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 Long Island Aquarium
Needs Your Support
WE MUST REMEMBER OUR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES DURING
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
By Linda Marie Diaz
L
ong Island Aquarium has become an integral
part to the East End. It serves as a home
for many marine animals. It is also home
to New York States only authorized stranding and
research facility called, New York Marine Rescue
Center. This organization is not-for-profit and is
“dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release
of seals, sea turtles, whales, dolphins, porpoises and
critically endangered species facing the real threat
of extinction.” Long Island Aquarium is located
in Riverhead. It first opened its doors on June 15,
2000. Long Island Aquarium has so much to offer
that Parents Magazine named it one of
the Top 10 Interactive Aquariums.
Like many business, Long Island
Aquarium is suffering from the Coronavi-
rus Pandemic. While the world has been
focused on containment of the corona-
virus, all non-essential businesses have
been ordered to shutter their doors to the
public. At the time that I write this, the
virus has infected 1.6 million individuals
world wide. The virus has claimed the
lives of more than one hundred thousand souls in
the world. Both of these figures are suspected to be
woefully under-reported. There are victims to this
pandemic that are currently not being accounted
for. They are the countless businesses that will be
forced to close their doors forever, unable to recover
from the order to shut down. This may make indi-
viduals victims of this pandemic multiple times over
through being infected themselves, the loss of loved
ones, the loss of their job and/or the loss of their
business. Some individuals may never get their jobs
back if the businesses cannot recover.
Our little island has gotten a lot of attention
in the media recently as the new epicenter of the
Photos By: Linda Marie Diaz
Coronavirus Pandemic. The amount of positive
cases has shifted from New York City and is most
heavily impacting the counties of Long Island
harder than any other location in the United States.
There have been so many reports of our local
“Home Town Heroes” rising to the challenge of
supporting those in need. Countless medical pro-
fessionals, my son included, are on the front lines
tending to the sick. Others help by helping to feed
those who cannot easily access food due to loss of
jobs or because they’re immobile. The rest of us are
ordered to stay home because we are told this is the
way we can help, through social distanc-
ing to slow the spread of the virus. But
there is another way we can help and that
is through donation. I know this is such
an immense thing to ask when so many
of us are not drawing an income right
now.
The Long Island Aquarium must
maintain skilled workers to care for the
animals that are housed there. According
to an article I read through The Suffolk
Times, normal monthly operating costs for the
aquarium total approximately $200,000 a month.
They have reduced their operating costs to $70,000
a month through the reduction of staff and having
their current staff work in reduced-split shifts to
care for the animals. According to the article, the
aquarium is losing millions of dollars in revenue
due to the current mandates in place. This not only
affects the staff and the animals. It also impacts the
New York Marine Rescue Center, the rehabilitating
animals currently in its care and the future marine
animals it could help.
“There are nearly 3 million people living in Nas-
sau and Suffolk, but when the residents of Queens
 Visit playful Nila! (Shown Above) and the salt marsh
where you can encounter all the critters that live
there. (Shown Left)
and Brooklyn are included, the Island’s total popu-
lation is more than 7 million.” This was reported
not even a year ago by Long Island Press. If 1/4 of
the population donated a dollar to the Long Island
Aquarium, that would total more than $1.7 million
dollars, a sum that could keep the aquarium run-
ning at full operation for over eight months. Let’s
take that a step farther. If 1/4 of the Long Island
population was able to donate $1 to their top ten
favorite businesses, they could be saving even more
than just Long Island Aquarium. But Long Island-
ers are not the only ones that enjoy the many sights
and attractions that Long Island has to offer. Many
families come from New York City and beyond.
Could they find it in their hearts to spare $1 to ben-
efit Long Island Aquarium and the local businesses
call Long Island their home?
By helping and donating, you are not only help-
ing the animals that dwell within the walls of Long
Island Aquarium. You will also be helping to keep
employees and caretakers employed. You will also
be helping to keep the doors of this long-standing
aquarium open to continue to serve our community
and the marine life that desperately need it.
The aquarium currently has an active GoFund-
Me that was only asking for $25,000. At the time
that I write this, they have thankfully reached that
goal. But that is still only about 1/3 of what their
monthly operating costs are even in the reduced
capacity they are currently in. Long Island Aquari-
um will be celebrating its 20th birthday this coming
June. Considering they may not be able to reopen
their doors for several months can we try and help
them break that goal several times over so that they
will be here to celebrate many more birthdays?
Like I said even if 1/4 of the population of
Long Island donated a dollar it would make a world
of difference to so many. Please. Let us stick to-
gether and be “Long Island Strong.” New Yorkers
are resilient people who have shown time and time
again just how selfless we can be. Together we rise.
Sources:
• Long Island Aquarium - https://www.longislan-
daquarium.com/
• John Hopkins Interactive Coronavirus Map -
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
• NY Marine Rescue Center - http://nymari-
nerescue.org/?doing_wp_cron=1586543192.62
92750835418701171875
• Fox News - https://video.foxnews.
com/v/6147388361001?fbclid=I-
wAR2EfxBGsPEb1CoeNOqFeXn-
q_-vA90TAH8vF9Cc2HZ8wMUUcPD-
mouBB8a1g#sp=show-clips
• The Long Island Press - https://www.longis-
landpress.com/2019/07/26/7-surprising-statis-
tics-about-long-island/
• The Suffolk Times - https://suffolktimes.times-
review.com/2020/03/long-island-aquarium-fac-
es-its-greatest-crisis