{"id":1634,"date":"2026-04-02T11:51:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T15:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onondaga.gov\/communications\/?p=1634"},"modified":"2026-04-02T11:51:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T15:51:24","slug":"state-of-the-county-exciting-announcements-about-the-brand-new-aquarium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onondaga.gov\/communications\/2026\/04\/02\/state-of-the-county-exciting-announcements-about-the-brand-new-aquarium\/","title":{"rendered":"State of the County: Exciting announcements about the brand-new aquarium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>SYRACUSE, NEW YORK \u2013 During his 2026&nbsp;<em>State of the County<\/em>&nbsp;address, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon shared several important announcements regarding the aquarium project at Syracuse\u2019s Inner Harbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOne of the things that truly sets this aquarium apart is its depth\u201d County Executive McMahon said. \u201cOur main habitat will be nearly 33 feet deep, with an underwater tunnel running right through it. When visitors walk through that space, they won\u2019t just be looking at an exhibit, they\u2019ll be stepping into what we believe will be the deepest underwater tunnel experience in any public aquarium in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The acrylic panels needed for the tunnel are among the most complex ever fabricated. They\u2019re almost 18 inches thick and curved in ways that will make visitors feel like they are inside the habitat itself. This is worldclass work, the kind of craftsmanship that pushes boundaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"773\" src=\"https:\/\/onondaga.gov\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/265\/2026\/04\/aquarium-tunnel-e1775144415821-1024x773.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1636\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>County Executive McMahon announced one of the signature animals that will call this place home: the <strong>sand tiger shark<\/strong>. These are some of the ocean\u2019s top predators. With rows of visible, movielike teeth, they look fierce \u2014 but they\u2019re actually calm, powerful, and an essential part of a healthy ocean ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re incredible animals, and they will be a defining experience for our visitors\u201d the County Executive said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/onondaga.gov\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/265\/2026\/04\/tiger-shark-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1638\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The aquarium will also be home to what\u2019s believed to be the largest <strong>doctor fish<\/strong> touch experience in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>County Executive McMahon also announced academic and research partnerships with SUNY ESF and The MOST. He highlighted the many unique opportunities the aquarium offers for TV and film production, calling it \u201ca unique piece of economic Infrastructure.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are transforming a site that was once one of the most polluted in the country into a place dedicated to conservation, education, and community\u201d the County Executive said. \u201cIt\u2019s a story about resilience, about progress, and about the future we\u2019re building here together. Outside of our political and media echo chambers, the excitement for this project is real, and it is growing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SYRACUSE, NEW YORK \u2013 During his 2026&nbsp;State of the County&nbsp;address, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon shared several important announcements regarding the aquarium project at Syracuse\u2019s Inner Harbor. \u201cOne of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_ecp_custom_2":"","_ecp_custom_3":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[288,359,300,358,360],"class_list":["post-1634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release","tag-aquarium","tag-fish","tag-mcmahon","tag-shark","tag-visitor"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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