The Mote Aquarium prepares to move to a new facility
By Lily Belcher
July 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT
The Mote Science Education Aquarium — or Mote SEA — will open as soon as the animals adapt to their new home.
The Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium is temporarily closing its doors July 7, but should open its new location across Sarasota Bay by the end of summer.
The Mote Science Education Aquarium – or Mote SEA – will open as soon as the animals adapt to their new homes. Closing the original location will allow the team to focus on this transition, said spokesperson Kevin Cooper.
All the animals will be transported to the group’s ninth location, opening at Nathan Benderson Park. This move looks different for each creature.
For example, deeper-sea animals, such as sharks, are not used to rough waters that can be caused by a road trip. So, the team will use a hydraulically pressurized top to keep the water steady for the almost 13-mile ride.
"So what we're trying to do is just keep the conditions within which they would be living in their existing habitat or living in the wild as close to what they would expect as possible, so we're not stressing them out,” he said.
Cooper said other animals, like turtles, are not as high-maintenance.
“There are other things that are more simple where you have smaller transport mechanisms that you can do that aren’t nearly as sophisticated because they don’t need to be,” he said.
And while there is always a risk, the team has plenty of experience transporting animals because they frequently rescue and release them.
"Moving can be stressful for humans,” Cooper added. “It's super stressful for animals."
Coral is especially susceptible to stress, so he said they have to closely monitor water temperature, chemistry and quality during the transfer.
ALSO READ: Rare threatened Florida coral are bred at Mote Marine Laboratory
Once everyone arrives at their new home, there are a few boxes that need to be checked before Mote SEA can open to the public.
Animal habitats need to have stable water chemistry and be free of soluble components. Cooper said the material they use to design the habitats needs to go through a leaching process, which gets rid of any materials that could dissolve into the animals’ water.
Cooper said this leaching process has started in most habitats, but there is no set amount of time each area needs.
Then, the animals need to be comfortable in their new homes. He said the “world-class team of care specialists” needs to be available to focus on the animals’ health rather than the guest experience at first.
"We're just going to keep watching until the animals are comfortable,” Cooper said. “We won't sacrifice the health, safety and welfare of the animals to open the aquarium."
After Mote SEA opens, Mote will focus on renovating their roughly 60,000-square-foot original location on City Island in Sarasota.
Cooper said there is no timeline for Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium to reopen to the public, but it should not take nearly as long as opening Mote SEA.
The new building, which was announced in 2018, will increase educational opportunities for guests, including STEM teaching labs and three “state-of-the-art” workforce training labs.
Cooper said the goal is to host 70,000 local students for free each year, putting them just a glass window away from Mote’s research and veterinary care.
Of Mote’s nine locations, only one – the Mote Aquaculture Research Park – is not open to the public because it is used mostly for programming and logistical work.
The Mote Science Education Aquarium – or Mote SEA – will open as soon as the animals adapt to their new homes. Closing the original location will allow the team to focus on this transition, said spokesperson Kevin Cooper.
All the animals will be transported to the group’s ninth location, opening at Nathan Benderson Park. This move looks different for each creature.
For example, deeper-sea animals, such as sharks, are not used to rough waters that can be caused by a road trip. So, the team will use a hydraulically pressurized top to keep the water steady for the almost 13-mile ride.
"So what we're trying to do is just keep the conditions within which they would be living in their existing habitat or living in the wild as close to what they would expect as possible, so we're not stressing them out,” he said.
Cooper said other animals, like turtles, are not as high-maintenance.
“There are other things that are more simple where you have smaller transport mechanisms that you can do that aren’t nearly as sophisticated because they don’t need to be,” he said.
And while there is always a risk, the team has plenty of experience transporting animals because they frequently rescue and release them.
"Moving can be stressful for humans,” Cooper added. “It's super stressful for animals."
Coral is especially susceptible to stress, so he said they have to closely monitor water temperature, chemistry and quality during the transfer.
ALSO READ: Rare threatened Florida coral are bred at Mote Marine Laboratory
Once everyone arrives at their new home, there are a few boxes that need to be checked before Mote SEA can open to the public.
Animal habitats need to have stable water chemistry and be free of soluble components. Cooper said the material they use to design the habitats needs to go through a leaching process, which gets rid of any materials that could dissolve into the animals’ water.
Cooper said this leaching process has started in most habitats, but there is no set amount of time each area needs.
Then, the animals need to be comfortable in their new homes. He said the “world-class team of care specialists” needs to be available to focus on the animals’ health rather than the guest experience at first.
"We're just going to keep watching until the animals are comfortable,” Cooper said. “We won't sacrifice the health, safety and welfare of the animals to open the aquarium."
After Mote SEA opens, Mote will focus on renovating their roughly 60,000-square-foot original location on City Island in Sarasota.
Cooper said there is no timeline for Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium to reopen to the public, but it should not take nearly as long as opening Mote SEA.
The new building, which was announced in 2018, will increase educational opportunities for guests, including STEM teaching labs and three “state-of-the-art” workforce training labs.
Cooper said the goal is to host 70,000 local students for free each year, putting them just a glass window away from Mote’s research and veterinary care.
Of Mote’s nine locations, only one – the Mote Aquaculture Research Park – is not open to the public because it is used mostly for programming and logistical work.