Georgia Aquarium

File:Bernie-Billi-Marcus.jpg

In November 2001, Bernard Marcus announced his vision of presenting Atlanta with an aquarium that would encourage both education and economic growth. After visiting 56 aquariums in 13 countries with his wife, Billi Marcus,{{cite web |last1=Patowary |first1=Kaushik |title=Georgia Aquarium: The Largest Aquarium in the World |url=https://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/03/georgia-aquarium-largest-aquarium-in.html |website=Amusing Planet |publisher=Amusing World |access-date=12 December 2019 |location=Austin TX |date=11 March 2013}} he donated $250 million toward what was to become Georgia Aquarium.{{cite news|first=Steve|last=Huettel|title=Jeff Swanagan, who turned around Florida Aquarium, dies at 51|url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article1014238.ece|website=Tampabay.com|date=2009-06-30|access-date=2009-07-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090702051239/http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article1014238.ece|archive-date=2009-07-02|url-status=dead}} Corporate contributions totaling an additional $40 million allowed the aquarium to open debt-free.

Founding president and executive director of the aquarium, Jeff Swanagan, was brought in as the aquarium's first employee in 2002 and served until 2008.{{cite news|first=Jim|last=Tharpe|title=Georgia Aquarium creator dies|url=http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/06/30/swanagan0630.html|website=Ajc.com|date=2009-06-30|access-date=2009-07-12|archive-date=2011-06-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604093329/http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/06/30/swanagan0630.html|url-status=dead}} He is largely credited with the creation of the aquarium,{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Morris |title=Former Georgia Aquarium director Jeff Swanagan dies |url=http://www.ajc.com/gwinnett/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2009/06/29/swanagan_aquarium.html |website=Ajc.com |date=2009-06-29 |access-date=2009-07-12 |archive-date=2009-08-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828161413/http://www.ajc.com/gwinnett/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2009/06/29/swanagan_aquarium.html |url-status=dead }} from the design of the structure to the procurement of animals for the exhibits.

The aquarium is in Downtown Atlanta on land donated by The Coca-Cola Company, just north of Centennial Olympic Park. It has a blue metal-and-glass exterior. The world's largest when it opened in November 2005, the aquarium originally encompassed {{convert|550000|sqft|ha acre}} of covered space, and its exhibits held {{convert|8|e6USgal|L|abbr=}} of fresh and saltwater. Subsequent additions to the collection and redesigns of some habitats have increased the total water held to {{convert|11|e6USgal|L|abbr=}}.{{Cite web |url=https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/experience/explore/galleries |title=subsection home page of in Georgia Aquarium official website |access-date=2018-06-11 |archive-date=2018-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029120115/https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/experience/explore/galleries |url-status=dead }} {{convert|20,000|lbs|abbr=off}} of frozen food for the animals on exhibit is kept hidden from visitors in a stainless steel commissary at {{convert|-20|F}}.{{cite news |last1=Rothstein |first1=Edward |title=A Hundred Thousand Fish, Behind a Pane 2 Feet Thick |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/23/arts/a-hundred-thousand-fish-behind-a-pane-2-feet-thick.html |work=The New York Times |date=23 March 2006 |location=New York NY}}

After 27 months of construction, the aquarium opened with 60 animal habitats. Though the non-profit aquarium's admission charges are among the highest in the United States, attendance has far exceeded expectations, with 1 million visitors in the first 100 days,[http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/03/01/aquarium.visitors/index.html?section=cnn_latest No fish story: Aquarium draws million in 3 months] David E. Williams, CNN, 1 March 2006. Retrieved 24 August 2006 3 million by August 2006, 5 million by May 2007, and 10 million by June 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2007/05/23/0524aquariumweb.html |title=Aquarium welcomes 5 millionth visitor |publisher=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |author=Davis, Mark |date=2007-05-23 |access-date=2007-05-24 }}{{dead link|date=January 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} The Aquarium is part of the Smithsonian Affiliations program{{cite web | year=2011 | title=Georgia Aquarium | work=Affiliate detail | publisher=Smithsonian Affiliations | url=http://affiliations.si.edu/AffiliateDetail.Asp?AffiliateID=243 | access-date=16 Jul 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710060541/http://affiliations.si.edu/AffiliateDetail.Asp?AffiliateID=243 | archive-date=2011-07-10 }} and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

