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Last Friday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cleared the way for permitting a huge mine at the headwaters of two major rivers that feed into Bristol Bay, Alaska—home to the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery and one of the most prolific Chinook salmon runs.

The Canadian-owned Pebble Limited Partnership (“Pebble”) would extract gold, copper and molybdenum—materials of extremely high value, found in everyday items such as seatbelts, cell phones and electrical wires—through a new open pit mine.

The Seattle Aquarium strongly opposes the Bristol Bay Pebble Mine. Healthy oceans, fishing and Indigenous communities and local economies depend on wild and clean rivers and waterways. These will all be harmed if the Pebble Mine is developed.

There’s never been a better time to visit the Seattle Aquarium and explore the waterfront—summer’s in full swing, which usually brings throngs of tourists to the neighborhood, but not during this unprecedented year! There’s plenty of space to maintain distance as you stroll the wide sidewalk along Alaskan Way, taking in amazing views of Elliott Bay and enjoying the sights and sounds of Seattle’s historic waterfront.

No, Leu and Flaherty aren’t prepping to run their first 5k—but, like many of the animals at the Seattle Aquarium, they regularly participate in training that benefits them in a variety of ways. We’ll tell you all about it—but first, some background on the two northern fur seals in our care, who we fondly refer to as “the boys.”

In honor of Shark and Ray Awareness Day (today!), we’re bringing you a recap of the Northeast Pacific Shark Symposium 4, written by our own Curator of Conservation Research Dr. Shawn Larson. Take it away, Shawn!

March 5-7, 2020, just before COVID-19 shut down most large gatherings around the world, over 100 people from the greater West American shark community met for three days in La Paz, Mexico to convene the Northeast Pacific Shark Symposium 4.

Here in the Puget Sound region, we’re so fortunate to have miles of beaches to explore while maintaining the physical distancing that protects everyone’s health. And, better yet, we’ve got some upcoming low-tide days that will offer the perfect opportunity to explore the intertidal zone—the strip of land between high and low tide—to discover the amazing creatures that live there.

We can all feel it: summer is in the air! And, luckily for us here in the Puget Sound region, we can still go out and enjoy our amazing local shorelines while staying safe and maintaining social distancing.

But did you know you can also help the animals at the beach stay safe while you’re exploring? A little extra care will go a long way, and make a big difference for the multitude of creatures that are often literally below your feet!

Here’s our lucky seven list of top tips for practicing good beach etiquette.

The Seattle Aquarium is tremendously fortunate to have an amazing pool of dedicated volunteers—including roughly 150 Youth Ocean Advocates (YOAs) who share their passion by educating Aquarium visitors, leading beach cleanups, participating in tree-planting events, raising money for organizations working on behalf of the marine environment, and more.

In honor of World Oceans Day, we’re happy to share a guest blog written by YOA Aviv Pinker, who shares his expertise on salmon. Take it away, Aviv!

We’re closing out Tide Pool Week with some beautiful, summery weather—the perfect time to head to a local beach and explore some of the amazing animals we’ve been highlighting! Check out our library of animal fact sheets for more details about the birds, fish and invertebrates you might see on your next trip to the beach. And, before you tackle our trivia below, you might want to take a close look at the fact sheets for tide pool ecosystems, barnacles and moon jellies (just saying!).

What’s better than a whole day devoted to otters? A whole day PLUS a blog post to give you even more reasons to love these irresistibly charming animals! Does anyone feel a top 10 list coming?

1. There are 13 different otter species in the world (including the northern sea otters and North American river otters that make their homes at the Seattle Aquarium). Many of them are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
2. Otters are mammals, scientific name Mustelidae, and their size varies by species. The largest species, aptly named the giant otter, can grow to be six feet long and weigh up to 75 pounds!
3. ...

What better way to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend—what many consider to be the unofficial beginning of summer—than with a week devoted to the amazing animals that make their homes on local shorelines? Join us online May 25–29 to learn about the intertidal zone and its inhabitants, how to visit the beach without harming the habitat or its residents, and more.

Below is a schedule of events that you can tune in for throughout the week, plus activities for kids of all ages. We’ll also be featuring videos, fun facts, trivia and other great content on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Join us for a week of online learning and fun!

Pacific Northwest Birds Week is about to fly the coop! But before we take wing, we wanted to share just a few more fast facts about the bird species in our care. Check out our library of animal fact sheets to learn more!

BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS

Any guesses about this species’ favorite food? If you’re thinking it’s oysters, think again! These birds are actually more commonly seen eating mussels, chitons and limpets. We call fowl! (Sorry, couldn’t help ourselves.)

If you’ve been following along with our weekly themes, you already know that the marine mammals at the Aquarium are trained to voluntarily participate in their own health care—just like you voluntarily participate in yours when you open your mouth to say “ahhh” or step on the scale at the doctor’s office.

Turns out the Aquarium’s birds participate in their own care as well—even if that’s not through more skilled training like the marine mammals. How do they do it? Simply by eating!