New England Aquarium

Is it shark fact or fiction? 🦈 Sharks always seem to spark our curiosity! With shark sightings in the news and sharks making waves in pop culture, it’s not always easy to know what’s fact and what’s just a fishy story. That’s where shark biologist Ryan comes in! Ryan is a research scientist at the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life. He has loved sharks his whole life, so he knows just how fascinating they are. He’s helped us break down some of our favorite shark facts and myths, from how to spot a great white to whether we’re actually seeing more sharks than ever before. Read Ryan’s full article in Worcester Magazine’s Woo! Science series to get the facts behind some of the most common shark myths: https://bit.ly/4xcgmcm #SharkFacts #AndersonCabotCenter #Sharks

At the Student Conference on Conservation Science, early career researchers from all over the world meet to connect, share ideas, and work together to advance conservation in new and inclusive ways! Aurora Silva, a Marine Conservation Action Fund Early Career Ocean Professional project leader for the Aquarium, attended the conference earlier this year and presented her poster about fishers’ relationships with marine wildlife, showing that these connections go beyond the usual focus on the trade-off between conservation and tourism. For Silva, attending this well-known conference was a great opportunity. She was able to meet people from major NGOs and conservation groups, and she asked about funding, career options, and possible partnerships. More: https://bit.ly/4wxOoGV #MCAF #MarineConservationActionFund

We had some beautiful weather for our fifth sea turtle release of the season! 🐢☀️ Yesterday, our team released four Kemp’s ridley sea turtles back into the ocean off Cape Cod after months of specialized care. “Dumpling,” “Jumble,” “Lucky,” and “Old English” were rescued from Cape Cod beaches in November and December 2025 after becoming hypothermic. At the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, our staff treated the turtles for a variety of life-threatening conditions, including pneumonia, dehydration, and trauma. With their health restored, all four were cleared to return to the ocean! With this release, the Aquarium has now released 38 rehabilitated sea turtles this summer! 🎉 #SeaTurtleRelease #SeaTurtleRescue #SeaTurtles

You know what an Aquarium has a lot of? Water!💧 And have you ever stopped to think about who manages it all? It's our Environmental Quality team! This small but mighty team manages more than 800,000 gallons across both the Aquarium and our Quincy Animal Care Center. They carefully treat the water to remove impurities, fine-tune its chemistry, and customize it for the unique needs of each habitat. August is National Water Quality Month, and we're celebrating these behind-the-scenes heroes who help keep our water in tip-top shape for the Aquarium animals. Thanks for everything you do, Environmental Quality team! 💙 More: https://bit.ly/4p8QQBc #NationalWaterQualityMonth #WaterQuality #EnvironmentalQuality

Happy #NationalNonprofitDay! 🎊 For nearly 60 years, the Aquarium has been working to protect the blue planet through inspiring exhibits and experiences, groundbreaking research, and ocean advocacy. As a nonprofit, every aspect of our mission is made possible by the support of our community. There are many ways to make an impact—donate, become a member, join our Blue Planet Giving Society, or plan a visit. Every contribution helps advance animal care, sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation, research through our Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, and so much more. Support our mission and help protect the future of our ocean: https://bit.ly/4g6G8HD #NationalNonprofitDay #AquariumSupport #AndersonCabotCenter

Building a waterfront for all 🫶 💙 Our care for animals and our community doesn’t stop at the Aquarium doors! We’re working hard to make the waterfront a welcoming, resilient, and accessible place for everyone to enjoy. Want to know what goes into making the waterfront a place for all? Luz Arregoces, our director of community engagement, shares how we’re working together to create a Downtown Waterfront for everyone, including: 🌊 Protecting our waterfront from the impacts of climate change 🤝 Teaming up to bring fun, free activities to the harborwalk 💬 Listening to our neighbors and gathering feedback through regular community sessions Read the full interview with Luz to see how our community work is shaping the future of Boston’s waterfront! More: https://bit.ly/4urVGeg #WaterfrontForAll #CommunityEngagement #DowntownWaterfront

Exciting new research from our Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life! 🐋📢 A recently published study in Nature Climate Change from research scientist Dr. Laura Ganley and collaborators shows how careful planning can reduce impacts of wind energy development on North Atlantic right whales—with minor cost to developers. Laura and her collaborators at the Anderson Cabot Center, Cornell University, LAUTEC US, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration worked to determine how developers could move forward with construction while reducing the impact to whales, specifically the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. Their results show that mitigation strategies—such as bubble curtains around piledriving to dampen noise, or carefully planned schedules for construction when animals are not in the area—can greatly reduce the number of North Atlantic right whales that might be affected at minimal costs to developers. In some cases, doing so might even reduce costs by avoiding the need to stop construction work during particular seasons. Congratulations, Laura and team on this important work! Learn more about the research on our News & Stories page: https://bit.ly/4gtzmgg 📸: New England Aquarium Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life aerial survey team. NMFS permit #25739

Our BalanceBlue team is seeking input from the global bycatch reduction community! 🌎🎣 The Global Bycatch Exchange (GBE) has officially relaunched, and the team is now gathering feedback to help shape the future of this online platform and community. The GBE brings together scientists, fishers, fishing gear engineers, governments, NGOs, the seafood industry, and gear manufacturers to share knowledge and advance solutions to fisheries and aquaculture bycatch. As the next step, the GBE is convening expert working groups to better understand the community’s needs, identify complementary efforts, and develop a long-term strategy for the platform. Learn more about the Global Bycatch Exchange: https://lnkd.in/eu5H67tG Interested in getting involved or sharing your perspective? Take the community survey and help inform what comes next: https://bit.ly/45nOd5S

Did you know a herd of elephants has arrived in Boston to inspire global conservation, and they're helping support our work to protect the blue planet, too? 🐘💙 Introducing The Great Elephant Migration! This new public art exhibition along Commonwealth Avenue Mall was created by the Real Elephant Collective and brought to Boston in partnership with the 'Quin House. The free exhibition features 100 life-size elephant sculptures, each celebrating the importance of human-wildlife coexistence. Each sculpture is also available for purchase, with proceeds supporting conservation organizations around the world. We're honored that the New England Aquarium has been selected as one of the beneficiaries! Our President and CEO, Vikki Spruill, joined last week's opening ceremony to celebrate our shared commitment to protecting people and wildlife. She highlighted the connection between elephants and the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale—two species that rely on healthy habitats, long-distance migrations, and collective conservation efforts to survive. We're grateful to be part of this inspiring global movement. Thank you to the 'Quin House, city leaders, the talented artists, and everyone who helped bring this incredible exhibition to Boston, and for choosing the Aquarium as one of The Great Elephant Migration's beneficiaries. More: https://wbur.fm/3RWzAmH #WorldElephantDay