In 2019, the show The Aquarium premiered on Animal Planet, documenting animal care and conservation work at the Georgia Aquarium.{{Cite web|title=The Aquarium |website=Discovery |publisher=Animal Planet |url=https://press.discovery.com/us/apl/programs/the-aquarium/ |access-date=April 22, 2022}} After the show ended following a two-season, twenty-episode run, Discovery+ began streaming the series, and the Georgia Aquarium subsequently partnered with the service to produce more content about animal experiences and conservation.{{Cite web|date=May 7, 2021 |title=Discovery and Georgia Aquarium Enter Into All-New Multi-Platform Content Partnership To Document Animal Experiences and Global Conservation Efforts |website=Georgia Aquarium |url=https://news.georgiaaquarium.org/stories/discovery-and-georgia-aquarium-enter-into-all-new-multi-platform-content-partnership-to-document-animal-experiences-and-global-conservation-efforts |access-date=April 22, 2022}}

File:Whale shark tank.webmhd.webm tank which also includes many other species]]

The aquarium was designed around a 6.3 million US gallon (24,000 m3) whale shark exhibit, making it the first institution outside of Asia that houses the giant species.

The whale sharks' importation from Taiwan (by air, truck, and boat) had never been attempted previously. They were taken from Taiwan's annual fishing kill quota, under which they would have been eaten had they not been purchased by the aquarium. The aquarium's most famous specimens were four young sharks named Ralph, Norton, Alice, and Trixie, after the primary characters from The Honeymooners. Ralph and Norton died in 2007.{{cite web|url=http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2007/05/25/0525whalesharkweb.html |title=Taiwan approves export of 2 whale sharks |publisher=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |author=Simons, Craig |date=2007-05-25 |access-date=2007-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070528061314/http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2007/05/25/0525whalesharkweb.html |archive-date=2007-05-28 |url-status=dead }}

File:Whale Shark Georgia Aquarium.jpg

Also in 2007, the aquarium received two new sharks ("Taroko", commemorating Taroko Gorge National Park, and "Yushan" after Taiwan's Jade Mountain) just before a ban on capture of that species took effect.{{cite news|title=Two whale sharks join trio at Georgia Aquarium |publisher=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |url=http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2007/06/01/0601lvwhalesharks.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716212934/http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2007/06/01/0601lvwhalesharks.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-16 |author=Davis, Mark |date=2007-06-01 |access-date=2007-06-01 }} Trixie died after her health declined in 2020.{{Cite web |date=2020-11-27 |title=Georgia Aquarium mourns death of largest female whale shark |url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-aquarium-mourns-death-of-largest-female-whale-shark |access-date=2022-06-25 |website=FOX 5 Atlanta |language=en-US}} Alice died in 2021.{{Cite web |date=2021-06-28 |title=Alice, Georgia Aquarium's 'larger-than-life' whale shark, dies |url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-aquarium-whale-shark-alice-dies |access-date=2022-06-25 |website=FOX 5 Atlanta |language=en-US}}

Image:Nandi the manta ray at the Georgia Aquarium on 20090201.jpg]]

The aquarium is only one of four sites in the world displaying a manta ray.{{cite web|url=http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/nandi/about-nandi/ |title=About Nandi |publisher=Georgia Aquarium |access-date=2008-08-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129164718/http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/nandi/about-nandi/ |archive-date=2014-11-29 }} Nandi, the aquarium's first manta ray, and the first manta ray on display in the country,{{cite web|url=http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2008/08/25/aquarium_manta_ray.html|title=Georgia Aquarium adds 9-foot manta ray|author=Leon Stafford|work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=2008-08-25|access-date=2008-08-25}} was accidentally caught in nets protecting the South African coast from sharks. She joined the Ocean Voyager exhibit in 2008. A second, Tallulah, was added in September 2009. A third, Raven, was added in 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/newsroom/pressdetail.aspx?id%3D159 |title=Georgia Aquarium | Newsroom | Photo Library |access-date=2009-09-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303200029/http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/newsroom/pressdetail.aspx?id=159 |archive-date=2012-03-03 }}

The aquarium has been home to as many as five 11-foot (3 m) beluga whales at once.

