Each 2.5-hour cruise begins at 1 p.m. The cruises run throughout July and August.
The program offers introductory lessons on fish, crabs, skates, squids and other marine life brought up to the research vessel. Participants get the chance to inspect sea creatures caught in the ship’s trawl net before the amphibians are tossed back into the water.
“The best way to inspire stewardship of Long Island Sound is for people to see firsthand the diversity of marine life that lives in the Sound,” said Cathy Hagadorn, the Maritime Aquarium’s research vessel manager, in a press release. “Our best exhibits within the aquarium can’t top the immediacy and lasting impact of seeing dozens of animals come up out of the water right in front of your eyes.”
Sea life from different water levels of the sound are brought up to the vessel. Video microscopes offer views of plankton on the surface and a biodredge reveals sponges, mollusks and tiny crabs.
Information about the animals brought onboard is entered into the aquarium’s Long Island Sound Biodiversity Project, a biological database available online to teachers and researchers.
Admission to each cruise costs $22.95 per person or $17.95 per Maritime Aquarium member. Reservations are recommended.
According to a press release, cruises are available at 9 a.m. daily by charter for summer campers, scouts and other groups.
All passengers must be at least 42 inches tall.
Cruises depart from the dock near the aquarium’s IMAX Theater entrance. To reserve a spot on the cruise or for more information, click here.
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