Blog

We have all been gripped by the heartbreaking images of our Southern resident orca Tahlequah (also known as J35) as she mourned the death of her calf this past week. At the Seattle Aquarium we are all grieving along with the rest of the world. And though we are sad, we are viewing this as a wakeup call around the health of the Salish Sea and our mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment.

My latest shift on the beach was a bit of a slow one. It was not a very low tide and the overcast and drizzle kept families from heading down. The folks that did come down were really great and knowledgable.

I spent every day on the beach during this past super low tide series and it was wonderful! We will have more of the lowest tides of the summer this week and weekend, I hope you all get out to enjoy them.

Get ready to skip the straw and help the ocean! On July 1, the City of Seattle’s ban on single-use plastic straws and utensils will go into effect. The measure banning these items was originally passed in 2008, but exemptions were made each year because viable alternatives weren’t widely available.

A couple of Saturdays ago I was out at Lincoln Park for one of the lowest tides of the season. It was an absolutely beautiful summer day in the PNW. It felt great to be out in the sun and smell the salty air. 

Five species of oysters are cultivated for food in the Puget Sound region: the Kumamoto (Crassostrea sikamea), the Pacific (Crassostrea gigas), the Eastern (Crassostrea virginica), the European (Ostrea edulis) and—the only native species—the Olympia (Ostrea lurida).

The 2018 group of Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalists have been hard at work training for the new season. We have lots of new volunteers and plenty of returning volunteers—who you can spot by their faded red hats.

Welcome! I am so happy to be back with my co-blogging partner-in-crime, Bobby Arispe, to bring you to the beach with us throughout our season this summer. If our beach trainings are any indication, this summer is going to be an especially good one!

Puget Sound is home to some pretty unique species, but one lumpy fish that calls our waters home is so ugly, that we here at the Aquarium think it is cute! Difficult to spot due to their amazing camouflage and smaller size, the Pacific spiny lumpsucker is a great example of the incredible diversity and adaptability of species that call the Salish Sea home.

Meadows of grass growing below the surface of Puget Sound? It may not be the same as the grass on your local playfield—but it’s there, and it serves a vital purpose.

Do you know where the plastic straw you used in your iced latte or soda goes after you toss it in the trash? Many end up in landfills but others end up as part of the growing problem around single-use plastics polluting the ocean.