Page 10 – Seattle Aquarium

Seattle Aquarium scientists test alternative plastics as part of the Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize

Posted on May 16, 2022February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

The Clean Seas Research Program at the Seattle Aquarium is thrilled to announce the start of environmental testing and our role as scientists and one of two testing sites for The TOM FORD Plastic Innovation Prize powered by Lonely Whale.

Single-use plastic films used for packaging, produce wrap and to-go bags make up 5 million metric tons, or ~46%, of all ocean plastic. These thin films are nearly impossible to recycle, and as such, are used once before throwing away (hence the term “single-use”). Replacing plastic films with more sustainable, nontoxic alternatives is an essential step toward “turning off the tap” of our plastic film pollution problem.

The TOM FORD Plastic Innovation Prize (PIP) is catalyzing the development of innovative, market-ready replacements for thin-film plastic. Through partnering with Lonely Whale and New Materials Institute, the Seattle Aquarium is excited to scientifically assess alternatives to plastic films. Eight finalists were selected to produce their plastic film alternative products to undergo a series of environmental exposure and lab-based tests. These tests will help the scientific advisory board determine which product both meets our consumer needs for plastics (like durability and flexibility) yet undergoes quick and safe degradation in environmental conditions.

Scientific approach

The Seattle Aquarium’s team of marine plastic scientists are poised to implement product testing in temperate waters (cooler, more northern waters which experience little temperature change), which represent the vast majority of marine waters. This is exciting as it’s the first time alternative plastics have been tested in colder waters. In addition, while products will be exposed to both temperate and Caribbean waters (facilitated by New Materials Institute), at the Seattle Aquarium we are carrying out an additional and novel laboratory test: Exposure to a gray whale’s stomach.

Now, you may be (correctly) thinking, “You’re feeding whales plastic film alternatives?!? That can’t be safe!” But there’s more to the story. Using our new Clean Seas Research Lab, we’re able to simulate a gray whale gut without harm to any animals. There are four basic ingredients to mimicking a gray whale gut: heat, acid, enzymes and agitation. Over the course of eight months, plastic film alternative products will hang below the Aquarium in temperate waters, be retrieved at pre-determined timepoints, and be exposed to a simulated whale gut to assess how environmental exposure affects digestive degradation and physical properties. Both before and after the simulated gut exposure, products will be assessed in four tests: 1) tensile strength (breaking point under stress), 2) mass loss, 3) estrogenicity (containing chemicals that mimic or disrupt naturally occurring estrogen that may cause endocrine disruptors), and 4) electrical resistance (how readily electricity passes through materials). This series of tests is the first of its kind to assess how products degrade if ingested after being in saltwater for varying amounts of time.

Stepping away from single-use plastics

Plastic films are durable, flexible and, importantly, inexpensive. These traits are some of the reasons why they’re used in abundance. While it’s best to avoid buying and consuming single-use plastics, we recognize it can be difficult to do so completely. When walking into a store or receiving a package from an online order, you’ll notice nearly everything is wrapped in plastic. In some instances, you’re not given a choice, and avoiding single-use or plastic films isn’t possible. To fully “turn off the tap” of our plastic pollution problem, both consumers as well as producers must take sustainable steps forward.

The Seattle Aquarium advocates for reducing the production of single-use plastics in the first place, such as by transitioning to reusable packaging alternatives. However, where films are necessary, companies must adopt sustainable, nontoxic, Earth- and ocean-friendly alternatives.

The TOM FORD Plastic Innovation Prize Early Adopter Coalition, consisting of several global companies (Nike, J. Crew, MillerKnoll and others), has committed to test plastic-alternative products in their supply chain to permanently eliminate their use of plastic film. From the scientific tests performed on products at the Seattle Aquarium focusing on biological degradation at end-of-life performance, we hope to better understand what types of material can meet society’s need for durable, flexible and degradable films and move toward turning off the tap.

