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| Date opened | December 16, 2011 |
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| Location | Boise, Idaho, United States |
| Coordinates | 43°36′19″N116°16′24″W / 43.60541°N 116.27333°W Coordinates: 43°36′19″N116°16′24″W / 43.60541°N 116.27333°W |
| No. of animals | 5000 |
| No. of species | 300 |
| Volume of largest tank | 17,000 gallon |
| Annual visitors | 180,000 |
| Major exhibits | 32 |
| Website | www |
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The Aquarium of Boise is a 501 c(3) non-profit aquarium in Boise, Idaho, United States. It opened to the public in 2011.
The nonprofit organization that built and operates the Aquarium of Boise was founded in 2008. After several attempts to find a location, the aquarium was built in a remodeled 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) warehouse in Boise. The aquarium opened to the public on December 16, 2011. [1] It draws about 25,000 visitors per month, including school groups, community organizations, and visitors from across the states of Idaho, Utah, Washington, Oregon and California. It was opened as a work-in-progress, with some exhibits still unfinished, but continues to add more exhibits as time goes on. The aquarium was built with roughly $300,000 in small donations and season pass sales, daily admission sales, grants, fundraising, corporate and private parties.
On May 21, 2014, the "Idaho Aquarium" officially changed its name to the "Aquarium of Boise". This was a part of a larger restructuring process that included a new board of directors, CEO and COO, with the mission to maintain and strengthen the organization as a vital educational part of the community.
The mission of the aquarium is to educate and inspire the conservation and enhancement of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems through hands-on interaction. The aquarium strives to enhance the quality of life for all terrestrial and aquatic animals by teaching and inspiring people of all ages to better understand, care for, and conserve all life on our planet to ensure a greater future for us all.
The Aquarium of Boise is compliant with regulatory agencies, which include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho Fish and Game, Idaho Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture's (APHIS program) and the Idaho Humane Society.
The Aquarium of Boise is designed primarily around interactive touch tanks. [2] Its main exhibits feature a shark nursery, coral reef habitat, shark and stingray pool, a jellyfish tank, a giant octopus tank, and tide pools. The interactive exhibits include opportunities for visitors to touch or hold animals such as coral, starfish, crabs, sharks and rays. The aquarium also exhibits terrestrial and arboreal animals, such as lories, tree frogs and chameleons.
The aquarium continues to grow and develop its plans for expansion, with the addition of 5,000 sq. feet of additional space, and adding a new Marine Science Academy, Reptile exhibits, Octopus exhibit, bird aviary and Marine Science Laboratory.
The National Aquarium – also known as National Aquarium in Baltimore and formerly known as Baltimore Aquarium – is a non-profit public aquarium located at 501 East Pratt Street on Pier 3 in the Inner Harbor area of downtown Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. Constructed during a period of urban renewal in Baltimore, the aquarium opened on August 8, 1981. The aquarium has an annual attendance of 1.5 million visitors and is the largest tourism attraction in the State of Maryland. The aquarium holds more than 2,200,000 US gallons (8,300,000 L) of water, and has more than 17,000 specimens representing over 750 species. The National Aquarium's mission is to inspire conservation of the world's aquatic treasures. The aquarium's stated vision is to confront pressing issues facing global aquatic habitats through pioneering science, conservation, and educational programming.
The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is an aquarium located in the ward of Minato in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, near Osaka Bay. When it first opened, it was the largest public aquarium in the world. It is a member of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Shedd Aquarium is an indoor public aquarium in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Opened on May 30, 1930, the 5 million US gal aquarium was for some time the largest indoor facility in the world. Today it holds about 32,000 animals.
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The Aquarium of the Pacific is a public aquarium on a 5-acre (20,000 m2) site on Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, California, United States. It is situated across the water from the Long Beach Convention Center, Shoreline Village, and the Queen Mary Hotel and Attraction.
