Newport Aquarium to open new Hatchling Harbor exhibit in March

February 21, 2023

Hannah Woosley-Collins,

Cowfish in the new Hatchling Harbor Exhibit at Newport Aquarium
Cuban Hogfish in the new Hatchling Harbor Exhibit at Newport Aquarium
Needlefish in the new Hatchling Harbor Exhibit at Newport Aquarium
Sharpnose Puffer in the new Hatchling Harbor Exhibit at Newport Aquarium
Young Foureye Butterflyfish in the new Hatchling Harbor Exhibit at Newport Aquarium
Scrawled Filefish in the new Hatchling Harbor Exhibit at Newport Aquarium

NEWPORT, Ky. (WTVQ) — Newport Aquarium is set to open a new exhibit in March featuring hundreds of animals, many of them babies.

Hatchling Harbor is a 25-foot-long Caribbean seagrass habitat featuring hundreds of colorful, new animals. The habitat will be among the longest tanks at the aquarium, according to a press release.

You’ll see scrawled filefish, parrotfish, lobsters and crabs, urchins, conchs and much more in the habitat.

“We work hard to make sure we’re taking guests ‘beyond the glass’ when we create a new exhibit,” said Rebecca Foster, Newport Aquarium’s executive director. “You can better connect with the animals if you really feel like you’re with them in the environment where they live.”

Seagrass meadows provide shelter and protection for a “vast density” of life, where many animals lay their eggs so babies can benefit from protection and ample food, which you’ll see in the new exhibit, according to the aquarium.

Hatching Harbor officially opens on March 3.