New aquarium in Gulfport, Mississippi: http://zoonation.org/breaking-new-mississippi-aquarium-to-open-in-gulfport-in-2019/ My apologies if there's already a thread about this.
David Kimmel, formerly President and COO of the Georgia Aquarium, has been approved as aquarium consultant, "providing development and project management services, along with operational planning through the pre-opening phase of the project." Read more here: Gulfport chooses consultant to lead aquarium development
Its been years since this thread was updated but this aquarium is currently under construction with an estimated opening date of early 2020. Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport showing great signs of progress So I saw another article about the construction of this aquarium and it mentioned dolphins. In a time where so aquariums are phasing them out, its interesting to see an aquarium aiming to create a new exhibit for them. The exhibit according to the plans below is extremely small (plans below line up with google earth). I am honestly surprised their has been no backlash to this so far.
Oh? New Gulfport aquarium stirring controversy - WXXV 25 200,000 Signatures Gained In Protest Of New Mississippi Aquarium’s Plans For Holding Dolphins In Captivity - World Animal News
Well, they must have done their homework, seeing how Georgia Aquarium got past the protests, brought in the dolphins, and had a huge success. The dolphin debate aside, I find it warming that nice family entertainment that teaches conservation has managed to come out of the terrible destruction of hurricanes going back two decades. It's like a phoenix coming out of the ashes. It's nice to see the rebuilding and expansion of similar Florida ventures, like Florida's former Marineland sister to GA. I'm thankful for any institution that brings conservation of animals front and center to visitors who otherwise might have gotten a new amusement park, skateboard park, water park, or video arcades. Dolphin shows need not involve riding the dolphins. They can introduce husbandry behaviors and even a lesson on marine animals dying from garbage we throw in the water or the effects of single-use water bottles. Any exposure and education is wonderful compared to all those commercial options that could have been chose to build.
https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/harrison-county/article242687451.html The new aquarium is almost done, although the opening is likely delayed until September due to COVID-19. The video makes the aquarium look really high quality, with one notable exception. The dolphin tank looks fairly small and basic. I wish they had instead just focused on another species like manatee or sea lion instead. Edit: I quickly measured out the dolphin tank on google earth, and its only 4,000 sq ft.