Males Nico and Gasper, acquired from an amusement park in Mexico, were joined by three females on breeding loan from the New York Aquarium: Marina, Natasha and Natasha's daughter, Maris. After Gasper[http://www.wsbtv.com/news/10650979/detail.html Gasper Press Release] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222126/http://www.wsbtv.com/news/10650979/detail.html |date=2007-09-27 }} and Marina died in 2007, the belugas were transferred to SeaWorld San Antonio, where Nico died in 2009.{{cite web

|url=http://www.ajc.com/news/aquarium-beluga-dies-183738.html

|title=Aquarium beluga dies

|author=Howard Pousner

|work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

|date=2009-11-02

|access-date=2009-11-02}} In 2010, Maris and a new male, Beethoven, were returned to the Georgia Aquarium while Natasha remained with a potential mate in San Antonio.

{{cite web

|url=http://www.ajc.com/news/2-belugas-finally-go-341950.html

|title=2 Belugas finally go on view at the Georgia Aquarium

|author=Howard Pousner

|work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

|date=2010-03-02

|access-date=2010-03-02}} Two young belugas, Grayson (male) and Qinu (female), also from San Antonio, were added in November 2010.[http://www.accessatlanta.com/atlanta-events/georgia-aquarium-welcomes-2georgia-aquarium-welcomes-2-760433.html Georgia Aquarium welcomes 2 new beluga whales] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203071351/http://www.accessatlanta.com/atlanta-events/georgia-aquarium-welcomes-2georgia-aquarium-welcomes-2-760433.html |date=2010-12-03 }} Before transferring to the Shedd Aquarium in 2014, Beethoven fathered calves with Maris in 2012 and 2015, neither of which survived. Maris died of a heart defect in 2015. In 2016, Grayson was sent to Shedd Aquarium while SeaWorld Orlando's Aurek and Maple and Shedd Aquarium's Nunavik arrived on loan at Georgia Aquarium. In June 2017, Georgia Aquarium announced that Qinu was pregnant with her first calf, sired by Aurek, and was due in the fall of 2017. In September 2017, Aurek was transferred to Shedd Aquarium on a breeding loan. On November 8, 2017, the Aquarium announced that Qinu's calf had died from complications during birth.{{cite web|url=http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-aquarium-heartbroken-after-baby-beluga-dies-during-birth|title=Georgia Aquarium 'heartbroken' after baby beluga dies during birth|website=Fox5atlanta.com|date=8 November 2017|access-date=16 April 2018}}

In 2012, the beluga whale Maris gave birth to a female calf. After less than a week, the calf, who was born underweight, died. Although mortality rates of calves born to first-time mothers are extremely high, even in wild populations,{{cite news|url=http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/baby-beluga-dies-days-after-critical-birth/nPCg9/ |title=Georgia Aquarium's baby beluga dies days after critical birth |access-date=2012-10-16 |website=Wsbtv.com}} Maris's second calf—born on Mother's Day in 2015—would survive less than a month. Maris died in October of the same year,{{cite web|last1=Markiewicz|first1=David|title=Maris, the much-loved beluga whale at Georgia Aquarium, dies|url=http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/maris-much-loved-beluga-whale-at-georgia-aquarium-/nn78G/|website=Ajc.com|access-date=17 July 2016}} reigniting the debate as to whether the captive beluga breeding program was humane or successful.

