Kees Ekeli, the recently embattled director of the Aquarium in Bergen, resigned his post this week after being criticized by state labour authorities and aquarium employees.
“I want the best for the Aquarium, and given the opposition … I think it’s simplest for the operation to develop further with another leader,” Ekeli wrote in a press release. He added that he’d had “good cooperation” with the aquarium’s board “and we have agreed this is a good solution.”
Labour conflicts at the aquarium emerged in local media along with criticism from both labour and animal welfare authorities. Management ultimately decided to close the aquarium in early December for two months, while foreign experts were hired in to improve conditions.
Ekeli told state broadcaster NRK that he’s “experienced lots of noise and turbulence around the Aquarium … and that can be destructive.” Ekeli, a marine biologist who’d worked at the aquarium since 1998, said he hoped his resignation would restore calm to the site, which has been a popular attraction in Bergen for years. The board chairman, meanwhile, said Ekeli had “done a good job” and was grateful for his work over the years.
newsinenglish.no staff
