Falmouth Aquarium has closed its doors to visitors less than two months after reopening following a rebrand.

In an online post on Tuesday, September 2, the aquarium stated simply that it had now closed to the public, without any explanation.

The statement read: “We would like to thank the community, local businesses and our dedicated team of volunteers for your support in helping us promote marine life.”

In later posts, it added: “We have had to close to the public due to not enough grant funding to support the charity. Conservation-led attractions and heritage museums work very hard to engage with the public to promote education and awareness. We had a great run of two years working with the public and have had fantastic volunteers to support our education work.”

In response to a question about re-homing the fish, it added: “We have donated Gary the Lobster and the cuttlefish to the National Lobster Hatchery among other things, as well as donations to the Plymouth National Marine Aquarium to support their work.”

The aquarium, which is a charity, reopened in July this year, following a refurbishment which included new attractions including live cuttlefish eggs, an interactive fishing game and a marine 'touch' exhibit for children.

Last week it was presented with £500 from Rick Stein as a donation towards its Kids Marine Life project, to allow more live encounters with animals and to support children's beach cleans.

Since opening in 2012, the Falmouth Aquarium said it had reached over 30,000 people, led educational sessions for over 550 Cornish school children, provided free 'Live Encounters' to over 500 children and families, provided jobs to 10 people in the field of marine biology and trained 110 people.

Speaking at the relaunch, PR manager Johanna Naradzay said: “Setting up anything is going to have its challenges, but it has been really well received and we are rated highly by our visitors, everyone goes away feeling really good about their experience.”

At time of going to press, the aquarium could not be reached for comment.