Sea Change Coming For Woods Hole Marine Science Institution: Report

FALMOUTH, MA — The Woods Hole Science Aquarium, the oldest public aquarium in the U.S., is preparing for a shutdown and a major overhaul.

The marine science institution will remain open over the summer but plans to then shut down for about eight months in order to make much-needed renovations, according to the Cape Cod Times.

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The work is prompted by a 2023 building inspection that revealed problems in the water-handling system and in the basement of the aquarium, at 166 Water St.

As part of the overhaul, a popular resident of the WHSA will find a new home. Bubba, a 24-year-old harbor seal, will move to a zoo in Indiana over the next few weeks.

The aquarium dates to the 1870s and is owned by the U.S. government, under the National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

To read coverage of the sea change, click here.