Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium

The building and facilities are very clean and the few staff members we encountered were very friendly. I was extremely impressed and awe-struck with the preserved squid in one of their exhibits. Many of the aquariums and enclosures were very impressive (especially the otter one), however, I struggled to enjoy the trip in its entirety. During my walk, I found 2 separate fish with kinked bodies, 2 others with markings on their bodies (unsure of what it could be, but it was not a pattern of the fish), 2 bloated Royal Gammas, an axolotl missing a foot, and a dead crab. I was very, very disappointed in seeing this. I can understand if some of the fish were rescues or were being treated or are living with disabilities, I’m sure it’s not easy feat caring for such a wide variety of animals, but there were no signs/plaques explaining if this is the case, so I have no way of knowing. They had some beautiful murals and a decent gift shop, but then had a couple areas of shallow water that looked like sewage and had garbage - I’m unsure what these pools were, but one had a sign for “Mosquito Fish” however there was nothing there.

To get to the second part of the building, you need to cross the parking lot, walking a tiny bit down the street and cross it. This second building is where they have their rescued turtles. It was very surreal to see them so close! The gift shop in this building was closed the day we went, but it looked decent through the windows.

A good benefit of the area is that another spot called “Save the Seabirds” shares the parking lot with them and offers free admission to see their rescued Florida birds, so don’t miss out on this spot!

Overall, I sincerely hope they do good work and contribute to wildlife welfare. All the employees seemed knowledgeable and kind, but I saw many health issues and I believe there should be some kind of communication of what is happening to alleviate concern/stress on those that visit this aquarium or more thorough/frequent checks of the animals.