Thanks for Making 2012 an Amazing Year!

At this special time of year, the National Aquarium is grateful for so many things—for our talented staff, for our dedicated volunteers, the generosity of our loyal supporters. By making a personal commitment to the National Aquarium, you make it possible for us to inspire conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures every day.

Please enjoy this video as we look back at our accomplishments in 2012 here at the Aquarium.

Every year, more than 1.5 million people are inspired to conserve the world’s aquatic treasures by participating in conservation and educational programming and enjoying our world-class exhibits in both Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Volunteers of all ages came out to support our conservation department’s annual dolphin count in Ocean City this year!

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution, we depend upon the support of individuals, foundations, and corporations to provide engaging experiences that excite young people about aquatic life and habitats; welcome diverse audiences from throughout the community; restore fragile Chesapeake Bay wetlands; and rescue, rehabilitate, and release imperiled marine animals.

Your support this year helped our MARP team rescue and rehabilitate many turtles, including this loggerhead hatchling!

From our family in DC and Baltimore, thanks for helping to make 2012 an amazing year! We can’t wait to see what 2013 brings! Donations made to our institution are tax-deductible and can be made in a variety of ways. Want to help support a specific initiative or program? Check out our teams’ wishlists.

Blacktip Reef Update: Meet the Animals!

We cannot wait for our new exhibit, Blacktip Reef, to open in summer of 2013! This coral-filled exhibit, replicating an Indo-Pacific ocean habitat, will feature 15 exciting species including blacktip reef sharks, reticulated whiptail rays, and ornate wobbegong sharks. It will also be the new home for some of our most beloved animals, including our 400-pound green sea turtle Calypso, and zebra sharks Zeke and Zoe. Guests will be able to experience this lively reef from many vantage points, including a new floor-to-ceiling pop-out viewing window that allows you to virtually step inside the exhibit.

It’s a long journey to opening day. Between animal transports, exhibit demolition, new construction, and habitat fabrication, as well as the acquisition of new animals, we’ll have a lot to update you on leading up to next summer. As we continue to build the future home of Blacktip Reef, stay tuned to learn about new changes here on our WATERblog!

Our teams have been busy all over the Aquarium preparing for Blacktip Reef! Animal care is our number one priority, so one of the biggest jobs is caring for the animals that will soon be added to the new exhibit.

Beginning in summer 2013, guests will be able to  see new animals like blacktip reef sharks, reticulated whiptail rays, ornate wobbegong sharks and napoleon wrasse!

Napoleon wrasse

The namesake animal of the new exhibit, the blacktip reef shark, is a smaller shark species that can grow to about 6 feet in length and bears distinctive black tips on its fins. Blacktip reef sharks are found in the shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific, hanging around reefs to feed. These sharks are sleek, beautiful, fast-moving, and hunt cooperatively in groups.

Blacktip reef shark

These facinating new species will be joined by some of National Aquarium’s most beloved animals, including Calypso, our 400-pound green sea turtle, and zebra sharks Zeke and Zoe!

Calypso

Watch this video to learn more about the amazing animals that will be living in Blacktip Reef: 

Below are some of the other amazing species that will be joining our Blacktip Reef family!

• Blotched fantail ray (Taeniurops)
• Blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus)
• Bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus)
• Bluestripe seaperch (Lutjanus kasmira)
• Clown triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum)
• Emperor angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator)
• Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas))
• Reticulate whipray (Himantura uarnak)
• Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus)
• Ornate wobbegong (Orectolobus ornatus)
• Tasselled wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon)
• Potato cod (Epinephelus tukula)
• Semicircle angelfish (Pomacanthus semicirculatus)
• Spotted unicornfish (Naso brevirostris)
• Zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum)

Stay tuned for more Blacktip Reef updates! 

Watch Our Divers Carve Pumpkins Under Water!

We are really getting in the spirit of Halloween at the Aquarium!

To kick off our exciting weekend of Hallowmarine events at both our Baltimore and Washington, DC venues, the National Aquarium dive team carved pumpkins in our Atlantic Coral Reef exhibit. Not only is this a fun activity for our divers (they can get pretty competitive over who’s underwater carving is better), but the fish also really enjoy interacting with our divers while they carve!

Click here to watch today’s underwater pumpkin carving session! 

Not only is this a fun activity for our divers (they can get pretty competitive over who’s underwater carving is better), but the fish also really enjoy interacting with our divers while they carve!

This year, we gave our online community on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ the opportunity to watch a live stream of the underwater carving! If you missed it, you can watch the entire entire carving by clicking here!

Stay tuned this week for more exciting posts surrounding our second annual Hallowmarine! 

Orioles Magic: Our Birds Support The Birds!

Our National Aquarium birds (and reptiles) are proud that our hometown team, the Baltimore Orioles, are headed to the playoffs! They couldn’t help but break into song…

From all of us at the National Aquarium, Go O’s!

National Aquarium nominated at Blue Ocean Film Festival

National Aquarium film, Wounded Warriors, is a finalist for the Blue Ocean Film Festival “Best Short” award! The film documents nine wounded soldiers from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center who were able to live a dream and dive at the National Aquarium, Baltimore as part of their rehabilitation programs.

National Aquarium’s mission is to inspire conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures, a cause that is congruent with the Blue Ocean Film Festival’s mission is to promote, honor and share films that inspire people to protect our ocean and the life within. The festival is held every two years in Monterey Bay, California to honor the best in ocean filmmaking and is the largest of its kind. It is led and attended by leading ocean filmmakers, photographers, scientists, explorers, entertainment executives as well as the general public.

Among many others, this year’s festival will feature speakers such as Dr. Sylvia Earle, the Cousteau family and Maryanne Culpepper (president of National Geographic TV).  James Cameron will be on hand at their Legacy Awards Dinner to accept a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to underwater filmmaking.  The National Aquarium team is honored to participate in such a prestigious event alongside these big names in the business.

The National Aquarium team was nominated once before for a film highlighting the Marine Animal Rescue Program (MARP).

Click here to see Wounded Warriors and the other “Shorts” finalists!