Welcome

Fulfilling our mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment often starts with facilitating stronger bonds between animals and people. As it turns out, a very human emotion may be the key to better connections.
When we humans notice animals and learn about their needs, we begin to care about the quality of their lives. That feeling comes from empathy—the ability and capacity to understand the experiences of other beings. It’s a skill everyone can learn, and research shows empathy inspires us to take better care of animals.

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.