Aquarium Seal Exhibit Closed Temporarily

Vistors to the in Riverhead will have to wait awhile to visit the seals.

The seal exhibit, which features one gray seal and four harbor seals, has closed temporarily for a two-month beautification project.

Seals normally splash happily outside the main entrance of the Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center, greeting visitors and frolicking in an 800-square foot natural rockscape pool.

A redesign of the exhibit is underway, with seals relocated to behind-the-scenes; while the seals are currently not on exhibit, they will be on view behind-the-scenes to all guests who participate in the paid tour.

The plan is to rework the entire perimeter of the pool, replace and redo the glass enclosure, and add more access into the exhibit to facilitate the seals' behavior training.

“Not only are we creating a better home for our marine mammals but we're also creating a multi-sensory experience with great animal viewing opportunities for visitors,” Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center Executive Director Bryan DeLuca said.