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Paper short abstract:

In 1898–1899, the German Deep-Sea Expedition aboard the Valdivia sparked a fascination with the Indian Ocean’s deep-sea flora and fauna. It also inspired Gustav Adolf Graf von Götzen, the governor of German East Africa (today’s Tanzania), to propose the idea of a deep-sea aquarium.

Paper long abstract:

In 1904, Gustav Adolf Graf von Götzen, the governor of German East Africa (today’s Tanzania), proposed the idea of a deep-sea aquarium in Dar-es-Salaam. This followed the emergence and rise in popularity of aquariums as public attractions across Europe and North America in the second half of the nineteenth century. My thesis is that the German Deep-Sea Expedition aboard the Valdivia in 1898–1899 sparked a fascination with the Indian Ocean’s deep-sea flora and fauna and was the catalyst that led to the establishment of this aquarium. Previously, oceanography had mostly focused on the ocean’s surface; technological advances and a new zeal for discovery in the second half of the nineteenth century allowed for the exploration of a new frontier: the deep sea.

Von Götzen was convinced that an aquarium perched on the shores of the Indian Ocean world would be uniquely suited to provide the scientific community, within the German Empire and beyond, with findings relating to the study and exploration of the Indian Ocean; he also hoped it would impart knowledge to the local people about the fauna of the Indian Ocean. The aquarium collaborated closely with the scientific staff aboard the SMS Bussard, a German vessel stationed in Dar-es-Salaam, and several institutions in Germany and abroad but encountered many difficulties. Difficulties arose from importing delicate glass planes for the aquarium from Germany, attracting staff with the necessary knowledge to maintain a healthy aquarium, and paying the upkeep costs, ultimately leading to its closure in 1909.