Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Clearwater Marine Aquarium is excited to announce the opening of Florida: Wild and Exotic in the Atlantis Theater. This exhibit showcases a variety of fascinating Florida native and exotic species, including amphibians, arthropods, reptiles and small mammals. Guests will have the opportunity to get up close to these fascinating species while learning insights on responsible pet ownership and the harrowing effects of the illegal pet trade. This exhibition is included in your admission ticket to CMA and open during Aqua Lanterns! Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eFSHK9xF

Clearwater Marine Aquarium has been working diligently to restore our facility in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Thanks to our dedicated staff, skilled contractors, and generous donations from supporters both near and far, we’re making significant progress in our recovery efforts! While we still have a long way to go, we take pride in what we’ve been able to accomplish since the storms.

Enjoy a live performance by the Ruth Eckerd Hall Chorus during Aqua Lanterns on November 16! The Ruth Eckerd Hall Chorus is a talented group of singers who celebrate the joy of music by singing together. Annual repertoire includes selections from the middle ages (John Taverner, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, William Byrd) to modern day (John Rutter, Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen) along with Disney classics and favorites from the stage! Ruth Eckerd Hall Chorus welcomes those of high school age and above and looks forward to welcoming new faces and voices each season! From rehearsals to the main stage at Ruth Eckerd Hall, the Ruth Eckerd Hall chorus perform all around the Tampa Bay area and beyond! Get tickets: https://lnkd.in/eSPDTu3z

It’s time for a highly anticipated Clearwater Marine Aquarium calendar cover reveal! 📸 Pre-orders are now available for CMA’s 2025 calendar. This calendar includes important holidays, animal rescue dates, birthdays, photos, and more! Your gift of $20 benefits CMA’s mission of rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick and injured marine animals. Your support allows us to continue to care for marine life and gives our rescued animals a second chance at life. Click the link to pre-order now: https://lnkd.in/eBuxivdG

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI) team is making a significant impact at the 25th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, currently taking place in Perth, Australia. The CMARI team has actively participated in both the conference and its associated workshops, presenting a total of four oral presentations and two scientific posters, and co-author a third poster together with FUNDEMAR. The participation in the conference demonstrates CMARI's leadership in manatee research and conservation, while also facilitating important discussions on how to protect and restore vulnerable populations worldwide. The team presented a range of innovative research focused on manatee conservation. One study explored the use of environmental DNA from manatee saliva to detect these elusive creatures, while another highlighted the challenges and successes of using drones to locate African and Amazonian manatees in low-visibility waters. Research on rehabilitated Florida manatees assessed their behavior and health post-release, providing valuable insights into their recovery. Conservation efforts in Belize were discussed, focusing on protecting critical habitats for endangered Caribbean manatees. The team also presented posters addressing rising manatee mortality from watercraft collisions in Belize and a historic reintroduction effort in the Dominican Republic to restore the critically endangered Caribbean manatee population. We are grateful for this invaluable opportunity for marine mammal researchers to collaborate, share knowledge, and develop new strategies to protect marine species in an increasingly threatened world.

It's #VeteransDay! We're honoring U.S. military veterans today with 50% off daytime admission to the aquarium. Learn more about this special offer: https://lnkd.in/eGzziUCt

It’s time for a sea turtle nesting season wrap-up! Despite sea turtle nesting season getting cut short by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s sea turtle nesting team saw an increase in sea turtle nests during the 2024 season. Check out the sea turtle nesting stats below. CMA documented 271 nests this year along Pinellas county beaches - this was an increase from the 227 nests found in 2023. This year, CMA’s nesting team documented the first leatherback sea turtle nest in Pinellas county. The team even witnessed the nest successfully hatching! Hurricanes washed out a large percentage of active nests at different points during the season. Hurricane Debby washed out nests in August, while Hurricane Helene destroyed the remaining nests in September. 325 false crawls were documented this season, a stark increase from last year’s 240 false crawls. These events occur when sea turtle mothers come onto the beach but do not deposit their eggs. These events are often caused by obstructions such as sandcastles, holes in the sand, beach furniture, and more. All marine turtle footage taken in Florida was obtained with the approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) under conditions not harmful to marine turtles. Footage was acquired while conducting authorized conservation activities pursuant to FWC MTP-24/25-263 and MTP-24/25-013.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium would like to express gratitude to Lowe's Companies, Inc. of Riverview, including Damon Killick and Pedro DeJesus, for their generous donation of 5 sets of washers and dryers with pedestals, a refrigerator, a chest freezer, and 5 dehumidifiers to assist in CMA’s recovery from Hurricane Helene and Milton. CMA's Chief Operating Officer Anthony Rivera was able to present the Lowe's staff with a basket as a small token of thanks. The outpouring of generosity and support from our local community and beyond has been overwhelming. To say we are thankful is an understatement!

Congratulations are in order! Last night, Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s Chief Operating Officer Anthony Rivera was presented with an award from TITAN 100 being recognized as one of Tampa’s Top 100 CEOs & C-level executives! This prestigious award recognizes the area’s most accomplished business leaders in the industry and this is the inaugural year of Titan 100 in Tampa. Collectively, the 2024 Tampa Titan 100 honorees and their companies employ upwards of 55,000 individuals and generate over $24 Billion in annual revenues. #Titan100

Big news! CMA now has a specialty license plate. 🐬🐋🚘🦦🐢 Pre-sale vouchers for the official Clearwater Marine Aquarium specialty license plates are available now! Proceeds of each voucher sold will go toward CMA’s mission to rescue, rehab, and release marine life and help us continue our animal care, education, research and conservation efforts. We need your help to reach our goal of 3,000 vouchers in order to start producing these official Clearwater Marine Aquarium license plates and receive funds soon! To purchase your official CMA license plate pre-sale voucher, order yours at the link below or visit your local Tax Collector’s office in person to request a pre-sale voucher for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium specialty license plate. https://lnkd.in/gWc8uZ8Y