RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Andrew Rossiter, the new director of the Waikiki Aquarium, relaxes at the shark tank at the aquarium.Aquarium’s director
wants a big splashAndrew Rossiter will
try to raise the profile
of the Waikiki center
If you haven't been to the Waikiki Aquarium in many years, look out for Andrew Rossiter.
"You'd be surprised how many people I've met who haven't been here in 30 years," the new director of the 100-year-old aquarium said in an interview.
He aims to change that.
"It's not just an aquarium," he stressed. "It's a community resource.
"Exhibits here are world class and the curators are top class. The aquarium is very well respected on the mainland and in Europe. But in Hawaii, it is underestimated, undervalued and underappreciated."
Rossiter would like the small aquarium to be known as the "premier" facility of the Pacific. "There is an awful lot of, maybe too much, modesty here. Bigger is not necessarily better," he said.
Rossiter will officially take over next month as the aquarium's fifth director. Cynthia Hunter, coral reef specialist who was interim director for 22 months, will return to teaching as an assistant professor at UH-Manoa.
Rossiter has been senior research scientist and deputy chief of the aquarium exhibition section at the Lake Biwa Museum in Kusatsu, Japan.
He arrived Feb. 27, the day before the big storm, to participate in the aquarium's centennial year activities. He is returning to Japan March 22 to await visas so he and his wife can move here.
He has a spectacular view of the ocean from the director's office but said, wistfully, "I haven't even been on the beach yet. I haven't even had sand between my toes."
Rossiter hopes that sparking more local interest in the nation's third-oldest public aquarium will lead to increased conservation of the reef -- "a treasure trove of biology."
He doesn't feel Ko Olina's proposed aquarium will have any impact on the Waikiki Aquarium. "It's more for entertainment, the 'wow' facility," he said. "We're going for education, conservation and enjoyment."
The aquarium underwent major changes in those areas and in research under the last two directors, Leighton Taylor and Bruce Carlson.
Still, more space and improvements are needed, Rossiter said. "We would definitely need a big input of funds," he said, noting it cost $12,400 to build the aquarium in 1904 and one man contributed $8,000 of that. "If we can find the equivalent of a sugardaddy..."
As part of the University of Hawaii, Rossiter said he'd like the aquarium to develop closer links with aquatic researchers on the Manoa campus and at Coconut Island.
The aquarium would be "a perfect avenue" to tell the public about academic activities involving the sea and encourage conservation of marine resources, he said.
Few people realize there are 420 species of sea life around the reefs and 30 percent are found only in Hawaii, he noted.
He said he visited the aquarium 12 or 13 years ago while here for a conference and stayed overnight at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at Coconut Island.
He saw the aquarium job advertised in a top scientific journal, went to the Web site out of curiosity and found his qualifications matched the requirements perfectly, he said.
This is Rossiter's first job in the United States.
He was born in Wales and attended the University College of Cardiff, Wales, and the University of North Wales. Three days after getting his doctorate degree in aquatic organismal ecology, he went to Japan.
"I went for Japan just for the hell of it," he laughed. "I was young and impetuous."
He went to Kyoto University for the Royal Society of London for two years "and the whole thing snowballed," he said. "I was there almost 20 years."
He knew no Japanese when he went there and still knew none after taking an intensive six-week course in the language, he said. "I was sitting next to the window thinking 'let me out of this.'
"I learned Japanese literally hanging around bars -- everyday Japanese."
Rossiter left Japan for three years to work on a sturgeon conservation project in Canada, then returned to Kyoto University as a visiting scholar for six years.
He was sent to Africa for six months on a three-man team to start a research project in Lake Tanganyika.
Back in Japan, he went to Ehime University as an associate professor of ecology, evolution, and animal behavior until going to the Lake Biwa Museum seven years ago.
He continued research on ancient lakes of the world, including Tanganyika, Biwa, and Lake Baikal in Siberia.
His rare experiences include dinner with Emperor Akihito at his palace in Kyoto.
"It was fantastic, a small table with five people. He asked me about fish and I asked him. He knew all the answers. His second eldest son is interested in Asian catfish."
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Waikiki Aquarium celebrating
100 years with fun and food
The public is invited to celebrate the Waikiki Aquarium's 100th anniversary at these special events:
>> Today, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., "O! What an Experience Family Fun Day," including games, crafts, food, fun and live Hawaiian entertainment on the aquarium lawn, docent talks from the Edge of the Reef and screenings of "Corals are Alive" and "Reef Explorers" in the SeaVision Theater. Admission is $1.00 or 100 pennies, in honor of the aquarium's birthday.
>> Thursday, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., "Celebrating 100 Years of Science -- On the Edge," such as diving for flashlight fish, working with sharks, creating a "super-sucker" for seaweed. Past and present aquarium directors will highlight some of their most outstanding discoveries. Light pupu refreshments will be served on the lawn. Proceeds will benefit aquarium programs and exhibits. Doors and galleries open at 6 p.m. Admission is $30 for adults, $12 for children; $25 and $10 for aquarium members.
>> Friday, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., "100th Birthday Bash," with a concert under the stars featuring the Makaha Sons, a mini-tasting fair with food samplings from Honolulu restaurants and a special birthday cake presentation with former and present aquarium directors. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Scrip will be sold for food sampling. Proceeds will benefit aquarium programs and exhibits. Fees are $28 for adults and $14 for juniors ages 7 to 12 and free for children under six. They are $20 and $10 for aquarium members.
>> "Aquarium Animal-of-the-Month," with special exhibits, feedings, docent talks, fun facts, and kids' tattoos planned each month to introduce different marine creatures.
For more information about the 100th anniversary events, call the aquarium at 923-9741.