You can make a difference now

This project is one step of many toward supply chain and single-use plastic waste reduction. As an individual, you can easily reduce single-use plastics—and here are just a few ways:

Pick up litter on a local beach or, better yet, organize a group of friends or family members to join a local beach cleanup!
Switch to reusable dishes and utensils. Bring your own reusable mug or bottle when you get coffee or water. Skip the plastic utensils and straws when you get takeout food.
Choose products with less packaging. Pay attention to how much incidental plastic comes with what you buy—your candy, headphones, pens and more come in plastic packaging. Strive to cut down on your daily plastic consumption, buy used instead of new whenever possible and reward corporations that package responsibly!
Buy in bulk rather than individually packaged items (some stores in the Seattle area allow personal containers, like Mason jars, for bulk products including grains and spices).
Shop local to reduce shipping and packaging plastics.
Find your congressional representative and urge them to co-sponsor the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act (H.R.5533) to eliminate the sale and distribution of single-use plastics—including plastic bottles, bags and food containers—in national parks across the country.
Urge your senators to support the Plastic Pellet-Free Waters Act (S.1507) to keep plastic pellets out of the environment.

Find out more about how to get involved with plastic policies at our online Act for the Ocean page.

Lifting up youth voices for positive change

Posted on April 13, 2022December 19, 2023 by Emma Leiser

Kids of all ages love visiting the Aquarium to see the animals—but did you know some of them also support the Aquarium’s mission on their own time? Teens in our Youth Ocean Advocates (YOA) program, open to students in grades 9–12, volunteer for a variety of marine conservation and advocacy activities during the school year or over the summer.

Youth Ocean Advocate Samantha-Lynn Martinez told us, “I went into this program with virtually no marine science background, nor interest in public speaking or interactions with strangers, but I came in with a big heart for marine life and a willingness to learn and step outside of my comfort zone.”

Karla Fox is equally inspired by the YOA program. “Whether you come in thinking you know everything there is to know about marine life, or you come in potentially being able to identify a sea otter, you’ll find your place.”

These two young people answered questions from of our state’s most influential educators, politicians and businesspeople―including Governor Jay Inslee and Bill Gates―at a recent conference promoting legislative advocacy called Educators for Environment, Equity and Economy. High school students from across the state were invited to discuss their interests and motivations related to the environment and respond to dozens of questions from local leaders.

Teens participated in a series of discussions on the importance of marine conservation. Samantha-Lynn facilitated a discussion, and both students took part in multiple panels. They spoke on topics such as developing environmental empathy in young people and social justice for vulnerable communities disproportionally affected by environmental degradation. Educators and teachers also spoke about what they wanted to achieve and what they could do to help amplify young voices.

By the end of the event, students had created a list of recommendations for leaders, including:

Work together to develop strategies both in and out of school.
Provide learning experiences that are project based and address real-world problems.
Create learning environments that are inclusive.
Develop a mentor program.
Incorporate climate change as a part of regular school curriculum.
Develop a program to educate youth about government policy and the politics of climate change.
Continually listen to youth when working on issues related to climate.

The leaders listened. It was a beneficial meeting of the minds on all levels and validated the importance of hearing from teens when developing youth learning programs both in and out of school.

Not only do our YOAs make significant contributions to the future of environmental conservation—the program can also give them a jump start on their careers. As a freshman at the University of Washington, Samantha-Lynn is already well on her way. “After dipping my toes in guest engagement/education and presenting, I’ve decided to pursue a Conservation Biology and Marine Biology degree at the UW with hopes to attend grad school for a master’s in the communications field of either design or wildlife film.”

High school junior Karla has her eye on a similar career. “The Aquarium has helped me realize that I’m passionate about conservation, marine life and working with others. I can’t wait to see where that takes me.”

Interested in learning more about the Seattle Aquarium Youth Ocean Advocates program? As Samantha-Lynn told us, “Come as you are and discover something new along the way!”

Supporting climate resilience: Q&A with Nicole Killebrew and Nora Nickum

Posted on April 5, 2022February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

From youth engagement to ocean policy advocacy, the Seattle Aquarium is working to advance climate solutions to avert further ocean acidification and ocean warming and build the resilience of marine ecosystems and coastal communities. Climate change is a multifaceted challenge, with impacts at local, state, national and global scales.

Here, Interpretation Coordinator Nicole Killebrew and Senior Ocean Policy Manager Nora Nickum discuss the challenges of climate change, potential policy solutions and opportunities for hope.

Can you describe some of the ways climate change harms ocean animals and our marine environment?

