Sharks in the New York Aquarium on Coney Island are going to be movin' on up to a $29 million, 500,000-gallon tank, the New York Post reported Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 108-year-old aquarium is planning to overhaul its facilities, the centerpiece of which will is a new Open Ocean Exhibit that officials hope will make the aquarium a major draw for shark-lovers.
"At this point, it's all part of this master plan," aquarium spokesman John Calvelli said of the new shark exhibit. "And we're going to have several kind of 'wow' exhibits in there."
For the sharks, including 40-year-old sand tiger shark named Bertha, their living space will increase by more than five times. The new tank will have a 40-foot-long acrylic window that stretches up 10 feet, and will be designed so viewers cannot see the back, so the tank "looks like it goes on into the abyss," said Dr. Paul Boyle, director of the New York Aquarium.
The total upgrades are expected to cost up to $50 million, and be completed by 2007. The new shark tank will be built in the fall or winter of 2005.