FORT PIERCE, Fla. \u2014 The Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit at the St. Lucie County Aquarium is inviting visitors to explore the vibrant underwater world of Florida\u2019s coastal habitats, offering rare close-up encounters with marine life in the heart of Fort Pierce\u2019s waterfront district.<\/p>\n
Manager Bill Hoffman says the facility\u2019s philosophy of displaying fully live, complex models of ecosystems dates back to 1980 under the Smithsonian, making it unlike most public aquariums. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel like we\u2019re the best kept secret on the Treasure Coast, and we don\u2019t want to be,\u201d Hoffman told WPTV, noting that more species are housed here than in many larger exhibits. <\/p>\n
The highlight is the Atlantic coral reef exhibit, a sprawling tank that recreates one of Florida\u2019s most significant coastal ecosystems. Visitors will also see live models of seagrass beds, mangroves, and hardbottom communities, each demonstrating the intricate relationships between organisms \u2014 even the aquarium\u2019s barracuda, which measures just four inches. <\/p>\n
The exhibit\u2019s touch tank is another crowd favorite, according to Chelsie Corcoran, exhibit educator. There, guests can handle unusual marine species under staff guidance. You\u2019ll likely touch animals you\u2019ve never seen before. Upcoming programming will tie into the facility\u2019s 25th anniversary celebration later this year.<\/p>\n
The Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit operates in partnership with the Smithsonian Marine Station, aiming to raise public awareness about threats facing oceans while inspiring conservation. Hoffman emphasized that stable ecosystems depend on myriad small organisms \u2014 a message reinforced by live displays.<\/p>\n
Why This Matters Now<\/p>\n
With rising concerns about ocean health, exhibits like the one in Fort Pierce offer a powerful opportunity for education, connecting visitors of all ages to the fragile beauty and importance of Florida\u2019s marine ecosystems.<\/p>\n
The facility is located at 420 Seaway Drive in Fort Pierce and is open to the public year-round. More information can be found at sms.si.edu<\/a> and on their Smithsonian Marine Station social media channels<\/a>.<\/p>\n This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n What do you want me to Shine A Light on? What are you most proud of where you live? Email me at tawalker@wptv.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FORT PIERCE, Fla. \u2014 The Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit at the St. Lucie County Aquarium is inviting visitors…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":305453,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172,28077,127844,127843,28078],"class_list":["post-305452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news","tag-shining-a-light","tag-smithsonian-marine-ecosystems-exhibit","tag-st-lucie-county-aquarium","tag-ta-walker"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/305453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}