Perhaps the biggest mystery surrounding the long-shuttered Secrets of the Sea Aquarium is why we need yet another fishy attraction in the Tampa Bay area.
But there it is, once more arising from the depths of obscurity to perhaps reopen in October at the city of St. Petersburg's former 9,000-square-foot cruise terminal at 250 Eighth Ave. SE.
For years, the modest little aquarium was housed within the dreary inverted pyramid, representing about the only sign of life at the Pier. But all that changed in 2013 when the building was closed, coming about as close to an ancient ruin as you are going to find in the city. At the time whatever aquatic life was left at the Pier aquarium was shipped off to other venues like the University of South Florida St. Petersburg University Student Center or local saloons that happen to feature fish tanks.
For a while, efforts were afoot to reopen the attraction in John's Pass, but financing issues eventually scuttled those plans.
Enter the now-vacant cruise ship terminal, where Secrets of the Sea hopes to revive its fortunes, which are already pretty modest. At the moment, according to Mark Luther, the head of the aquarium's board, Secrets of the Sea has between $150,000 to $200,000 on hand or committed by donors. And the facility hopes to raise an additional $150,000 to cover initial operating costs.
Secrets of the Sea bolstered its reason for being by arguing it will also be a hub of aquatic education, attracting scores of eager kiddos eager to enhance their understanding of ichthyology. Very nice.
But the area is awash (sorry, bad pun) in gills. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium, the Florida Aquarium, Sarasota's Mote Marine Laboratory all not only offer a tourism experience, but also devote a measure of their effort to research and education.
As well, the C.W. Bill Young Marine Science Complex, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Marine Fisheries Service and SRI International, a marine research nonprofit group, are all within a Shamu leap from the proposed Secrets of the Sea building.
Given Secrets of the Sea's limited financial resources, it will never compete with the Clearwater and Tampa aquariums. And since its former exhibition inhabitants have been adopted elsewhere, the new operation will have to begin anew to fill up its tanks with new critters.
Clearly Secrets of the Sea faces some daunting challenges, not the least of which is coming up with some kind of marketing shtick to attract visitors. After all, Clearwater has Winter the tail-less dolphin. In Tampa, customers can interact with the sharks.
Perhaps Secrets of the Sea can find a giant fish that just so happens to be missing its own tail fin. Hey, "accidents" do — ahem — happen. And fitted with its own prosthetic appendage, why in no time at all, tourists would be flocking to take in the wonder of Gussie the Grouper.
It's merely a sink or swim suggestion.