Maine State Aquarium open for the season
This 26-foot minke whale skeleton is one of several exhibits at Maine State Aquarium in West Boothbay Harbor. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
This is one of several exhibits at Maine State Aquarium displaying the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
A Maine State Aquarium employee tells visitors they can touch various specimens, but not anemones. She tells visitors anemones are dangerous and shouldn't be handled. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
Maine State Aquarium visitors can hear shark noises recorded in the Gulf of Maine by these audio recording devices. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
This life-size paper mache sea turtle is an exhibit at Maine State Aquarium. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
This Maine State Aquarium exhibit explains a segment of marine life in the Gulf of Maine. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
This 26-foot minke whale skeleton is one of several exhibits at Maine State Aquarium in West Boothbay Harbor. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
This is one of several exhibits at Maine State Aquarium displaying the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
A Maine State Aquarium employee tells visitors they can touch various specimens, but not anemones. She tells visitors anemones are dangerous and shouldn't be handled. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
Maine State Aquarium visitors can hear shark noises recorded in the Gulf of Maine by these audio recording devices. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
This life-size paper mache sea turtle is an exhibit at Maine State Aquarium. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
This Maine State Aquarium exhibit explains a segment of marine life in the Gulf of Maine. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay RegisterThe beginning of Windjammer Week coincides with another Boothbay tradition. Maine State Aquarium has opened for another season devoted to understanding the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. The 1,800 square foot museum in West Boothbay Harbor is home to exhibits explaining marine life.
MSA is part of Maine Department of Marine Resources. The museum is part of Maine Discovery Center. An adjacent learning lab on the West Boothbay Harbor campus is the second segment of the center. Burnt Island Lighthouse on Southport is the third.
Education Division Director Dottie Yunger expects 18,000 visitors this season, which is a typical number of annual visitors.
Among the exhibits are a 26-foot minke whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling, a paper mache life-size model of a leatherneck turtle, an underwater receiver and recorder which picks up shark sounds, and a grab sampler which assists scientists in discovering what creatures inhabit the Gulf of Maine.
MSA opened June 17 and closes Labor Day for the season. The aquairum is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
