Welcome

Plastic in the ocean is a very serious—and growing—issue. Approximately 8.8 million tons of plastic enters the ocean each year. Seabirds, sea turtles, dolphins, whales and other animals die every year because they get tangled up in plastic or fill up their stomachs on plastic they mistake for food. To help address this crisis, the Seattle Aquarium worked hard last year to advance a Reusable Bag Bill in Washington state. 

Meet Grant Abel, our new director of life sciences. We’re thrilled he’s found a new home with us at the Seattle Aquarium—and he’s quite happy as well, commenting, “I’m very excited to be here because I share the vision and values that our staff and volunteers bring to the Aquarium every day.”

Microplastics, microplastics everywhere—or so the news says. But just what is the extent of the problem in Puget Sound and the greater Pacific Northwest region?To start answering this question, the Seattle Aquarium recently hosted the first Microplastics Monitoring Workshop in the greater Pacific Northwest, and invited local and regional experts to join us and share knowledge, insights and strategies about their microplastics efforts.