Mystic Aquarium will break ground on a new, state-of-the-art Ocean Conservation and Research Center that will expand its scientific focus on aquatic animal health and behavior. The nearly 9,000-square-foot facility will house Mystic Aquarium’s animal care, water quality and research operations.
The Mystic-based aquarium said in a statement the new center will be a key component as it strengthens its mission programs – conservation, education, exhibits and research – under an interdisciplinary and collaborative model entitled “One Ocean, One Mission.” The entirety of the projects – Phases I and II – is approximately $5 million.
Mystic Aquarium’s Ocean Conservation and Research Center project has two principal components:
- renovation of the existing Aquatic Animal Study Center and,
- construction of a new building that will physically attach to the Aquatic Animal Study Center.
Mystic Aquarium is a leading research facility for studying beluga whales with the goal of helping them survive in their natural habitats. Along with scientific research, the new center will help the aquarium expand its work in ocean conservation. Its conservation efforts include emphasis on research related to aquatic animal health in both Long Island Sound and Narragansett Bay, and acting as a forum and convener for public policy discussions and public action.
The Aquarium is also involved in protecting the population of African penguins in South Africa, belugas off the North Slope of Alaska, and annually responds to more than 100 marine mammal strandings throughout the northeastern U.S.
