Poema del Mar

Located within the premises of the Port of Light and Las Palmas, it consists of a 12,500 m2 building inspired by the designs of Nestor Martín-Fernández de la Torre, whose pictorial work "Poem of the Atlantic" inspires the name of the aquarium. It consists of three large differentiated zones: surface marine ecosystems, deep marine, and freshwater. There are 35 ecosystems represented in different aquariums totaling 7.5 million liters of water, distributed in three areas: • The first zone, The Jungle, reproduces landscapes in homage to the five continents. • The second zone, Reef, is a walk around a huge cylinder that displays a wide variety of corals and fish. • In the third zone, Deep Sea, the deepest ocean is reproduced, thanks to the largest curved exhibition window in the world: a 140-ton methacrylate, 36 meters long and seven meters high, making it the largest saltwater aquarium in Europe. == Commitment to the marine environment ==

It collaborates with the European Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme to launch a coalition of aquariums that fight against pollution caused by plastics. It carries out awareness actions through educational workshops, conservation, and protection of vulnerable species, such as the recovery of injured turtles for their subsequent return to the sea. == Criticism ==

The aquarium remained closed from its political inauguration day, December 17, 2017, until January 8, 2018, the day it opened its doors to the public. At the time of its inauguration, only political authorities and the media were present to justify its realization, the use of tax incentives received by the Investment Reserve and the deductions applied, a procedure required by the Ministry of Finance. During that 21-day period, the aquarium had no lighting of its own because it had not yet received the official opening permits, necessary to certify the habitability of the space. The only light ensuring the survival of the animals was the construction light from the street. == References ==