According to Creditreform, "The Seven Seas Aquarium GmbH & Co. KG" has ceased commercial operations.
Thus, the remaining active company of the "Seven-Seas" corporate group (Crefonumber 7050373641) follows the decline of the group, based on information from the credit agency (Crefonumber 7050373641, as of 10.06.2021): the complementary partner company "The Seven Seas Aquarium VerwaltungsGmbH" had already completed this process in 2015.
Since 2014, the operating company had been planning the large-scale aquarium "Shark City", whose primary residents were to be sharks. Under a pseudoscientific guise, which marine conservationists viewed with skepticism, the project was framed as contributing to species conservation through "ambassadors" of their species, in this case sharks. In reality, a significant portion of the planned stock was to consist of wild-caught specimens; current scientific evidence indicates that captivity in aquaria cannot meet the species-specific requirements of these animals.
The ElasmOcean team opposed this project from the outset, which was initially planned for Sinsheim, but in 2017 received the endorsement and a land offer from the town of Pfungstadt. Eight species conservation organisations and a local citizens' initiative organised public events and distributed a technical dossier to residents to raise awareness about local and animal welfare risks. The "Seven Seas Aquarium" corporate group was forced to scale back its plans and undergo more rigorous regulatory scrutiny and assessment to obtain a building permit for the aquarium.
Apparently, the group did not survive this process.
Furthermore, it is highly likely that it shares the fate of the two bull sharks, which had been kept in a circular flow pool in Grünstadt for years; they died a few months ago. The remaining sharks and fish were transferred to public display aquaria.
The municipality recently withdrew the land reservation. The operating company failed to attend a scheduled meeting at the town hall in recent days. Concurrently, the "Seven Seas Aquarium" corporate group took its website offline and disconnected its telephones. Since 10.06.2021, the credit agency Creditreform has listed the company as "closed/dormant" with a credit rating index of 500, which advises against granting credit and classifies any business relationship as risky.
It must therefore be assumed that the plans for "Shark City" Pfungstadt have ceased.
This represents a significant success for the initiative to protect sharks, largely led by active members of ElasmOcean - joining us in celebration are, in particular, PeTA Deutschland with project manager Dr. Tanja Breining, the Fondation Franz Weber (FFW) with Dr. Monica Biondo, and the citizens' initiative "Kein-Indoor-Hai-Aquarium in Pfungstadt" with dedicated local citizens, who campaigned together against the construction of the aquarium.
The following is the chronology of events, as known to ElasmOcean:
Chronology of 7 Years of "Shark City"
2014. At the beginning of the year, Thomas Walter and his partner Thiemo Walt, managing directors of "The Seven Seas Aquarium GmbH & Co. KG", presented the idea for a large-scale shark aquarium to the mayor of Sinsheim. "We had the impression of pushing against open doors," Walter emphasised.
July 2015. The first building application for the shark aquarium is submitted in Sinsheim. The aquarium is planned on a plot in immediate proximity to the Sinsheim Technology Museum and a fast-food chain. Proposed budget: €11,000,000. Planned opening in 2017.
August 2015. Among others, the district veterinary office in Wiesloch approves the project.
April 2016. Initial construction plans are published.
July 2016. Revised construction plans are published, incorporating modifications.
Autumn 2016. NABU, PeTA, WDSF, Pro Wildlife, and Sharkproject, as well as the Sinsheim faction of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, mount strong opposition to the project.
January 2017. Further revised construction plans are published. The budget is now estimated at €20,000,000.
February 2017. The building application is initially rejected.
April/May 2017. At this point, the investors continue to publicly anticipate approval from the town hall, estimating a construction period of 12 to 15 months. Swiss biologist Dr. Erich Ritter assumes patronage of the Sinsheim aquarium.
June 2017. As the necessary permits fail to materialize in Sinsheim, "The Seven Seas Aquarien GmbH & Co. KG" presents the project to the main, financial, and economic committee of the town of Pfungstadt. The committee unanimously approves (with votes from all factions) the sale of a 21,000 m² plot in the Pfungstadt Gewerbegebiet Nord West to "The Seven Seas Aquarium GmbH & Co. KG". In Sinsheim, some of those involved celebrate the development.
At a press conference, the managing directors of "The Seven Seas Aquarien GmbH & Co. KG" present the project. The planned opening date in Pfungstadt is scheduled for late 2018.
In a meeting of the committee for urban planning, construction, and the environment, a resolution is passed to approve an accelerated planning procedure under the provisions of § 13 a BauGB.
Opposition immediately forms in Pfungstadt as well. Eight species and animal protection organisations join in a spontaneous alliance to oppose the project (animal public, Fair Fish, Fondation Franz Weber (FFW), Ocean Care, PeTA Deutschland, Pro Wildlife, Shark Savers Germany, Sharkproject Germany). Active citizens plan a citizens' petition against the construction of the shark aquarium. For this petition to be admitted, 10% of eligible voters must sign a corresponding application.
