Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, Connecticut
The Aquarium opened and was first operated by a privately owned, for-profit corporation known as Mystic Aquarium, Inc in 1973. The principal shareholder was Ohio industrialist and philanthropist Kelvin Smith. Mr. Smith was a practicing chemist with an interest in marine biology. In the 1950s, Smith (while on the Board of Trustees at the Cleveland Science Museum) began working with fellow chemist and board member William Kelley. Together, Smith and Kelley developed “Instant Ocean,” a product that allowed labs and aquariums to create artificial seawater. This product is used at Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration and other institutions worldwide. In the 1970s, Mystic Aquarium, Inc. provided a venue to highlight this product. The Baluga Whales featured in the image arrived in 1975. They were collected in Churchill, Monitoba.