Baltimore's National Aquarium Hopes Reopening Softens Financial Blow

By Staff Reporter
Posted on 06/30/20 | News Source: WBAL

Baltimore’s National Aquarium will reopen to the general public Wednesday and the management is hoping guests can help to put a dent in the mounting financial losses sustained so far this year due to the coronavirus.

“It’s a lot of money,” said National Aquarium President and CEO John Racanelli.

Since the aquarium was shut down in mid-March it has lost about $11.5 million dollars, Racanelli said, a number that is expected to grow to $20 million by the end of 2020.

“It’s going to be a tough year for the aquarium,” he said. “We’ve made it our priority to get through this year and survive 2020 so that we can thrive in 2021.”

Each year, the aquarium welcomes about 1.3 million guests; a fraction of that will happen this year because of the coronavirus. Reopening also means the facility will operate at just 25% of capacity.

“We are cautiously optimistic about the future,” he said. Read more at WBAL