Upcoming Exhibits

Attack of the Sea Lampreys!

Sping 2023

Sea lampreys are native to the Atlantic Ocean, but these snake-shaped fish slithered into the Great Lakes through shipping canals. The sea lamprey invasion really got moving after 1919, when the Welland Canal was renovated. By 1937, sea lampreys had spread to all five lakes. Since the 1950s, biologists have chemically
treated sea lamprey larvae in rivers where they hatch. The lampricide kills sea lamprey larvae but doesn’t harm other fish.  The annual cost of controlling sea lampreys is about $20 million. But this effort helps save a fishing industry worth over $7 billion.

This exhibit will be an upgrade to our existing Invasive Species Lab and will feature a freshwater tank of sea lampreys!

Adriatic and the Birth of Self-Unloading Ships

Coming June 2023

Located on the Museum’s lower level, this exhibit will include a permanent installation of self-unloading bucket technology that was salvaged from the shipwreck Adriatic in Sturgeon Bay. This exhibit will also feature an interactive element demonstrating how the technology worked using gears and a bucket conveyor system.