing world-class facilities to support regional and global conservation efforts.
The project is due to open next year as the latest addition to Yas Island’s tourism offering.
The attraction, which is 90 per cent complete at the moment, is being developed by Miral, in partnership with SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment.
It is set to contain more than 58 million litres of water.
The project had been designed and built using the latest technologies, aiming to provide the residents a dynamic environment that replicates their natural habitat, said the developer, Miral, in a statement.
“The marine-life theme park will feature a myriad of immersive experiences and interactive exhibits, inviting guests from around the world to broaden their knowledge and appreciation of marine-life, while educating and inspiring.”
“The central “One Ocean” realm of SeaWorld Abu Dhabi links six distinct marine environments throughout the park, all of which tell a unified story based on the interconnectivity of all life on earth and in our ocean,” the statement said.
“Within the central hub, guests will encounter fascinating ocean stories presented in an expansive 360o fully immersive media experience, transporting them from one fascinating place to another, while they encounter much of the ocean’s diverse marine-life, learning how the ‘One Ocean’ currently impacts us all.”
Mr Waqalevu is looking forward to seeing the end product of his contribution.
Story By: Sosiveta Korobiau
Feedback: sosiveta.korobiau@fijisun.com.fj