A last ditch effort to prevent Detroit's Belle Isle Aquarium from closing April 3 has failed, the Detroit News reported Sunday.

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Members of Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium met with Chief Administrative Officer Derrick Miller to outline a plan that would allow the city sustain the aquarium. However, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said the city, which is facing a $231 million shortfall for next fiscal year, has no money to continue operating it.

"Neither the city nor the zoological institute wants to close the Belle Isle Aquarium. However, the city is faced with serious financial challenges, which means difficult decisions must be made," he said.

However, the group has been taking donations in an effort to raise the estimated $500,000 needed to keep the historic facility open for at least one more year. The group has so far raised $34,000.