Nicole: Climate change is caused by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. When we burn fossil fuels in excess, that creates a heat-trapping blanket around the Earth, warming the ocean and land. This fuels extreme weather events, alters where animals can live and travel, shifts food availability, and changes the chemistry of the ocean through a process called ocean acidification. The ocean is like our planet’s heart, and just like a heart circulates blood and regulates the body’s temperature, so does the ocean for our planet by circulating heat, moisture and nutrients. Burning fossil fuels puts stress on our ocean and damages the ocean’s ability to keep the climate stable. These climate impacts increase survival stressors on marine animals around the world in a number of ways. Climate change also puts strain on the resilience of marine ecosystems that animals rely on as their home.

Nicole, how has your work as an educator informed the way you speak about climate issues?

Nicole: I’m involved with the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation. That work focuses on identifying the core story of climate change and telling that story so that people feel hopeful and empowered to take action. We need to connect people based on their values and things they already care about to collectively work toward solutions. We also need to keep social and environmental justice in mind—there are differences in how different communities are affected by ocean disruptions and climate change. It comes down to raising our voices and rethinking our reliance on fossil fuels as a primary energy source.

Nora, how can policy solutions help build climate resilience across the United States and the world?

Nora: Taking action to reduce emissions and build resilience is urgent to avoid worsening impacts on human communities and ecosystems. We can all make changes in our daily lives to help with that, like taking public transportation instead of driving. But we also need big changes to happen quickly and at scale. That’s where policy plays a key role.

What types of national climate policies does the Seattle Aquarium support and why?

Nora: We’ll need multiple policy solutions to address climate change—but fortunately, there are a lot of good, science-based ideas out there. There are currently several bills in Congress that the Aquarium is supporting. The Blue Carbon Protection Act (H.R. 3906), for example, would mobilize new funding to protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems—like mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass beds—and increase long-term carbon storage. The Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act (H.R. 3764) would prohibit the expansion of offshore oil exploration and drilling on most of the Outer Continental Shelf; promote decreases in shipping emissions; and create a grant program to support climate research and resilience with Indigenous and local knowledge. And the Climate Resilience Workforce Act (H.R. 6492) would ensure there’s a skilled and equitable workforce capable of preparing for and responding to climate change. We also support carbon pricing policies that are science-based and center the voices and needs of those disproportionately impacted by pollution, and we advocate for phasing out fossil fuels as rapidly as possible.

I also want to mention the importance of policies to reduce single-use plastics. Plastic is largely made from petroleum and there are greenhouse gas emissions at every stage of the production process. Reducing single-use plastics will also have the benefit of reducing pollution along shorelines and in the ocean.

There are more policies needed, but these are all meaningful steps in the right direction.

What is a story of hope that has resonated with you?

Nicole: One very tangible example was the Seattle Aquarium’s participation in the Community Solar Program. Through the program, community members could purchase solar panels to put on our roof. They receive credits for renewable energy and the power is part of the Aquarium’s general power grid. The program not only supports renewable energy, but also has an additional psychological benefit: What kind of message does it send to the community to look at the roof of the Seattle Aquarium and see it covered with solar panels?

Nora: I find hope in the many ways we can reduce emissions, build climate resilience and protect biodiversity all at the same time. There are so many good ideas and “shovel-ready” projects out there, we just need to prioritize and invest in them. For example, eelgrass beds can store huge amounts of carbon—keeping it from entering our atmosphere as carbon dioxide. They also protect coastlines during storms. And they provide important habitat for forage fish and juvenile salmon. We can realize all of these benefits by protecting and restoring eelgrass beds. This legislative session, we supported a bill in Washington state to ensure the Department of Natural Resources now has the resources to create a collaborative plan to restore or conserve 10,000 acres of eelgrass meadows and kelp forests by 2040.

Do you have advice for someone interested in raising their voice for ocean-climate action?

Nora: Contact your members of Congress to let them know you want to see urgent action on climate change. You could ask them to support any of the specific policies I mentioned earlier. Most importantly, tell them why you care about the climate crisis, which will make your message personal and memorable.

Nicole: There are many ways you can support renewables, including through community solar programs or rounding up your energy bill to have funds go directly toward renewable energy. Puget Sound Energy and Seattle City Light provide that option, and you could ask your energy company to if they don’t already. Beyond renewables, ask questions and reach out to organizations focused on climate action. See how you can get involved!

What do you hope these solutions can achieve in 10 years? Fifty years?

