New England Aquarium opens colorful coral reef exhibition

BOSTON – April in Boston is far from tropical, but the New England Aquarium is bringing the wonders of a coral reef to the city.

A new exhibition opens Saturday, just in time for school vacation week, and it features a lush seascape with brilliantly colored tropical fish.

It’s contained in a new 9,000-gallon floor-to-ceiling concave tank designed to mirror the biological richness of an Indo-Pacific reef habitat.

Curators say they hope the display will help educate visitors about the need to protect the world’s fragile coral reefs, which are home to thousands of species of fish, sea turtles, sharks and other marine life.

Biologists warn that some of Earth’s coral reefs are disappearing due to warming water, ocean acidification linked to rising carbon dioxide, and other human impacts.