On January 14, 2020, the Georgia Aquarium announced that 20-year-old Whisper was pregnant and due to deliver a calf in April.{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/expecting-georgia-aquarium-announces-baby-beluga-68307780|title = 'We're expecting!': Georgia Aquarium announces baby beluga|website = ABC News}} Whisper delivered the calf on May 17 that year.{{Cite web |title=Beluga Calf Born at Georgia Aquarium |url=https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/resource-center/stories/beluga-calf-born-at-georgia-aquarium/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Georgia Aquarium |language=en-US}}

File:Georgia Aquarium Petting Tank - January 2006.jpg

File:BlackTipReefSharkATLGA.jpg

File:Georgia Aquarium Tropical Tank.jpg

The aquarium's animals are displayed in seven galleries and exhibits: Tropical Diver, Ocean Voyager, Explorers Cove, Cold Water Quest, Southern Company River Scout, Dolphin Coast, Truist Pier 225 and Aquanaut Adventure: A Discovery Zone. Each exhibit corresponds to a specific environment.

Cold Water Quest features animals from the polar and temperate regions of the world and contains most of the mammal species in the Aquarium's collection. This exhibit includes beluga whales in an {{convert|800000|USgal|L|abbr=|adj=on}} habitat, southern sea otters, Japanese spider crabs, weedy sea dragons, two types of puffins, and African penguins.Georgia Aquarium:[http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/newsroom/pressdetail.aspx?id=46 Georgia Aquarium to Be Home to More Than 100,000 Fish.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224105812/http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/newsroom/pressdetail.aspx?id=46|date=2013-12-24}}Retrieved 24 December 2013

The largest exhibit, Ocean Voyager, built by the Home Depot, contains {{convert|6.3|e6USgal|L|sp=us|adj=off|abbr=}} of waterGeorgia Aquarium: [http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/newsroom/presskitfiles/att_dolphin_tales_one_sheet.pdf AT&T Dolphin Tales.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224074318/http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/newsroom/pressKitFiles/ATT_DOLPHIN_TALES_ONE_SHEET.pdf|date=2012-12-24}} Retrieved 24 December 2013 and several thousand fish. It measures 284 ft × 126 ft (87 m × 38 m) and the depth ranges between 20 and 30 ft (6.1 and 9.1 m), making it the largest indoor aquatic habitat in the world.{{cite web

|url=https://www.conservationinstitute.org/10-largest-biggest-best-aquariums-in-the-world/

|title=10 largest, biggest & best aquariums in the world

|author=Jossy O'Donnel

|work=Conservation Institute

|date=September 7, 2013

|access-date=June 10, 2018}} This exhibit is designed to feature the life of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System and showcases the Aquarium's whale sharks and manta rays as well as a 100 ft (30 m) underwater acrylic tunnel and one of the world's largest viewing windows.

Truist Pier 225 holds California sea lions. Among its six animals, individuals named Jupiter and Neptune were rescued in the 2015 mass sea lion stranding in California. This exhibit also offers scheduled presentations about the species.[https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/experience/explore/galleries/pier-225 Article in The Georgia aquarium official website]

Dolphin Coast is home to the aquarium's pod of 13 common bottlenose dolphins in a {{convert|1.8|e6USgal|L|sp=us|adj=off|abbr=}} exhibit. This exhibit also features shorebirds such as roseate spoonbills and scarlet ibis.{{Cite web |title=Dolphin Coast {{!}} Georgia Aquarium {{!}} Visit our Bottlenose Dolphins |url=https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/gallery/dolphin-coast/ |access-date=2024-07-17 |website=Georgia Aquarium |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Common Bottlenose Dolphin |url=https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/animal/bottlenose-dolphin/ |access-date=2024-07-17 |website=Georgia Aquarium |language=en-US}}

Aquanaut Adventure: A Discovery Zone contains several smaller exhibits and multiple hands-on activities, including an augmented reality scavenger hunt using the aquarium's mobile app.{{Cite web|title=Aquanaut Adventures|url=https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/gallery/aquanaut-adventure/|access-date=2020-07-12|website=Georgia Aquarium|language=en-US}}

Sharks! Predators of the Deep opened on October 23, 2020, and it has a new {{convert|20|foot}} deep tank that has great hammerhead sharks, sand tiger sharks, tiger sharks, silvertip sharks, silky sharks, zebra sharks, and round ribbontail rays.{{Cite web|title=Sharks|url=https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/sharks/|access-date=2020-10-21|website=Georgia Aquarium|language=en-US}} It features a dive cage, where visitors can be submersed in the tank. It has a wading pool where visitors can walk with rays and zebra sharks.

