After producing two successful educational underwater shows, The Mermaid Encounter in late 2019 and early 2021, VGP Marine Kingdom presents Mermaid & The Ghostnet: Taming the Silent Killer of the Ocean. This an educational play to raise awareness about the biggest garbage patches around the world that are filled with large, small and micro plastics.
Just like the previous shows, Mermaid & The Ghostnet: Taming the Silent Killer of the Ocean will feature a professional underwater performer from Europe playing a mermaid, telling the story about the perils of man-made pollution. This part has an emphasis about the damage to marine life caused by ghost nets.
Ghost nets are fishing nets that have been abandoned, discarded or lost at sea and on beaches. They are a major contributor to the bigger problem of ghost gear, which refers to all types of fishing gear, including nets, lines, traps, pots and fish aggregating devices, that are no longer actively managed by fisheries.
Each year, ghost gear is responsible for trapping and killing a significant number of marine animals, such as sharks, rays, bony fish, sea turtles, dolphins, whales, crustaceans and sea birds. They can cause further destruction by smothering coral reefs, devastating shorelines, and damaging boats.
VGP Marine Kingdom will also host a Ghostnet Recycled Art Exhibition in association with The Tree Foundation, an conservation NGO whose primary mission is protecting the fragile marine ecosystem and the marine turtle population by developing education.
Starting on 14 October on the auspicious day of Ayodhya Pooja, the stage is set within India’s first underwater tunnel aquarium, VGP Marine Kingdom, containing over 3 million litres of saltwater. This walkthrough themed aquarium depicts the multiple ecosystems of our environment and is filled with over 1000 exotic fish, sharks and rays.
Previous shows include Hydroman, Scuba Ganesha and Scuba Santa. The location has also been hired for many film shoots.
If you are in Chennai or planning to visit in the coming week, don’t miss the Mermaid & The Ghostnet Show. Catch this one-of-a-kind underwater educational show to raise awareness about plastic pollution between 14 and 17 October. 4 Shows daily at 11:30 am, 3:30 pm, 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm. The show is free — inside the Kingdom — and entry ticket to the Kingdom costs Rs 600 for adults and Rs 500 for juniors (between 90-125cm)
Visit www.vgpmarinekingdom.in or call +918939932222 to learn more.
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