Welcome

Launched in 2020, the Aquarium’s Empathy Fellowship program is designed to create pathways into careers in aquariums, zoos and the conservation field for communities of color and other marginalized communities that bear the brunt of environmental harm and historically haven’t reaped the benefits of the solutions proposed.

Throughout their one-year terms, individuals hired for these full-time, paid, fully benefited positions have opportunities to learn about local marine life and conservation efforts, develop personal and professional goals, and become effective educators, facilitators and advocates for marine conservation, empathy and their communities.

The Seattle Aquarium spent the 2023 state legislative session working hard to advance science-based policies to protect our marine environment. We’ve been signing in “pro” on key environmental bills, delivering testimony, sharing opportunities to take action with the Washington community and collaborating with legislators and partners across the state—and many of you joined us in speaking up! Please enjoy as we look back at highlights from this session and share a preview of future efforts. 

Kelp forests are critical for ecosystem health. They provide food and habitat for marine species of all kinds, including endangered salmon and southern resident orcas. They also sequester carbon, mitigating the effects of ocean acidification.

Bull kelp forms the “trees” in these underwater forests. It attaches to hard surfaces on the seafloor, and grows with incredible speed: up to 2 feet per day, reaching lengths of up to 100 feet in a single season. 

But that’s if it’s growing. Once abundant throughout the Salish Sea, kelp forests have declined drastically over the past several decades, with a reported 60% overall loss of bull kelp in our local waters since 1980, and up to 95% in some areas.