Explorers Cove opened in August 2024, and features touch pools with cownose rays and lake sturgeons.{{Cite web |title=Explorers Cove |url=https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/gallery/explorers-cove/ |website=Georgia Aquarium}}

{{multiple image

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| image1 = Georgia Aquarium lab room IMG 7018.jpg

| alt1 = Lab room at the aquarium

| caption1 = Lab room at the aquarium

| image2 = Georgia Aquarium hospital IMG 7016.jpg

| alt2 = Hospital area

| caption2 = Hospital area at the aquarium

}}

According to founder Bernard Marcus, the aquarium's conservation and environmental mission are equal in importance to its role as an attraction. Before opening, the aquarium was already working with Georgia Tech and Georgia State University in Atlanta and the University of Georgia in Athens to help save endangered species through education and research programs.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

The acquisition of the male beluga whales, previously suffering in an inadequate environment, was hailed by Marcus as a prime example of the type of conservation activities the aquarium should be involved with. Roughly 100 tarpons stranded in a tidal pool at Skidaway Island, off the Georgia coast, were rescued for the collection. Coral used in exhibits at the Aquarium is grown in a collaboration between Georgia Tech and the University of the South Pacific, produced by suspending blocks of pumice over a reef near the village of Tagaqe, Fiji for eight months to allow seaweeds and reef invertebrates to establish colonies.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

As of 2016, the Georgia Aquarium stated that it would not be taking whales or dolphins that have been caught in the wild.{{Cite news|last=Mark Davis|first=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|title=Georgia Aquarium: no more whales, dolphins taken from the wild|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-aquarium-more-whales-dolphins-taken-from-the-wild/ia6RAEIdi7ecgTr4WqWVFP/|access-date=2020-07-12|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|language=en}}

In 2019, the Georgia Aquarium began participating in a coral project in conjunction with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and other AZA-accredited facilities. In an effort to save coral from a coral-bleaching disease in the Florida Keys, Georgia Aquarium is housing multiple species of coral at their facility. During the same year, the aquarium temporarily provided housing for the sea turtles of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, which were evacuated ahead of Hurricane Dorian.{{Cite web|last=Georgia Aquarium|title=Georgia Aquarium Provides Temporary Housing for Evacuated Sea Turtles|url=http://news.georgiaaquarium.org/stories/georgia-aquarium-provides-temporary-housing-for-evacuated-sea-turtles|access-date=2020-07-19|website=Georgia Aquarium|language=en}}

The aquarium is involved in research initiatives that focus on whale sharks in the Yucatán Peninsula, beluga whales in Alaska, penguins in South Africa, manatees in Quintana Roo, Mexico, loggerhead sea turtles on the Georgia coast and spotted eagle rays in Sarasota, Florida. Its newest research project centers on bottle-nose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon. As permanent residents at the top of the lagoon's food chain, they are indicators of its environmental health. The aquarium is partnering with Florida Atlantic University and the federal government to monitor the health of these animals, and to identify potential threats such as pollution and emerging infectious diseases.

File:Georgia Aquarium coral reef tank IMG 7006.tif

In May 2008, the aquarium announced plans to build a $110 million expansion for a new dolphin exhibit. The expansion covers {{convert|84000|sqft}} and contains {{convert|1.8|e6USgal|L|abbr=}} of water. Located on the west side of the facility, the exhibit features space for live presentations, observation windows, and opportunities for visitors to interact with animals.

Construction began later in 2008 and was completed in late 2010. During part of the construction, the aquarium's three beluga whales were temporarily relocated to SeaWorld San Antonio.{{cite web

|url=http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/georgia-aquariums-beluga-whales-155314.html

|title=Georgia Aquarium's beluga whales sent to Texas

|author=Howard Pousner

|work=AJC.com

|date=2009-10-05

|access-date=2009-10-06}} Beluga whales are very sensitive to sound, and while officials had not noted any excessive amounts of stress, it was decided to remove them anyway and eliminate the possibility. Unexpectedly, one of the three belugas, Nico, died at SeaWorld on October 31, 2009. A preliminary necropsy was unable to determine if Nico's death was caused by the move or by something else.