Nicole: It comes back to the core mechanism of why climate change is occurring—we need to shift away from fossil fuels toward a renewable energy system. Reducing our fossil fuel use is a step in that direction. If we can do that, we’ll see a stabilization in the climate system, ensuring the ocean can continue to function in a way that supports marine life and communities around the world. My hope is that people feel empowered to take action and feel connected to our climate system. Together, we can work toward positive change.

Nora: I envision us on a new path where all communities and ecosystems can be resilient and thrive. We can get there if we speak up, prioritize action and investments today, and see not just the problems we need to fix, but all the benefits we can achieve for people, public health, biodiversity, access to nature and more.

Saying goodbye: End-of-life animal care at the Seattle Aquarium

Posted on March 31, 2022May 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

In a recent series of blog posts, we described what it’s like to care for the 12,000+ animals that live at the Aquarium and how we aim to provide the best lives possible for them. This post is devoted to the final stage: end-of life care and, when necessary, euthanasia—which means producing a humane death that is rapid, avoids pain and minimizes any distress. While many of the animals in our care die of natural causes, euthanasia is a critical and compassionate element of the care we provide. No animal can live forever, and we want the animals in our care to pass as peacefully as possible when it’s time.

The Seattle Aquarium has carefully developed a comprehensive set of lifelong care and euthanasia policies and protocols as well as quality-of-life assessments to guide the process of determining when humane euthanasia is called for. These policies and protocols are in alignment with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations, as well as the standards set forth by the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. They apply to all animals at the Aquarium, from fur seals to sea stars, as well as rescued animals that we care for (such as sea turtles). These decisions are not taken lightly and always involve veterinary and animal care staff.

Emergency euthanasia and planned euthanasia for health and welfare reasons are two categories of humane euthanasia described in the Aquarium’s policy:

Emergency euthanasia may be the most humane and compassionate choice if an animal is in acute distress and we can’t relieve that distress. An example might be a rescued sea turtle with severe injuries from a boat strike that we can’t fix. These situations are always hard, but we do everything we can to minimize pain and suffering. Fortunately, emergency euthanasia is rare at the Aquarium.
It’s more common that euthanasia decisions are planned. This is because we monitor our animals closely and usually know when an animal is getting toward the end of its life. This is often due to symptoms that are affecting quality of life and where there are no additional diagnostic, treatment or management options.

“Our harbor seal, Q, was diagnosed with cancer in early 2021,” says Senior Veterinarian Dr. Caitlin Hadfield. “The cancer responded really well to chemotherapy, and he was his normal happy self for several more months. The cancer came back, and we went into what is called rescue therapy. We used his individual quality-of-life assessments, other monitoring and regular discussions with his animal care professionals to help understand how he was doing. We knew that the rescue therapy was unlikely to give him much time, and so we were ready to provide a peaceful euthanasia when we saw signs that he wasn’t thriving.” Q was humanely euthanized in June of 2021.

Regardless of the reason, when euthanasia is deemed necessary, the Seattle Aquarium is committed to always providing appropriate methods that are in the animal’s best interest and that cause the most rapid, painless and distress-free death as possible.

While the decision to humanely euthanize an animal can be emotionally difficult, it’s also one that needs to be made when the situation calls for it—and we’re grateful for the clear policies and protocols, aligned with governing bodies and best practices in animal care, that help guide us.

Working toward healthy ocean ecosystems: Report from the 2022 state legislative session

Posted on March 22, 2022February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

Signing in “pro” on key environmental bills, delivering virtual testimony, sharing opportunities to take action with the Washington community, and collaborating with legislators as well as partners across the state—the Seattle Aquarium spent the 60-day state legislative session working hard to advance ocean health priorities. And many of you joined us in speaking up! Read on for highlights from the session and a preview of future efforts.

Session highlights

Progress on healthy kelp forest and eelgrass ecosystems

With the passage of SB 5619, the Washington Department of Natural Resources will now develop a plan to protect and restore at least 10,000 acres of kelp forests and eelgrass meadows by 2040. We testified in support of this bill, which will restore important habitat for all kinds of species in our coastal waters.

Supporting salmon habitat

We’re grateful to the state legislature for including $25 million in funding for the Duckabush River Estuary Restoration Project in the budget this year. Going forward, we’ll continue to support efforts to secure the additional state and federal funding needed to restore this vital estuary, which is prime habitat for threatened summer chum and Chinook salmon.

