Press Releases

NORWALK, CT  –  The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is closed to the public through April 30 in a preventative action to help limit the spread of COVID-19. The Aquarium originally announced on March 12 that it would close through March 29, but the closure was extended to April 30 in an order by Gov. Ned Lamont that included all state attractions, amusement parks and other recreational businesses. “This is an unprecedented response to an... Read More

NORWALK, CT –  The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is one of 17 aquariums in the U.S. – and the only one in New England – tending to live corals rescued from Florida in an unprecedented effort to save North America’s largest bank reef. Thirty-five corals, representing 13 different species, arrived at The Maritime Aquarium last month from the Florida Reef Tract, a 360-mile bank reef that extends from Port Saint Lucie down to the Florida Keys. In... Read More

NORWALK, CT  –  Plunge in for a breathtaking IMAX movie adventure into Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and also visit actual live corals saved from a ravaged Florida reef, this winter at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. Opening Sat., Dec. 14, the IMAX movie “Great Barrier Reef” offers an awesome giant-screen exploration of one of Earth’s greatest natural wonders and introduces audiences to scientists and volunteers working to preserve it. The film is... Read More

NORWALK, CT  –  The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk has begun construction of a 4D movie theater and a large new seal exhibit, part of the popular attraction’s advance response to the rebuilding of an adjacent railroad bridge.  On Nov. 11, the Aquarium’s five harbor seals moved into a home-away-from-home – on view to guests in the former “Go Fish!” exhibit – so construction could begin on a 150,000-gallon, two-story habitat on the site of... Read More

NORWALK, CT  –  Federal, state and local officials ceremonially broke ground at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk Nov. 18 on a new seal exhibit and 4D movie theater, part of the popular attraction’s advance response to the rebuilding of an adjacent railroad bridge.  Funded with state and federal dollars through a $40 million “functional replacement” agreement, the simultaneous projects are expected to be completed in a year and... Read More

NORWALK, CT  –  The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is inviting guests to follow along as it seeks insights into horseshoe crabs, a favored marine creature whose mystique and environmental importance make up for what it rather lacks in charm.  The Maritime Aquarium recently opened its new “Horseshoe Crab Culture Lab,” where staff will investigate the creatures’ physical processes, food preferences, breeding behaviors and more. A lab window lets Aquarium... Read More

NORWALK, CT  –  Jason Patlis, the executive director of Marine Conservation Programs for the Wildlife Conservation Society and a former president of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, will be the new president and CEO of The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. Patlis brings to Norwalk a 27-year career of executive management and public policy in ocean and natural-resource conservation on a national and international scale. His experience combines science literacy and... Read More

NORWALK, CT  –  The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk’s interpretive training program for volunteers and its county-wide effort to support guests with special needs are being celebrated as two of the top initiatives of any zoo and aquarium in America. The Maritime Aquarium’s “Conversation 2 Conservation” training program and its “Accessibility for All” effort were among the top honorees this week during the 2019 national... Read More

NORWALK,  CT  –  The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is joining the nation’s top academic institutions, nonprofits, foundations and government agencies as Connecticut’s only representative in a partnership to provide urgently needed STEM training and support to teachers. 100Kin10, a national organization dedicated to solving the STEM teacher shortage by 2021, announced on Sept. 5 that The Maritime Aquarium will join 40 other new programmatic partners in its... Read More

NORWALK, CT  –  Eleven Fairfield County attractions are working to reduce the stresses of planning – and accomplishing – visits for guests with special needs through a new partnership called “Accessibility for All.” Beginning April 2, anyone who wants to know how the 11 attractions accommodate guests with special needs will be able to find the information all on one website: http://www.accessibilityforallct.org . Previously, potential guests had to... Read More