Portaferry: Council needs £900,000 from NI Executive to save aquarium 29 January 2014 Last updated at 20:54 A business plan to save one of Northern Ireland's top tourist attractions has been agreed, subject to £900,000 government funding. Ards Borough Council accepted the plan to save the Exploris aquarium in Portaferry at a meeting on Wednesday. The aquarium had been earmarked for closure. Under the proposals, there would be fewer staff and seasonal opening hours would be considered. Keeping the aquarium open depends on funding from the Northern Ireland Executive. The council would continue to run the aquarium. The proposed financial package would include revenue for the Seal Sanctuary from the Department of the Environment, together with a substantial one-off capital grant of about £900,000. If central government funding is confirmed, Exploris will remain open for the spring/summer 2014 peak season, closing temporarily from October 2014 for about six months to allow redevelopment work to take place.