The legislature also passed a bill that ensures adequate funding for removing derelict vessels from local waters (HB 1700). Those vessels can present environmental risks, such as leaking fuel or other hazardous substances or damaging forage fish habitat.

Advancing climate action

Alongside crafting a regenerative plan for our own operations and facility, the Seattle Aquarium continued to support bills to address climate change. These included energy performance standards for large buildings (SB 5722) and ensuring that businesses in the fossil fuel industry are financially responsible for oil spills should they occur (HB 1691).

The road ahead

While we were able to make strides on several ocean health priorities, there’s still work to do. The short legislative session made it especially difficult to get some key transformative bills across the finish line.

The Seattle Aquarium will continue to work with our partners toward healthy marine shorelines and producer-responsibility legislation for plastics and other packaging (RENEW Act). We’ll continue to support Indigenous–led efforts to secure protections for riparian habitat along rivers and streams (Lorraine Loomis Salmon Recovery Act). Thank you to Senators Das, Salomon and Rolfes and Representative Lekanoff for your leadership on these pieces of legislation.

In the next legislative session, we’ll also continue to support measures to report embodied carbon emissions in infrastructure projects (Buy Clean and Buy Fair) and to enable small businesses to repair electronics, like cell phones, so they don’t go to the landfill (Right to Repair).

In the meantime, we’ll continue to advocate for national policy priorities—including healthy kelp ecosystems and 30×30 conservation action. Visit our Influencing Policy and Act for the Ocean web pages anytime for the latest news and action opportunities.

Thank you!

We want to send a huge thank-you to everyone who took part in our action alerts and spoke up for ocean health! If you didn’t receive action alerts, please consider joining our policy email list.

Read blog posts from the state legislative session:

Speaking up for ocean health: 2022 priorities in the Washington legislature

A renewed look at all that packaging

Four policies to help salmon in Washington

Q&A with Dr. Lisa Graumlich, winner of the 2022 Seattle Aquarium Sylvia Earle Medal

Posted on March 7, 2022February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

“I deeply feel the urgency because scientifically, I know full well the impacts of the change we’re seeing now and in the future. This is our window of opportunity.”

Lisa Graumlich, Ph.D.

Lisa Graumlich chose a lifetime path first paved by Sylvia Earle. Dr. Graumlich is the Denman Endowed Professor in Sustainable Resource Sciences at the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and dean emeritus of the College of the Environment at the University of Washington. She’s devoted her career to studying the causes and impacts of climate change, with a special focus on using paleoecological records like tree rings to understand the magnitude of human impacts. She speaks frequently on climate change and has testified on long-term climate variability before the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. She’s president-elect of the 60,000-member American Geophysical Union (as of January 2021) and has served as the inaugural dean of the UW College of the Environment from 2010 to 2021.

We’re honored to recognize Dr. Graumlich with this year’s Seattle Aquarium Sylvia Earle Medal. Although we can’t gather in person for our annual Ocean Conservation Honors event, she kindly took some time to share her thoughts on her life’s work.

Q: What drew you to your career?

A: In the mid-’70s I was a sincere but directionless undergraduate student studying botany. I took a trip deep into the Amazon, traveling by riverboat. We came to a place where massive bulldozers were building the first major roads into the rain forest. I watched as monkeys fled through the remaining canopy, trying to escape. This seemed like a big deal but most people were not aware of what was happening. I had studied tropical ecosystems, and I could recognize that I was seeing a problem. I wanted to learn more. When I returned to school, I approached my professors, eager to understand the human impacts on the Amazon and was told to stick to learning plant physiology and not worry about the bigger picture. I was “good,” finished up my undergraduate degree but was delighted to start a graduate program in a geography department. Not only were the faculty interested in big questions of human impacts on ecosystems—they were excited! The Amazon trip was life changing. At that point I did an about-face. I wanted to focus on environmental issues and I was all in!

Q: What inspired you to become a tree-ring scientist?

A: A few years after my Amazon trip, the western U.S. experienced the drought of ’77. I wanted to know why it was happening. At the time, climate change wasn’t thought of as an issue; we didn’t know much about it yet. I became focused on the burning question: Was the drought a result of natural variability or climate change? Climate scientists didn’t have the answer. Someone suggested I explore the study of tree rings (dendrochronology) to understand more. And I did.

