New England Aquarium

Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🐠💙

Today, Aquarium staff, friends, and family are heading to Boston Pride alongside our Pride float to celebrate community, inclusion, and joy together. Just as thriving ocean ecosystems are strengthened by diversity, we know our communities are too!

If you’re at the parade, keep an eye out for us in the streets of Boston (we'll be the ones with the rainbow jellyfish!) and join us in our stories throughout the day for photos, videos, and moments from the celebration!

Dive into Ocean Dreams, our newest movie adventure coming to the Simons Theatre on Sunday, June 7! 🍿🎬

Join us for an epic journey beneath the waves! You’ll visit Norway’s deep fjords, where orca families teach their young to hunt, and explore the vibrant reefs of Raja Ampat in Indonesia, home to more species than anywhere else on Earth, and a place where people are working hard to protect endangered sharks.

For our World Ocean Day celebration on June 7, all screenings of Ocean Dreams will be free and open to the public.

🎟️ Get your tickets today: https://bit.ly/3UmxdId

Beautiful skies over the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument! 🌊✈️🐋

On Tuesday, May 26, our Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life aerial survey team took to the skies to monitor the high biodiversity of marine life in the Monument—and the ocean delivered!

During the survey, the team spotted:

🐬 More than 600 dolphins
🐋 S***m whales
🐢 A loggerhead sea turtle
💙 And a very special sighting: a Cuvier’s beaked whale mom and calf pair

In total, the team documented over 700 animals and 10 species during the flight. Cuvier's beaked whales are an elusive deep-diving species so seeing a mom and calf pair was a highlight of the survey. These aerial surveys help us better understand and protect the marine wildlife that call the Monument home!

Monday, June 8, is World Ocean Day! 🌊💙

Join us in celebrating by supporting ocean conservation, animal care, research, and all the amazing work that keeps our blue planet healthy and thriving. Every gift helps make a difference for our ocean and marine life!

Make a donation today: https://bit.ly/4wTjRo2

Remember this underwater underdog? 🐠🦬

Back in March, the buffalo trunkfish swam its way to second place in the Aquarium Showdown: Underwater Underdogs bracket!

These fish get their name from the large hump on their backs, which looks a bit like a buffalo. They’re also part of the same family as puffers, triggerfish, and other boxfish. The two buffalo trunkfish featured in these photos both live in our Caribbean Lagoon exhibit in our Yawkey Coral Reef Gallery.

Last fall, these buffalo trunkfish that are now living in our Caribbean Lagoon exhibit were found near Woods Hole, MA, by a rescue and rehab volunteer from the Children’s School of Science and donated to the Aquarium for a safe new home. Every year, warm Gulf Stream currents carry young tropical fish north to New England waters. Known as “Gulf Stream orphans,” these fish can survive the summer here but can’t make it through our cold winters on their own.

Both trunkfish have grown exponentially since arriving at the Aquarium and are still showing off their bright blue juvenile coloration. As they continue to grow, they’ll gradually develop the mottled brown-and-white adult pattern seen in older buffalo trunkfish. Safe to say these underdogs are well on their way to a serious glow-up!

For Marine Conservation Action Fund project leader Alejandra Sandoval, growing up 30 minutes away from the beach in Los Mochis, Mexico, sparked an early curiosity in marine life. After pursuing a career in conservation, she kickstarted the Ocean Leaders Program, a community-based conservation initiative in Ohuria, a small coastal village in northern Sinaloa.

There, coastal ecosystems support diverse wildlife—including East Pacific green sea turtles—and the waters provide essential livelihoods to the people in Ohuria. Protecting both requires working closely with community members.

“With this project, my goal was to bridge rigorous marine science with local knowledge, recognizing that meaningful conservation can only happen when communities are active partners rather than passive recipients of external initiatives,” Alejandra said.

Learn more about her work on our News & Stories page: https://bit.ly/3RTbxok

Our aerial survey team saw more than 200 humpback whales from the sky on a single survey! 🐋🛩️

East of Cape Cod, the Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life aerial survey team sighted a total of 222 humpback whales. It’s an exciting sign that whale activity in the region is ramping up as we head into whale watch season.

Researchers noted an incredible range of behaviors for the whales, including bubble-net feeding, kick-feeding, lunging, breaching, and flipper-slapping! Seeing this much activity highlights how productive New England waters are this time of year.

The Aquarium’s aerial survey team has been conducting systematic surveys across southern New England since 2011, collecting long term data on whales, dolphins, sharks, sea turtles, and other marine species. This work helps researchers monitor population trends, animal health, and habitat use, and sometimes leads to incredible sightings like this one. It’s not every day you see over 200 whales in a single survey!

Get ready to celebrate World Ocean Day! 🌎🌊💚

Join us on Sunday, June 7, for a full day of ocean fun at the New England Aquarium! From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., we’ll have FREE activities happening on Central Wharf and even more adventures inside the Aquarium for ticket holders.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s in store:

• Special remarks from the President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Boston
• Live entertainment from DJ Vic Baruzza at our Dockside Beer Garden
• Ask a Scientist Booth featuring experts from our Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation, BalanceBlue Lab, and Animal Care team
• Ocean-themed face painting and glitter tattoos from Glitter Dolls Face Painting
• Eco-friendly shopping from Uvida Shop
• And so much more!

As part of our commitment to accessibility and inclusivity on Boston’s downtown waterfront, we’re proud to partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston to provide FREE transportation from the Berkshire Partners Blue Hill Club in Dorchester and the Yawkey Club of Roxbury to Central Wharf for World Ocean Day. Spots are limited for free transportation; see the story link below for more details.

World Ocean Day programming is made possible, in part, thanks to the support of our event sponsors: The Lowell Institute, the Barr Foundation, and WBZ / CBS News Boston. Celebrate with us, discover something new, and learn how you can help protect our blue planet

Full schedule + all participating partners here: https://bit.ly/494UxRZ

Our summer hours are here, and there’s a brand-new otter adventure movie splashing onto our big screen. ☀️🍿🦦

📆 We’re now open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day for summer! Plus, if you’re a New England resident, you can save $5 on admission during the week.

🎬 Dive into Sea Otters: A Wild Family Adventure, now playing at the Simons Theatre! Follow Finn, a curious sea otter pup, as he learns the ropes from his mom and gets ready for life on the wild coast. You’ll see amazing moments and discover what it takes to grow up otter-style!

Plan your visit and grab your tickets for the Aquarium and Simons Theatre at neaq.org!