Baltimore’s National Aquarium has unveiled a game-changing proposal for dolphin care, with plans for North America’s first ever seaside sanctuary.

Aiming to transition its colony of dolphins into the new habitat by the end of 2020, the natural enclosure will be flexible to allow for different spatial configurations to keep the dolphins engaged and able to form social groupings that suit them. Additionally the setting will provide the dolphins with opportunities to express natural behaviors while exposing them to natural elements, such as fish and marine plants, with a full-time veterinarian and on-site clinical care facilities to tend to the captive cetaceans.

The aquarium has formed a team of experts who will be tasked to find a site which ensures the health and welfare of the dolphins, following a criteria which includes an outdoor location with natural seawater and a tropical or sub-tropical climate.

The aquarium first touted the plans in 2014, with Studio Gang Architects creating designs for a possible sanctuary after discussing the plan with several dolphin and whale biologists.

"We now know more about dolphins and their care, and we believe that the National Aquarium is uniquely positioned to use that knowledge to implement positive change," said John Racanelli, chief executive officer of the National Aquarium. "This is the right time to move forward with the dolphin sanctuary."