The Maritime Aquarium gives visitors a window into Long Island Sound, officially designated an Estuary of National Significance, and a veritable rain forest of the sea, rich in aquatic life. This extraordinary ecosystem has supported the economy and culture of this region since prehistoric times.

Today, some 20 million people – among them, the vast majority of The Maritime Aquarium's visitors – live within a one-hour drive of the Sound. The cumulative effects of their actions make sustaining the natural functioning of the Sound a real challenge. But in this challenge lies our opportunity – to fulfill the promise of aquariums articulated by the Pew Oceans Commission (2003) and foster an ocean conservation ethic focused on this fine body of water in Connecticut's front yard.