August 2017. The citizens' initiative organises a public information event where, alongside Robert Marc Lehmann (marine biologist and aquarium specialist) and Friederike Kremer-Obrock (then chair of Sharkproject Germany e.V.), several Pfungstadt politicians participate in an open discussion. Other authority representatives and the "Seven Seas" management decline to attend.
In the same month, the 3,151 signatures collected for the citizens' petition are presented to Mayor Koch at the town hall. This exceeded the 10% threshold. However, the petition is subsequently rejected by the regulatory authority due to formal defects.
September 2017. Following public hostility in the press from the operators of "Shark City", Friederike Kremer-Obrock and her team decide to compile and publish a 36-page technical dossier on the site-specific risks of construction and keeping sharks in aquaria. Incorporating studies by aquarium experts, this dossier demonstrates that neither species-appropriate husbandry nor breeding of large shark species is possible in public aquaria.
November 2017. An official information event organized by the town of Pfungstadt takes place in the sports and cultural hall of the Friedrich-Ebert-Schule, featuring presentations by the operators of "Shark City", patron Dr. Erich Ritter, the mayor, and other regulatory representatives. Opinions in Pfungstadt remain heavily divided. The operators and supporting politicians are forced to accept that the project cannot proceed unless compliance with verified animal welfare and species conservation standards is demonstrated.
2018. Internal planning for Shark City continues outside the public eye.
April 2019. The construction plans for the proposed aquarium in Pfungstadt are presented for the first time as a preliminary draft. The South Africa tank, originally planned in Sinsheim with a volume of 10 million litres, is downsized in the current planning to "only" 5.8 million litres. The total volume of all tanks combined is now planned to be 10 million litres. Nevertheless, the projected project cost remains €20,500,000.
May 2019. The town of Pfungstadt anticipates that the regulatory planning procedure will be completed by spring 2020, and that following a construction period of approximately 14 months, nothing will prevent the opening of "Shark City" in summer 2021.
June 2019. The planning documents are made available for public inspection at the Pfungstadt town hall for the first time, under the accelerated building permit procedure.
During the early public consultation stage for the local development plan "The Seven Seas Aquarium GmbH & Co. KG", several submissions are received within the deadline from conservation and animal welfare organisations, the initiative "Kein Shark City in Pfungstadt", and affected local citizens. There is consensus that the planned project does not align with statutory urban planning objectives. The project would consume vast energy and water resources, discharge saltwater into the municipal sewage system potential polluting rivers, present long-term environmental risks in the event of an accident, and significantly increase local traffic volume at target visitor capacity. The planned stocking would rely entirely on wild-caught creatures, requiring removal from natural habitats.
The proposed aquarium is deemed incompatible with a sustainable urban development concept.
December 2019. The association ElasmOcean e.V. is founded, continuing previous efforts under the leadership of project manager Friederike Kremer-Obrock, in cooperation with PeTA e.V., the Fondation Franz Weber, and the initiative "Kein Shark City in Pfungstadt". Further legal steps against the construction of the aquarium are under consideration.
June 2020. Amidst the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, "Seven Seas" managing director Walter presents the current plans to the town council's committee for urban planning, construction, and the environment. Outstanding assessments, such as traffic planning reports, remain pending. The building application is now expected to be submitted by the end of 2020, allowing construction to begin in 10 to 12 months with a projected construction duration of 18 to 24 months. Completion of the aquarium is thus delayed to 2023, scheduled to coincide with the Hessentag event in June.
August 2020. Dr. Erich Ritter, the project's patron, dies of a heart condition at the age of 61 in his adopted home of Florida.
September 2020. The bull sharks kept in circular flow tanks at the company's premises since 2016 are dead. As now disclosed, one died several months ago, while the second died due to contaminated water from the wastewater system, despite the mandatory installation of a non-return valve. Two bluespotted ribbontail rays died due to a faulty ozone generator. All other fish, including 12 sharks monitored by the responsible veterinary office at the premises in Grünstadt since 2016, were transferred to other public aquarien. This concludes a years-long dispute regarding the disclosure of animal stocks at the "Seven Seas" headquarters, during which an inquiry by PeTA, ElasmOcean, and FFW under the Landestransparenzgesetz was rejected by the authorities.
May 2021. The required assessments for the building application procedure remain outstanding. The building application has not yet been submitted. Following months of no communication between "The Seven Seas Aquarium GmbH & Co. KG" and local authorities, the land reservation was cancelled by the Hessische Landgesellschaft (HLG). The "Seven Seas" management blames planning delays on the COVID-19 pandemic. Other parties have already expressed interest in the development plot. A meeting scheduled to clarify the operators' ongoing interest in "Shark City" fails to occur as the management does not appear.
June 2021. On 10.06.2021, the credit agency Creditreform sets the company's credit rating index to 500 ("Credit not recommended. Business relationship classified as risky") due to cessation of business activity, "significant delays in meeting targets", and multiple debt collection actions.
