The Maine State Aquarium will open this summer after a four-year closure with a freshly renovated interior and new exhibits showcasing the creatures and environs of the Gulf of Maine.
After closing in 2020 for the pandemic, officials had hoped to reopen the Boothbay Harbor institution in 2022, said Dottie Yunger, director of the education division for the state Department of Marine Resources.
But it ended up having to stay closed for another two years, after decades of exposure to salt air had badly damaged the building, which had a leaky floor, wiring problems, and a wall that was falling down in some places, according to Yunger.
“We know it’s been a long time that we’ve been closed and we’re as disappointed as anyone that we aren’t open yet,” Yunger said.
With $1.2 million approved by the Legislature, the aquarium has been renovating its interior. It’s also added several new tanks and exhibits that demonstrate the interactions between animals, people and nonliving things in Maine’s coastal ecosystem.
Two of the new tanks, which can hold 1,200 gallons, are themed to look like the rocky midcoast and nearby Burnt Island, a state-managed site that includes a lighthouse, Yunger said. Another 650-gallon tank will resemble the underside of a wharf, showcasing all the creatures that would dwell beneath a pier in Maine.
There will also be a 100-gallon lobster tank and a partial model of a fishing boat. To display the working waterfront aspects of the surrounding community, kids will be able to use the model boat to pull up a trap holding a fake lobster and learn how to band it, measure it, and notch a female’s tail, Yunger said.
A popular touch tank will be coming back to the aquarium as well, mimicking a tidal pool on Burnt Island and complete with a mechanism that makes waves. The aquarium will also highlight the state’s ongoing marine research, with exhibits allowing visitors to interact with data on the effects of a warming climate on the Gulf of Maine ecosystem.
All of the tanks will have natural seawater pumped in from Boothbay Harbor, Yunger said.
The aquarium based its new displays on community feedback and chose to go with a few large tanks instead of several small ones so guests can witness how all of the animals, plants and other aspects of the ecosystem interact together.
“We want to emphasize the communities that rely on the Gulf of Maine, whether it be through industry, maybe it’s because they own a restaurant along the working waterfront,” Yunger said. “Communities live connected to the water, connected to the coast.”
This year, the aquarium will open from Boothbay Harbor’s Windjammer Festival on June 26 through Labor Day. It’ll be open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.