The Dolphin Celebration show opened to the public on April 2, 2011,{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/la-tr-atlanta-dolphins-splash-down-at-the-georgia-aquarium-20110304,0,1424047 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119041736/http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/la-tr-atlanta-dolphins-splash-down-at-the-georgia-aquarium-20110304,0,1424047 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-19 |title=Dolphins Splash Down at the Georgia Aquarium |author=Terry Gardner |access-date=2011-03-08 |work=Chicago Tribune}} and has been controversial.{{cite news |url=http://www.accessatlanta.com/news/entertainment/calendar/new-dolphin-exhibit-triggers-debate-about-captiv-1/nQrqq/ |title=New dolphin exhibit triggers debate about captivity |author=Melissa Ruggieri |access-date=2011-03-30 |work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution}} In 2016, the aquarium changed the format of the show to make it more educational.

On January 1, 2011, the aquarium purchased Marineland of Florida for a reported $9.1 million.

{{Cite web

|url=http://www.ajc.com/business/georgia-aquarium-buys-floridas-794147.html

|title=Georgia Aquarium buys Florida's Marineland

|last=Ruggieri |first=Melissa

|work=ajc.com

|publisher=Atlanta Journal-Constitution

|date=3 January 2011

|access-date=4 January 2011

}} The seller was Jim Jacoby, a metro Atlanta developer and member of the Georgia Aquarium board of directors, who bought the park in 2004 and re-developed it. In 2019, another company acquired Marineland of Florida.

In 2018, the aquarium announced its largest expansion to date, a $100 million, 45,000-square-foot endeavor featuring a new {{convert|1|e6USgal|L|adj=on}} saltwater shark gallery, Sharks: Predators of the Deep, and a redesigned main entrance, planned to be completed in late Fall 2020. This new exhibit would include a variety of shark species.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RyPfS2Beko Video on The Georgia aquarium's youtube channel]{{cite web|last1=Kahn|first1=Michael|title=Visuals released for Georgia Aquarium's $100M expansion|url=https://atlanta.curbed.com/2018/3/21/17144920/georgia-aquarium-expansion-renderings|website=Curbed Atlanta|date=21 March 2018|access-date=30 March 2018}}{{cite news|last1=J. G. Godwin|first1=Becca|title=Check out renderings for Georgia Aquarium's large expansion in 2020|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/check-out-renderings-for-georgia-aquarium-large-expansion-2020/EqRjLLY9MGkMmmcMEUJqhM/|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|access-date=30 March 2018}}{{cite web|title=Georgia Aquarium Expansion 2020 FAQs|url=https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/expansion-2020/expansion-2020-faqs|website=Georgia Aquarium|access-date=30 March 2018}}{{cite web|last1=Park|first1=Catherine|title=Georgia Aquarium reveals renderings for expansion in 2020|url=http://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/georgia-aquarium-reveals-renderings-for-expansion-in-2020/85-530173660|publisher=WXIA/11Alive|access-date=30 March 2018}}{{cite news|last1=Ruggieri|first1=Melissa|title=Georgia Aquarium's expansion plans include new shark gallery|url=https://www.myajc.com/entertainment/georgia-aquarium-expansion-plans-include-new-shark-gallery/zxnrrxITgJ2N8wxcckpOIP/|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|access-date=20 March 2018}} A temporary entrance was constructed by the end of 2018 to facilitate construction of the new expansion.{{cite web|last1=Kahn|first1=Michael|title=Georgia Aquarium plans major expansion to open in 2020|url=https://atlanta.curbed.com/2018/1/30/16943062/georgia-aquarium-expansion-plans|website=Curbed Atlanta|date=30 January 2018|access-date=30 March 2018}} The exhibit officially opened on October 23, 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.narcity.com/things-to-do/us/ga/atlanta/georgia-aquarium-shark-exhibit-opening-in-october|title=Georgia Aquarium shark exhibit opening in October|website=Narcity|date=13 October 2020|access-date=15 October 2020}}

Georgia-aquarium-aerial.jpg|Aerial view of the facility

US Navy 101011-N-6778P-005 uests observe Navy divers assigned to Trident Refit Facility in Kingsbay, Ga. as they dive in a tank at the Georgia Aqua.jpg|Visitors observe US Navy divers as they dive in a tank at the Aquarium.

