(Tulsa, OK) - They are taking a swing at a new exhibit at the Oklahoma Aquarium.  Instead of a ground breaking they held a wall smashing Wednesday morning.

Teri Bowers, the aquarium's executive director, says the new exhibit will be called "Extreme Fishes."  She says it will be a floor to ceiling tank much like the one that houses their sharks. (Artists rendering at left)

Bowers says instead of a large tunnel for people to walk through the new tank will feature several small tunnels and Plexiglas bubbles that will allow kids to pop their heads up into the tank without getting wet.

Bowers says the tank will feature freshwater Amazonian species like the arapaima which grows up to six feet in length.  Freshwater stingrays and an island with iguanas is also in the works.

Bowers says it should take about a year to complete the exhibit.

A good year for the Oklahoma Aquarium as it posts an increase in attendance numbers.  It is not bad for a state and nation in the middle of a economic downturn.  "We've been increasing the last three years," says Oklahoma Aquarium Executive Director Teri Bowers.  The facility closed the fiscal year, that ended on June 30th, about 7% ahead of the previous year.
"It will be interesting to track the numbers further and try to gauge whether we are drawing more and more people because we are growing or because they were not going to Disney," says Bowers.  The aquarium opened in Jenks 7 years ago.  Bowers has not had time to break down all the numbers and says there could be one or two reasons.  "It is really hard to say whether the increases that we are experiencing are the stay-cation phenomenon or if they are some of the more specific target marketing we are doing especially to out of state visitors specfically in Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri because we have seen an increase in those visitors," says Bowers.  She adds the increase in visitors is a trend seen in other cities with tourism numbers and dollars up across the state.  (Photo courtesy of Oklahoma Aquarium)