Since fish were kept in porcelain bowls thousands of years ago, aquariums have featured exotic marine life. Even as aquariums have expanded their missions and programs to include a conservation mandate, their focus has remained on the natural world, marine life, and biodiversity.

Yet the ocean represents more than exotic and beautiful animals. It has inspired humanity through the millennia, in art, music, and literature. It has shaped our history, heritage, culture, cuisine, and economy. Because the ocean has defined our civilization as it is today, we must convey the full meaning of the ocean and its biodiversity on the human existence.

The world has changed over the past 35 years and so has The Maritime Aquarium. This new, 10-year strategic plan is ambitious, and was developed over months of consultation with internal and external stakeholders—locally, regionally, and nationally. It will guide our way forward as we reimagine our world-class exhibits, hands-on educational programs, and groundbreaking conservation efforts.

At the same time, we have refreshed our vision, mission, and values to better reflect our purpose, what we want to accomplish, and how we will foster both individual and cultural connections with the ocean, both inside and outside the Aquarium’s walls. Our new mission reflects a commitment to the health and wellbeing of people and our community that is inseparable from our commitment to the health and wellbeing of Long Island Sound, its wildlife, and nature on a planetary scale.

Oceans protected. Lives Connected.