One of the world's foremost marine mammal experts has joined the National Aquarium in Baltimore to chart the future of its biological programs.
Dr. Joseph R. Geraci, a scientist and educator who had been a consultant to the aquarium since 1990, has advised the International Whaling Commission and government agencies in Canada, Spain, Brazil and the United States.
"He is a very well-respected marine mammal pathologist," said William G. Doubleday, director general of fisheries and ocean science for the Canadian government. "I don't know of anybody I would rate higher. The aquarium has done well to hire him."
Geraci has led investigations of marine mammal deaths in Canada, the North Sea, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, including the 1987 probe of the deaths of more than 700 bottlenose dolphins along the East Coast.
The study initially concluded the dolphins died from bacterial and viral infections that followed poisoning by a natural "red tide" toxin ingested by fish they ate. Research since then has found that the die-off began with a viral epidemic similar to canine distemper or human measles.
In Baltimore, Geraci wants to put the aquarium's visitors in closer touch with the Chesapeake Bay and with the people working to save it.
"There's a lot we can do, because we have such a wide audience, to expose visitors to some of the exciting things happening on the bay, and to help them understand the role we all play in the health of the bay," he said.
Geraci, 59, bought a house downtown in the Otterbein neighborhood and began work last month as the aquarium's senior director of biological programs. He replaces Chris Andrews, 44, who left to direct the new Charleston Aquarium in South Carolina.
A soft-spoken, Massachusetts-born grandson of Italian immigrants, Geraci holds a degree in veterinary medicine from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in marine biology from McGill University's Institute of Oceanography in Montreal.
After work as a curator for the New York and Montreal aquariums, he began a 30-year career in marine mammal research and teaching, most recently as a clinical professor at Tufts University's School of Veterinary Medicine. He has written or co-written 41 scientific papers, five books and 12 government publications.
In some ways, Geraci might be the biggest catch at the aquarium.
"There are a number of names in the marine mammal community who, when the name is attached, add credibility to any project," said Ken Ramirez, director of marine mammal training and husbandry at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. "Geraci's is one of those. His concern is always for the animals' needs first, and he is well respected for that."
Geraci's new job, with a salary said to be near the midpoint of the $57,000 to $99,000 range for top aquarium management, has not ended his international visibility. Speaking this week in Germany, he is to lecture later this year in Italy, New Zealand and Japan.
Trim and athletic-looking, Geraci seems a bit caged in his aquarium office -- a modest cubicle with a million-dollar view of the Inner Harbor. Drain water gurgles periodically through plastic piping over his head. The temporary pipes were installed to carry wastewater from the jellyfish exhibit on the other side of the wall.
He began his association with the aquarium in 1990. Deaths and illness had stalked its dolphins since its opening in 1981, tarnishing its reputation and inviting brickbats from animal rights groups.
The aquarium made costly renovations and added beluga whales because they were considered better-suited to tank conditions.
"There is no question we had difficulties with marine mammals when we first started out," said the aquarium's executive director, David Pittenger. Too little was known about their proper care.
"We brought [Geraci] on to help us improve our marine mammal programs," Pittenger said. "Once we made the commitment to do it, and showed a willingness to do it, he was willing to work alongside us."
Geraci has only praise for the staff's dedication, but "in retrospect," he said, "they bit off more than they could chew." Working with staff members, he began to redesign the aquarium's medical program and to improve its habitats.
He found the seals' health was being propped up with salt pills and antibiotics, but they still showed signs of stress. Geraci had the aquarium replace their pool's fresh water with a colder, synthetic sea water. Today, he said, "There is no collection of seals anywhere that is in better condition."
In 1991, a dolphin struck one of the beluga whales, which died. Geraci encouraged the aquarium's decision to send the belugas on permanent "breeding loan" to Sea World in Texas. Beyond the risk of injury, the two species simply weren't designed to cohabit, he said. "The temperature was too warm for belugas and too cool for dolphins."
After the belugas left, both they and the dolphins had calves, a sign that both species have benefited from the split.
