{"id":18769,"date":"2025-06-18T10:00:21","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T14:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mote.org\/?p=18769"},"modified":"2025-06-18T10:05:22","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T14:05:22","slug":"mote-aquarium-to-mote-sea-beginning-the-transition-from-city-island-to-nathan-benderson-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mote.org\/news\/mote-aquarium-to-mote-sea-beginning-the-transition-from-city-island-to-nathan-benderson-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Mote Aquarium to Mote SEA: Beginning the transition from City Island to Nathan Benderson Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is excited to share the latest milestone in the process of opening the Mote Science Education Aquarium (SEA) at Nathan Benderson Park.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mote\u2019s long-standing plan in preparation for the new facility has included a period of time where operations at Mote Aquarium on City Island would transition to focus efforts on animal quarantine and transfer, as well as staff and volunteer training for Mote SEA operations. Based on the current timeline, <\/span>July 6<\/b>th<\/b> will be the final day that the current Mote Aquarium on City Island will be ticketed and available for general public admission<\/b>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The following day, July 7<\/span>th<\/span>, all operations at Mote Aquarium on City Island will transition to dedicated preparation and support for the opening of Mote SEA. It\u2019s important to note that no Mote Aquarium staff will be furloughed due to this transition. Current Mote Members will receive an email directly from Mote’s Membership team with additional details.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ceasing public operations of Mote Aquarium on City Island immediately after the 4<\/span>th<\/span> of July weekend will allow Mote SEA to open as soon as possible. There are two primary controlling forcing functions that will determine the opening date.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first is Mote SEA exhibits\u2019 water chemistry and critical life support microbial dynamics. A majority of the themed habitats at Mote SEA include \u201cshotcrete\u201d and paint. It\u2019s critically important that those habitats are removed of all soluble components, which is done through a process known as leaching. This process can vary in the time that it takes to complete.\u00a0 While Mote\u2019s expert staff are monitoring the leaching process daily, part of this exercise is simply waiting for the water chemistry to stabilize. Once that occurs, critical life support microbial communities are inoculated into exhibit life support systems and must become stabilized before multi-cellular animal inhabitants of the exhibits are introduced.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second forcing function is animal quarantine, transfer and acclimation. The health, safety and welfare of all animals under Mote\u2019s care is the top priority. Mote is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and follows animal transfer protocols adopted as best practices across peer institutions. Following a quarantine protocol for each animal and upon subsequent transfer to Mote SEA, all newly resident animals will be closely monitored for veterinary acclimation signals. Until such time that all animals have fully acclimated to their new habitats, Mote SEA will not open for general admission.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For 45 years, Mote Aquarium has provided a unique, informal marine science education experience for guests from around the world. That would not have been possible without tremendous support from the community, donors, staff, trustees, volunteers, and of course, Mote\u2019s incredible guests. This major transition period is an extremely exciting milestone along the pathway to a grand opening for Mote SEA, where Mote will continue to open a window into the globally significant marine science research conducted at Mote Marine Laboratory.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The entire Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium family looks forward to seeing everyone out at SEA! <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in the 1980s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is excited to share the latest milestone in the process of opening the Mote Science Education Aquarium (SEA) at Nathan Benderson Park. 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