So there I was with a Ph.D. studying tree rings in the Pacific Northwest and California. But I soon realized this is a global problem that needs a global answer. I felt like a young science diplomat, traveling around the world urging people to share data for the common good of answering these previously unanswerable questions on climate. It wasn’t until the late ’90s, when we were able to fully collaborate as a global community of scientists, that we could agree the massive impact of climate change was caused by people. We now recognize the heavy fingerprint of human activity. And this has captured my imagination.

Q: What kind of legacy do you hope to leave?

A: I want to be a part of a new way of being a scientist, of being a community with one foot in discovery-based science and the other foot in solution-based science—a community where those two things are melded together in a way they never were before. For example, it’s the difference between studying fish biology and understanding the fundamental connection fish have to the fishers in coastal communities who are sustainably managing fish populations. How do we connect―and learn from those communities―so our best science and our best solutions inform each other? It’s inclusive and welcoming to all people. We’re able to partner broadly because we do relevant work and cultivate trust. I especially want to elevate the work of early-career scientists who are seeking this kind of deep and authentic partnership with society.

That’s why I am excited about partnering with the Aquarium. This is exactly what the Aquarium provides, and it’s the core of my vision.

I also want to be a good ancestor. So when my kids talk to their kids, they’ll know I did everything I could to help us change course.

Q: What brings you hope for the future?

A: It’s our youth. They speak truth to power, call it like it is, and they think about everything they do. When you talk to them, you can learn about the impacts of “fast fashion,” consumer consumption, climate change, plastics in our oceans and more. For all of us, Covid lifted the veil of how vulnerable but interconnected we are. We just need to activate a culture of rolling up of sleeves and investing in communities. This is how we change course.

Are you interested in learning more about our annual Ocean Conservation Honors awards? Read our recent blog post—and read about Dr. Zhenyu Tian, this year’s winner of the Conservation Research Award.

THANK YOU TO OUR 2022 CORPORATE PARTNERS

EXCELLENCE PARTNER

Q&A with Dr. Zhenyu Tian, winner of the 2022 Seattle Aquarium Conservation Research Award

Posted on March 3, 2022February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

“When people really care about these creatures and the ecosystem, things will change in a positive way.”

―Dr. Zhenyu Tian

Dr. Zhenyu Tian is an environmental chemist curious about organic pollutants in the environment. He received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, where he studied the transformation products and co-occurring pollutants of PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) in contaminated soil. Then he worked as a postdoctoral research scientist at the Center for Urban Waters, University of Washington Tacoma, applying non-target screening to identify emerging contaminants in water and biota and to evaluate engineered treatment systems.

After years of collaborative research with a group of more than 20 researchers, he identified 6PPD-quinone, a ubiquitous tire rubber chemical that kills 40−90% of coho salmon when the chemical washes into urban stormwater.

It’s our honor to recognize Dr. Tian with this year’s Seattle Aquarium Conservation Research award, together with the full research group on the 2020 paper. Although we can’t gather in person for our annual Ocean Conservation Honors event, he’s kindly shared some of his thoughts with us in this Q&A.

Q: What drew you to your career?

A: Curiosity and awareness, mostly. I’m always curious about the hanging questions in archaeology and paleontology (and environmental science, of course). The curiosity is the main reason of becoming a scientist. Growing up in Beijing, I knew the concept of pollution at an early age. The city is known for its sandstorms and haze, and those and the air pollution behind them were just part of my life. So, I know environmental science is the discipline to understand the pollution issue and find solutions.

Q: What inspired you to research the deaths of coho salmon in the Puget Sound area?

A: In 2017 I was attending an American Chemical Society meeting. My postdoc advisor, Ed Kolodziej, presented a video of a coho dying from stormwater exposure. It was the first time I’d seen it. That’s when I realized it wasn’t normal, and I needed to figure out why it was happening. In later years, I saw this mortality phenomena many times in the field, and I felt the same every time. It’s a painful way of dying. And it shouldn’t be happening.

Q: What keeps you doing the work that you do?

A: Partly curiosity, as I described above. And a feeling of responsibility. Sometimes I feel like environmental chemists are like sentinels and detectives. We’re responsible for watching out for the potential threat to the ecosystem and the humans. And if something bad is going on (like the salmon mortality), we should find out why. Such responsibility is part of my motivation.

Q: What impact do you hope to make with your work—what legacy would you like to leave?