Mote Marine Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit, marine research organization based on City Island in Sarasota, Florida, with additional campuses in eastern Sarasota County, Boca Grande, Florida, and the Florida Keys. Founded in 1955 by Eugenie Clark in Placida, Florida, it was known as the Cape Haze Marine Laboratory until 1967. The laboratory aims to advance marine science and education, supporting conservation and sustainable use of marine resources. A public aquarium and associated education program interpret its research for the public.
Sea Life Sunshine Coast at Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia is a marine mammal park, oceanarium and wildlife sanctuary. Sea Life Sunshine Coast is an institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA). The attraction is a Sea Life Centre owned by Merlin Entertainments, and is globally referred to as Sea Life Sunshine Coast by the firm. It was formerly known as UnderWater World.
Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium is a public aquarium opened in 1985 in Auckland, New Zealand. Located at 23 Tamaki Drive, it was the brainchild of New Zealand marine archaeologist and diver Kelly Tarlton (1937–1985).
SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is a public aquarium that features a large variety of Australian aquatic life, displaying more than 700 species comprising more than 13,000 individual fish and other sea and water creatures from most of Australia's water habitats. Opened in 1988, it is regarded as one of Sydney's premier tourist attractions with over 55% of its visitors each year coming from overseas.
The Texas State Aquarium is a nonprofit aquarium located in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States. It aims to promote environmental conservation and rehabilitation of the wildlife of the Gulf of Mexico. It has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1995. It is the largest aquarium in Texas, and one of the largest aquaria in the United States.
Aquarium of the Bay is a public aquarium located at The Embarcadero and Beach Street, at the edge of Pier 39 in San Francisco, California. The aquarium is focused on local aquatic animals from the San Francisco Bay and neighboring rivers and watersheds as far as the Sierra Mountains. Since 2005 the Aquarium has focused its mission on enabling ocean conservation and climate action both locally and globally. It is one of seven institutions under parent company Bay Ecotarium, the largest watershed conservation organization in the Bay Area
Long Island Aquarium is an aquarium that opened in 2000 on Long Island in Riverhead, New York, United States.
North Carolina Aquariums is a system of three public aquariums located in Kure Beach, Roanoke Island and Pine Knoll Shores. All are operated by the Aquariums Division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources since 1976 and were accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. All three aquariums feature dive shows, live animal encounters, and feeding programs.
Downtown Aquarium is a public aquarium and restaurant located in Houston, Texas, United States that was developed from two Houston landmarks: Fire Station No. 1 and the Central Waterworks Building. The aquarium is located on a 6-acre (2.4 ha) site at 410 Bagby Street in downtown Houston. It houses over 200 species of aquatic animals in 500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L) of aquariums. The complex includes two restaurants, a bar, and banquet facilities. It offers programs such as Marine Biologist for a Day, Zoologist for a Day, Sea Safari Camp, overnight stays and more. The education department works with school groups and conducts outreach programs.
The Portland Aquarium was a 12,500-square-foot (1,160 m2) for-profit aquarium in Oak Grove, Oregon, United States that opened to the public on December 15, 2012.
The Adventure Aquarium, formerly the Thomas H. Kean New Jersey State Aquarium, is a for-profit educational entertainment attraction operated in Camden, New Jersey on the Delaware River Camden Waterfront by Herschend Family Entertainment. Originally opened in 1992, it re-opened in its current form on May 25, 2005 featuring about 8,000 animals living in varied forms of semi-aquatic, freshwater, and marine habitats. The facility has a total tank volume of over 2 million US gallons (7,600,000 L), and public floor space of 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2).
The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is an aquarium in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Occupying the historic FirstEnergy Powerhouse building located on the west bank of the Cuyahoga River in the city's Flats district, the aquarium, which opened in January 2012, consists of approximately 70,000 square feet (6,500 m2) of exhibition space and features 55 exhibits over 9 thematic concentrations representing both local and exotic species of fish. The facility is the only independent, free-standing aquarium in the state of Ohio and ended a 26-year period that the city lacked a public aquarium.
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