Blog

Guests at the Seattle Aquarium know how fun it is to watch sea otters eat and play. But for sea otter researchers, watching these adorable animals on Washington’s outer coast also provides valuable scientific information.

Aquariums are complex buildings. They need to be, to keep aquatic animals safe and healthy. But can a building as complex as an aquarium also meet some of the world's toughest green building standards? We think so—and we're designing our new Ocean Pavilion to do just that.

It's back to school (of fish) season! And you know what that means: time to choose your ideal locker buddy from among our three SEAlebrities. 

The Seattle Aquarium got a little (or a lot) cuter on August 3 when we welcomed a new tufted puffin chick, aka a “puffling!”

Sharks have roamed the ocean since before dinosaurs walked the earth. But today, around a third of the world’s 500+ shark species are threatened with extinction. New research co-authored by Riley Pollom of the Seattle Aquarium offers a way forward.

Seattle Aquarium research technician Amy Olsen was born and raised on Hawaiʻi’s Big Island. Rising ocean temperatures, which most scientists attribute to climate change, are transforming her home. Today, as a marine scientist for the Aquarium, Amy is leading scientific papers that analyze how those changes are affecting fish populations off the Big Island’s coast.

Have you ever noticed how a step to the left or a turn to the right changes your view entirely? Perhaps that’s what inspired South African-American geophysicist and oceanographer Dr. Athelstan F. Spilhaus to develop a seawater-focused map of Earth, centered on Antarctica. The Spilhaus Projection of 1942 provides a way for us to see the world ocean as it is: one big, contiguous body of seawater.

Do you know someone who’s full of surprises—and just when you think you’ve got them figured out, they do something entirely unexpected? Our summer SEAlebrities are like that, too! They’re not always what they seem to be, so look closely. Some change colors, others are showy birds that swim like fish. Check them out on your next visit to the Seattle Aquarium!

At the Seattle Aquarium, you’ve connected with fascinating SEAlebrities—sea otters, tufted puffins and dogfish, to name a few. But TREElebrities? Not so much. That will change when the Ocean Pavilion opens next summer. In a habitat called The Archipelago, you’ll discover live mangrove trees and the ecosystems mangroves support in the Coral Triangle.

The southern residents are icons of the Pacific Northwest. They're playful, social and smart, and they all have names. They're also critically endangered. To celebrate Orca Action Month (June), we invite you to get to know these amazing orcas and find out which one you're most like!

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.