Georgia Aquarium - Ocean Voyager Tunnel Jan 2006.jpg|The Ocean Voyager exhibit tunnel

16 08 065 aquarium.jpg|Ocean Voyager exhibit tunnel

2013.01.26.113251 Georgia Aquarium Atlanta Georgia.jpg|alt=Outside Aquarium|Georgia Aquarium exterior, with advertisements for the dolphin show

;Tragedy

:In February 2015, the new vice president José Luis Barbero died by suicide after a campaign alleging mistreatment of dolphins during his service as trainer in Marineland Mallorca.{{cite news |last1=Jurado |first1=Laura |title=La historia detrás del linchamiento que acabó con la vida del 'rey de los delfines' |url=https://www.eldiario.es/illes-balears/sociedad/historia-detras-linchamiento-acabo-vida-rey-delfines_1_9768180.html |access-date=7 December 2022 |work=elDiario.es |date=5 December 2022 |language=es}}

;Lawsuit

:In 2015, the aquarium applied to import 18 belugas from Russia; it had previously placed an order for their capture and planned to send them on breeding loans to partnered parks such as Shedd Aquarium{{cite news|url=http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/georgia_aquarium_belugas.htm |title=Georgia Aquarium Application to Import 18 Beluga Whales (File No. 17324)|access-date=2012-10-16 |work=nmfs.noaa.gov/}} and SeaWorld, though SeaWorld ultimately opted out of the agreement.{{cite web|last1=Pedicini|first1=Sandra|title=SeaWorld says it won't take beluga whales captured in Russia|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-seaworld-georgia-aquarium-belugas-20150903-story.html|website=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=1 August 2016}} However, the permit was denied by the National Marine Fisheries Service, prompting Georgia Aquarium to sue. In September 2015, a federal district court ruled that "Georgia Aquarium failed to demonstrate that its permit would not result in the taking of additional animals beyond those authorized by the permit", and that the denial would stand.{{cite web|title=IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA ATLANTA DIVISION|url=http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/ga_court_decision_092815.pdf|access-date=17 July 2016}}

{{Reflist}}

• Tharpe, Jim (June 14, 2005) [https://web.archive.org/web/20051030000653/http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/atlanta/0605/14morefish.html Surprise at aquarium: 100,000 fish, in from Asia] Atlanta Journal-Constitution
• Seabrook, Charles (July 8, 2005) [https://web.archive.org/web/20050710010851/http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/0705/08whale.html Georgia Aquarium acquires belugas from Mexico] Atlanta Journal-Constitution
• Tharpe, Jim (August 14, 2005) [http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/0805/14aquarium.html Aquarium's lofty goal: 'Save planet'] Atlanta Journal-Constitution{{dead link|date=December 2015}}
• Tharpe, Jim (September 7, 2005) [http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/atlanta/0905/07aquarium.html 6 companies help make up aquarium financing shortfall] Atlanta Journal-Constitution{{dead link|date=December 2015}}
• Carlson, Bruce and Steve Shindell (2007) Bringing the Ocean to Atlanta, Georgia Aquarium Inc.

{{Commons category|Georgia Aquarium}}

• {{Official website|http://www.georgiaaquarium.org}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050206193923/http://www.atlantadowntown.com/NewsAquarium.asp Central Atlanta Progress aquarium information page]
• [http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/11/21/new.ga.aquarium/index.html CNN.com – Big window to the sea]

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Category:Aquaria in Georgia (U.S. state)

Category:Tourist attractions in Atlanta

Category:2005 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)

Category:Smithsonian Institution affiliates

Category:Buildings and structures in Atlanta