oldest public aquarium in the United States. Originally built at Woods Hole, Mass., in 1873, the aquarium was relocated to a site in Washington, D.C., in 1888. Since 1932 it has been located in the basement of the U.S. Department of Commerce building in Washington.

The facility houses more than 1,000 specimens of nearly 200 species of fishes in 54 individual display tanks ranging in capacity from 285 to 10,640 litres (75 to 2,800 gallons). American game fishes such as trout, bass, and pike are exhibited in their natural habitats.