Quality is aquarium focus, chief says

Officials at the New England Aquarium defended the 38-year-old facility yesterday after a Globe article highlighted problems in its exhibition halls and contrasted it with aquariums that have gained popularity in other cities.

"While we acknowledge there are several aquariums around the country that are much larger than ours, we believe firmly that quality is far more important than size," Bud Ris, the aquarium president, said during a press conference. "We are constrained by size, to be sure, but we want to be a model of a really high-quality aquarium well suited for a city of this size."

Yesterday's Globe article quoted aquarium visitors who said they were disappointed by the experience and described murky glass on the aquarium's centerpiece tank and exhibits that had burned-out light bulbs or muffled audio.

"Sure, if you poke around with a flashlight at any facility in town, you're going to find some bad things," Ris said.

Aquarium officials cited a survey of aquarium visitors that put New England's aquarium at or above the ratings of seven other aquariums. They said the New England Aquarium was also featured in a 2005 special on PBS as one of "four leading US aquariums" and will be among the top 10 aquariums in an upcoming issue of Parents magazine.

"The article is frustrating and disappointing to New England Aquarium staff and its supporters who have worked very hard over the last four years to help the aquarium emerge from a financial crisis," Ris said.

The Globe article included comparisons with other aquariums, many of which are in landlocked cities and have more annual visitors, larger tanks, and a broader diversity of animals.

A message board on boston.com asking readers if they like the New England Aquarium drew about 100 responses yesterday.

Some spoke in favor of the aquarium, but most said the facility needs improvement. "I was amazed at how underwhelmed I was by the experience," said one.

New England Aquarium officials say they have plans for repairs and improvements, including a $6 million marine mammal exhibit overlooking the harbor, better signs in the exhibit halls, and renovation of the central tank, at a cost estimated at up to $13 million.

They said they are not striving for a large, showy aquarium.

"What we want to be is an institution who isn't just about getting the tourists down here and making them feel good," Ris said, "but also teaches them something about the ocean."

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.