Conservation at The Maritime Aquarium

The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk plays a key role in the protection and conservation of Long Island Sound and its watershed. By introducing visitors to the Sound through its living exhibits, marine science and environmental education programs, the Aquarium sparks curiosity in science and fosters the desire to protect and restore the environment. Moreover, The Maritime Aquarium further inspires visitors to appreciate the global environment by connecting the importance of the Long Island Sound to the oceans of the world in a “one ocean” and “all waters are connected” paradigm. The Aquarium engages in local, regional, national, and international conservation projects that support our mission. The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk also participates in scientific councils and advisory groups to advocate for science-based policy and actions supporting the improved health of Long Island Sound. For example, we are active members of the Aquarium Conservation Partnership, which is a collaboration of 26 aquariums across the country seeking to advance our shared conservation goals.
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Maritime Aquarium's Conservation Action Plan: https://publuu.com/flip-book/126446/608608/page/1  

Current Projects Include:

Within the Aquarium Building

In the Field

Marine Debris in Long Island Sound: The Conservation and Education Departments are working with partners from New York and Connecticut to launch Connecticut's first marine debris recovery program for lost and abandoned lobster traps. Through this program, we are working with local fishers aboard their vessels to recover lobster traps from the bottom of Long Island Sound. Lost and abandoned lobster traps can harm the Sound through “ghost fishing,” when the traps are left on the bottom but continue to catch animals that remain inside the traps and die. We are also conducting research to study the species that are using these lost lobster traps as habitat, such as northern star coral.

Protecting Coastal Resilience through Salt Marsh Restoration: The Conservation Department is working with Harbor Watch, Northeastern University, Sacred Heart University, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation to conduct field research on restored and natural salt marshes across Connecticut. We are also working with the City of Norwalk and the Norwalk River Watershed Association to bring a “living shoreline” restoration project to Veterans Park in Norwalk. Salt marshes are among the most productive ecosystems on earth, and are an important nursery habitat for many of Long Island Sound’s fish species.

Shark Spatial Use of Long Island Sound: In conjunction with state environmental protection agencies in Connecticut and neighboring states and other NGO partners, TMA is deploying acoustic receivers to tag and track Sand Tiger Sharks in western Long Island Sound. Understanding these apex predators is key to understanding recovering fisheries of Long Island Sound. This work is led by the Animal Husbandry Department.

Horseshoe Crab Conservation: Delving deeper into the questions surrounding Atlantic horseshoe crab survival in Long Island Sound, the Aquarium partners with Project Limulus, for which the Aquarium’s community science volunteers tag hundreds of animals every year to improve our understanding of their distribution and habitat use. These animals are important to local ecology, particularly their eggs as a source of food for shore birds, and their blood is currently used in the biomedical industry to test vaccines and injectable drugs (e.g., insulin) for contamination. The Aquarium advocates for transition away from biomedical use of these animals in favor of emerging synthetic alternatives. TMA staff are also currently conducting a systematic review and analysis of horseshoe crab research and existing datasets to identify priorities for their conservation in the Sound and beyond.

Protection of Species at Risk: As part of its Long Island Sound Biodiversity Program, community scientists and students collect data on the fish and crustacean community of Long Island Sound aboard our research vessel and through our coastal education programs. These data are aggregated into a long-term database with over 20 years of data from multiple organizations. The Aquarium also partners with local organizations and universities to monitor non-native species in the Long Island Sound, particularly since invasive species have an outsized negative impact on ecosystems and economics. Through this project, Aquarium scientists and partners at Copps Island Oysters identified the first female mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis, on record in Long Island Sound. Damage from aquatic invasive species cost the U.S. economy about $10 billion in losses each year.

Long Island Sound Watershed Water Quality: We are working to improve local water quality through projects including The Unified Water Study, our own Straws By Request campaign, and water quality monitoring in the Long Island Sound Biodiversity Monitoring Program. Our Conservation Department is also currently collaborating with the Interstate Environmental Commission, CT DEEP, and Harbor Watch to lead a new pathogen monitoring network for the Long Island Sound watershed.