Blog

Eating sustainably means more than making conscientious choices when purchasing seafood*, meat and dairy—it also means reducing waste and making the most of what you have on hand, which is especially important as we all stay home and reduce shopping trips to curb the spread of COVID-19 through our community.

And this week, we’re excited to share a recipe from the Aquarium café’s Executive Chef Molly DeMers, who got creative and flexible with some staples in her home kitchen to create a simple, delicious, meatless meal.

What do humans have to do with the Seattle Aquarium? Well…just about everything. And this week, May 4–8, we’re going to introduce you to some of the many people who make the Aquarium experience possible, even when—ESPECIALLY when—we’re temporarily closed to the public. Check out this video of our staff working in the exhibits and behind the scenes!

You might be surprised to know that there’s a lot more to working at the Seattle Aquarium than caring for our animals (although, of course, that’s our top priority). Regardless of our roles, we work at the Seattle Aquarium because we’re passionate about the marine environment—and we want to share that passion with you. Online for now and—as soon as it’s deemed safe—in person.

What has three hearts, about 1,600 suckers and is using eight arms to wave goodbye to Cephalopod Week? If you’ve been following along, you know we’re talking about the giant Pacific octopus! We hope this latest week of at-home engagement has been fun, educational and inspirational.

And we couldn’t close out the week without squeezing in a few details about the annual giant Pacific octopus survey in Puget Sound, which we launched in 2000. While there’s no way to know how many octopuses are living in our local waters, these annual surveys provide a good sense of population trends.

These animals are so amazing that we’re devoting an entire week to them—but, first things first, what exactly are they?

Cephalopods are a class of marine mollusks that includes squids, cuttlefishes and octopuses. They share many common characteristics: they can move by expelling water from a tubular siphon under their heads; they have arms (which usually have suckers) around the fronts of their heads; they have three hearts and highly developed eyes; and they squirt ink to hide and/or defend themselves.

Blog by Andrea Elderkin
Member Engagement Coordinator, Washington Autism Alliance and Advocacy

Last December, in my role as the Member Engagement Coordinator for Washington Autism Aliance and Advocacy (WAAA), I had the opportunity to join Seattle Aquarium staff and volunteers to talk about how they can better serve our community. I encountered a room full of caring and passionate people, that really want to do everything they can to support the Autism Community. Everyone was eager to learn and embrace inclusion and diversity.

Did you know that our expert team of divers periodically collects giant Pacific octopuses from the waters of Puget Sound and the Salish Sea so we can educate our visitors about how amazing and important they are—and then returns them to the same locations where they were collected so they can complete their life cycles and reproduce?

This week, April 27–May 1, is all about cephalopods (a Greek word meaning “head-foot”—more on that below!*), a group that includes octopuses, squid and cuttlefish. We’re very enthusiastic about these animals and we’re excited to share that excitement with you online this week!

We’ll also be featuring fun facts and other fascinating content on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Join us for a week of online learning and fun!

What a week of at-home engagement it’s been! We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about some of the ways the Aquarium is taking action on behalf of the marine environment and for sustainability in general…

And now we’d like to share with you a few of the many ways our staff and volunteers are making a difference for the planet and ocean with small, everyday actions. Check out our YouTube playlist to see what they’re up to—from (safely) picking up trash on daily dog walks to using sustainable food wrap, and more!

Have you ever been tricked by the plastic meals that are sometimes on display in restaurant windows? How about what’s called “dummy cakes” in bakeries, made with Styrofoam and caulk, to showcase wedding-cake-making skills? Or even artificial fruit that’s sometimes used as home or seasonal décor?

If you’ve ever thought plastic “food” was the real thing, you’re far from alone. It happens to marine animals too—with devastating effects.

Sustainability is one of the core institutional values of the Seattle Aquarium and sustainable seas is one of our conservation priorities, with a special focus on sustainable fisheries. We envision a future in which we balance ocean health and human needs, without compromising the communities or ecosystems of tomorrow. Keep reading to learn about how that commitment translates to the diets of the animals at the Aquarium!

Since the Aquarium opened in 1977, volunteers have contributed 1,777,000 hours of service in support of the Aquarium’s mission. In 2019 alone, 1,228 community members recorded more than 103,000 volunteer hours. We thank our volunteers every day for their service, but this week—which happens to be National Volunteer Week—we want to highlight the contributions of these hardworking ocean conservation heroes. We can’t wait to welcome them back when we’re able to reopen to the public!

As you know, the Aquarium is temporarily closed to the public to help curb the spread of COVID-19 throughout the community. But, shortly before our closure, we received the happy news that our wonderful gift shop had received a SEAL (sustainability, environmental achievement and leadership) Award for their sustainability efforts—and we thought Earth Action Week was the perfect time to share the details with you!