Twenty-one years ago this month, the Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit at the St. Lucie County Aquarium (originally called the St. Lucie County Marine Center) opened to the public with several large aquarium displays of local marine habitats, a classroom space and a gift shop.
While there have been many physical improvements made to the aquarium displays since it first opened, perhaps the most intriguing highlights over the past 21 years were the insights gained by both staff and the scientific community on local species and the ecosystems they support. The ecosystems displayed at the St. Lucie County Aquarium are dynamic and diverse; living models of local habitats where organisms can be observed behaving as they would in the wild. While the exhibit’s red mangrove trees and seagrasses flower in-sync with nature, the crowning achievement occurred when the staghorn corals in the Atlantic coral reef model ecosystem spawned five days after the full moon – coinciding with their wild counterparts in South Florida.
Staff strive to establish stable, dynamic models of Florida's marine ecosystems and a window into our underwater world by placing a strong emphasis on recreating many important features of local marine habitats from the life in the sand to the artificial sunlight, and everything in between. With so much to observe in each tank, visitors are encouraged to learn about the small, sometimes overlooked, organisms, which are integral to stable healthy ecosystems; an oft-repeated phrase at the Aquarium is “…the closer you look, the more you’ll see."
Rotating exhibits and a constantly changing roster of live marine animals have kept the aquarium fresh and relevant, offering repeat visitors a new experience each time they visit. An up-and-coming exhibit: “The Pelagic Magic Blackwater Exhibit” will surely captivate visitors with images of the rarely seen and often bizarre organisms of the Atlantic Ocean’s nighttime open ocean realm.
In honor of 21 years in this beautiful location, the Smithsonian staff are hosting a year of monthly beach clean-ups from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM on the first Tuesday of each month, which coincides with a free admission day.
Located at 420 Seaway Drive on Hutchinson Island South, the St. Lucie County Aquarium is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Sunday from noon to 4:00 PM. Visitors can meet the Aquarium’s staff and learn how they care for the intricate living ecosystems as well as the ever-popular guided feeding tours at 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM led by Smithsonian educators. For more information, visit www.stlucieco.gov/Aquarium or call 772-462-3474
