Birmingham — The Georgia Aquarium went fishing again for something it coveted, and caught it in central Alabama.

Representatives of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on Wednesday welcomed the aquarium as a member of the national organization. The aquarium, said the AZA, met its standards to join.

FRANK NIEMEIR/AJC (ENLARGE)

The Georgia Aquarium had a rocky 2007, losing four big swimmers. The facility's first attempt at joining the Association of Zoos and Aquariums was denied.

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That was not the case six months ago, when the aquarium first applied for membership. Specialists advised aquarium representatives to make a few changes in how it operates.

The aquarium listened and made the changes, said Jeff Swanagan, the aquarium's president and executive director.

"This is important to our entire team," he said. "This industry is our family."

The aquarium joins an elite group, Swanagan said. "You want the bar set really high" to gain admittance, he said.

The association is happy to have the aquarium, said Jim Maddy, the AZA's president and CEO. The association is having a regional meeting in Birmingham.

"We expect the Georgia Aquarium will be a strong participant in the association," he said.

The AZA is a licensing and standards agency, with more than 200 members across North America. Its members include Zoo Atlanta, plus some of the nation's renowned aquariums — Chicago's Shedd, Monterey Bay in California, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans, among others. It oversees a wealth of breeding plans for animals in captivity, making sure gene pools of different species remain healthy.

In September, during the AZA's annual meeting, a panel of specialists reviewed the aquarium's application and delayed deciding whether the aquarium should join the association. They said the aquarium needed an on-site quarantine facility; needed to more fully integrate animals' medical records; and should hire a senior veterinarian.

The aquarium hasn't built an on-site quarantine, but is reviewing proposals to create one, Swanagan said. Officials have more fully integrated record-keeping, and have hired a senior veterinarian.

Membership means that the aquarium can be a participant in organization meetings and other activities. It can help determine policy in the animal-display industry, as well as have a role in AZA operations. It can work with species breeding with creatures from other facilities, too.

The panel's recommendation also is an endorsement for a facility that had a rocky year.

In 2007, it lost four big swimmers — whale sharks Ralph and Norton, who never recovered from an apparent mistake in treating their water for parasites; beluga whale Gasper, euthanized for a chronic disease he contracted before coming to the aquarium; and Marina, an aging beluga whose death is still a mystery.