including the Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium. On 14 August 2012, The Belle Isle Conservancy, a non-profit volunteer group established in 2011 from the merger of the Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium and other Belle Isle non-profit groups, announced the re-opening of the aquarium on a limited basis. The aquarium was reopened on 18 August 2012, the 108th anniversary of its opening. Since 15 September 2012 the volunteer-run aquarium has been open on Saturdays from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. Animals When it was open, the aquarium had 60 exhibits with a total tank volume of , and was home to over 1,500 fish of 146 species. The aquarium largely featured freshwater species native to the Great Lakes region, but also had salt-water species from around the world. Currently the aquarium is operating with a limited collection of fish species, as volunteers are still working to restore the aquarium. The aquarium made news in 2002 when one of its female white-spotted bamboo sharks gave birth to two young despite not having been near a male in six years, in a suspected rare case of parthenogenesis. Conservation The Belle Isle Aquarium participated in breeding programs for several endangered species. The future Volunteers are working to restore sixty of the aquarium's tanks, some of which have been open since the fall of 2012. References External links Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium Friends of Belle Isle Inside the Belle Isle Aquarium at Detroiturbex.com Historic Detroit — Belle Isle Aquarium Aquaria in Michigan 1904 establishments in Michigan Buildings and structures completed in 1904 Educational buildings in Detroit Belle Isle Park (Michigan)