The CNR is «interested in the creation of the international scientific hub for the protection of marine biodiversity with the Eco Grande Aquarium of the Strait and the Blue Mermaid Park». The proposal, for which university professor José Gambino has been fighting for years, is liked by the national research center “Irbim”, i.e. the Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnology, and by Isp, the Institute of Polar Sciences. Two Centers of Excellence in the city of Messina and the whole of Sicily.
In a letter, signed by the directors of the two Institutes, which have inherited the legacy of the prestigious Talassografico di Messina (founded in 1916), Gian Marco Luna (Irbim), and Giuliana Panieri (Isp), it is highlighted that the Cnr has «always been favorably suited to research in the marine and oceanographic field and to the themes of the “Blue Economy”.
The interest on the part of the Cnr in the project idea of the prof. Gambino «also derives from the chosen location, the Strait area, “unique” for its high biological and ecological value, not only as a privileged transit axis for numerous marine species, but also for the presence of abyssal fauna of enormous interest for marine exploration».
And, therefore, the directors of the two Institutes say they are ready to offer “scientific and cultural support” to a project which does not intend to create only a Large Aquarium but also an advanced multimedia educational hub, an Expo of the most relevant marine species, a conference centre, an incubator for the most innovative start-ups in the bio-technological field, a veterinary center for the care of stranded species and a Center for the identity of the Strait of of the Mediterranean”. (ld)
