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Animals Up-Close

Encounters with the animals that call Mystic Aquarium home

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Mystic Aquarium is, at its foundation, a research, conservation, and education institution. We conduct critical research to advance our knowledge about marine life. We engage with experts from leading organization and institutions from around the world to establish science-based marine conservation efforts. And we communicate the results to policymakers, regulatory agencies, the science community, and the public.

Our work is centered on fulfilling our mission to inspire people to care for and protect our ocean planet through conservation, education, and research. With our mission in mind, we design our research and conservation efforts with the goals to enhance the health and welfare of animals in our care, improve our understanding and protection of wild animals and their environments, protect our fragile marine resources, and foster a greater appreciation for our oceans and the animals that call them home.

The health and welfare of the animals at Mystic Aquarium is always our top priority.  From the advanced environmental and water quality systems to diagnostic services that can detect dangerous pathogens in marine animals to our animal care and rescue efforts, our focus remains on advancing the wellbeing of aquatic animals and their environments. Every day, our researchers, veterinary team, animal rescue staff, and citizen scientists are learning more about how to protect our ocean and are putting the lessons learned into practice.

Successful conservation of marine ecosystems requires balancing human development with the needs of aquatic animals and their environments. Our research is designed to build our knowledge about how we can best achieve that balance. The ocean supplies us with food, energy, jobs, and recreation. As environmental stewards, we must manage these precious resources sustainably so there are thriving ocean ecosystems now and for future generations.

We conduct our research both at Mystic Aquarium and out in the field. At Mystic Aquarium, we work with resident animals to establish baseline health information and to develop noninvasive sampling techniques that can be used with animals in the wild.  Our research with resident animals ties back to answering questions about the biology of animals in the wild and their conservation. In the field, we engage in various projects with wild populations of marine animals and aquatic ecosystems.

Stronger Together

Mystic Aquarium collaborates with individuals and organizations that share our vision of having a strong and lasting impact on ocean research and conservation.  The distinct strengths of these partners, combined with Mystic Aquarium’s expertise, expands our reach and capabilities. Our most notable research partner is the University of Connecticut (UConn). Mystic Aquarium’s state-of-the-art research laboratories are located at the UConn’s Avery Point campus which is dedicated to Marine Science and Maritime studies.  Mystic Aquarium scientists have appointments in the Department of Marine Science and teach undergraduate and graduate students both in the classroom and in the laboratory.