Mellen Aquarium

Owner	City of New York	Established	2020
Purpose	Educational, Wildlife Study and Rehabilitation
Status	10AM - 3PM & 4PM - 9PM, Monday through Friday 12PM - 5PM Saturday and Sunday

Named for Ida May Mellen, an early researcher of the original New York Aquarium, the Mellen Aquarium is a facility bankrolled in part by generous donors like the Deveaux Society and has a working educational relationship with students of local colleges and schools.

Positioned on the boardwalk, the aquarium is accessible to the public and central to the new Brighton Beach district. The building is new, with state of the art habitats and enrichment areas, as well as theaters for lectures and spaces for small shows. While not overly huge, it hosts a sizable collection for an aquarium in a post-war world; there is plenty of space for expansion upwards and outwards. In addition to the collection, there is a separate facility nearby for wildlife rehabilitation and any breeding programs for smaller species. The Brighton Bay area provides a seaside ideal when it comes to being able to educate; the Aquarium has one boat tour which takes patrons around the bay in a transparent-bottom craft. Whale-watching sessions in hired boats are offered to those able to purchase them- - they can be pricey, though all proceeds from this and other touring goes directly to the Aquarium's foundation.

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