With the return of the Fishermen’s Forum in person this year, the Maine State Aquarium was invited to attend, bringing our new mobile touch tank. The Sea Bus was popular with children and adults alike, allowing people to interact with the tidepool animals and plants as they interacted with each other. The hermit crab carrying a frilled anemone on its shell as it cruised around the tank was a big hit. Marine Ecological Habitats in Biddeford fabricates these touch tanks, mobile carts, and filtration systems. This all-in-one system kept the animals and plants safe inside the Samoset Resort even as a blizzard outside made conditions less than so. Gulf of Maine, Inc. in Pembroke collected the animals and plants; owner “Tidepool Tim,” as he is known, runs a seafood and marine science business, supplying individuals, classrooms, and laboratories with unique Gulf of Maine marine life.

Windjammer Days Preview Opening June 28

With the arrival of spring that blizzard is well behind us, and for many of us our attention has turned towards summer. As you make summer plans, they can include visiting the Maine State Aquarium! We are excited to announce that we will open Wednesday, June 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the Windjammer Days festival. Then through Labor Day, we will be open Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We will open in stages from this summer to next; our 2023 preview opening will include new tanks, interactive exhibits, and hands on activities. It will also include the always popular touch tank and a preview of what the final redesigned aquarium will be. At 1 p.m. on the 28th, you can also watch the Windjammers enter the Harbor under full sail. (Consider this summer as our soft(shell) opening, to be followed by a hard(shell) opening, if you will.) To prepare for a grand opening in 2024, the aquarium will close after Labor Day for work to continue. Along the way we will update you about our progress. We hope you will continue to visit us as each new stage is unveiled. Follow us on our website, social media, and in future articles as we finalize further opening details.

Find us at https://www.maine.gov/dmr/programs/education-division and social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). You can contact the Education Division with questions through social media and email (aquarium@maine.gov).