Long Beach : Aquarium Study Cites Costs

A Long Beach Tidelands Agency study concludes that a proposed waterfront aquarium would be costly and require a site of at least two acres. The study, requested by City Council member Edd Tuttle, says that aquariums of at least 100,000 square feet can cost between $10 million and $50 million.

The Tidelands Agency has three sites that could accommodate an aquarium, but the sites have some parking limitations, the report said. The suggested sites include Marina Green Park north of the downtown Shoreline Village Marina, the old city Recreation Building, and a six-acre site in Queensway Bay.

The study, accepted Tuesday by the City Council with no public comment, said that large aquariums rarely make money. Of surveyed aquariums in Monterey, Baltimore, Boston and Mystic, Conn., admission fees covered only 60% to 70% of the aquariums’ annual operating costs.