A: Maybe it’s too early to talk about legacy, but I hope our work in environmental chemistry can inform the government, industries and the public about the issue of chemical contamination. As an industrialized society, we’ll keep producing and using chemicals, but more careful examination and regulation should be considered. I hope our research could help the regulatory agencies with their decision making and help the industries to improve their formulation.

Besides, I hope our work can inspire a new generation of scientists. We have interesting and important questions in the field of environmental sciences.

Q: Ocean conservation is essential for the future of our marine environment. What does conservation mean to you?

A: I’m still very excited when I see sea mammals like seals and whales in real life. So, to me, ocean conservation is an essential effort to protect these amazing creatures and the ecosystem they rely on. And I hope my work will contribute to this effort.

Q: What brings you hope for the future of conservation?

A: I see the motivation and passion of people here in the Pacific Northwest. We have very passionate citizen scientists and volunteers (e.g., Miller-Walker community in Burien) monitoring the salmon every fall, and reporting mortality cases to us. And many young people are among them. This is the hope, because when people really care about these creatures and the ecosystem, things will change in a positive way.

Are you interested in learning more about our annual Ocean Conservation Honors awards? Read our recent blog post—and read our blog post devoted to Dr. Lisa Graumlich, this year’s Sylvia Earle Medal winner.

THANK YOU TO OUR 2022 CORPORATE PARTNERS

EXCELLENCE PARTNER

2022 Seattle Aquarium Ocean Conservation Honors: Recognizing greatness in leadership

Posted on March 1, 2022February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

Since 2004, the Seattle Aquarium has honored the work of extraordinary people with these prestigious awards that celebrate their accomplishments. Our annual Ocean Conservation Honors dinner raises the visibility of ocean conservation, highlighting and celebrating the honoree’s aspirations and impact, and sharing the passion for the work and the difference our actions make on behalf of ocean health.

This year, in the interest of health and safety, we’ll be celebrating our honorees through a series of blog posts with hope that we can resume our traditional dinner next year.

The Seattle Aquarium Conservation Research Award honors individuals who are leaders and innovators in conservation research, with a particular focus on climate change, plastic pollution, sustainable fisheries and tourism, marine protected areas and socioeconomics. Special consideration is given for researchers working on projects in the Salish Sea or Coral Triangle, who have a special connection to the Seattle Aquarium, and those with strong educational or science communication elements to their work.

Dr. Zhenyu Tian is the recipient of this year’s Seattle Aquarium Conservation Research Award. Growing up in Beijing, Dr. Tian was well-acquainted with air pollution at an early age. His curiosity about it led him to study organic pollutants and become an environmental chemist. Today, his research work at the Center for Urban Waters, University of Washington Tacoma, is responsible for identifying the chemical believed to be killing local salmon.

The Seattle Aquarium Sylvia Earle Medal honors individuals whose leadership and lifetime accomplishments reflect and advance the mission of the Seattle Aquarium: Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment. Formerly the Seattle Aquarium Medal, the award was renamed in 2018, after we presented Dr. Sylvia Earle with our first Seattle Aquarium Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Lisa Graumlich has dedicated her career to the study of global warming and its effect on our oceans, making her the ideal recipient of this year’s Seattle Aquarium Sylvia Earle Medal. Dr. Graumlich, a paleoclimatologist (someone who studies ancient climates), serves as dean emeritus for the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington, studying the connection between ecosystems and humans. She’s testified before the U.S. House of Representatives presenting her pioneering work in dendrochronology, the study of tree rings and their relation to climate.

If you’d like to learn more about (and see!) Lisa and Zhenyu’s work, check back soon for our upcoming Q&A blog posts with each of them.

It’s a pleasure and privilege to celebrate our 2022 award recipients and we look forward to introducing you to them through our in-depth interviews coming soon.

Thank you to our 2022 corporate partners

Excellence partner

Saying goodbye to elderly Adaa

Posted on February 28, 2022February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

We are sad to announce the passing of Adaa, the male northern sea otter under our care, from cancer. The disease was diagnosed in mid-February and considered terminal. Adaa was treated with medications to manage his symptoms and provide him with a good quality of life for the time he had left. The staff had hoped this would give him several weeks, but his condition recently deteriorated and he was humanely euthanized on Sunday, February 27.

This beloved animal was the oldest male sea otter at zoos and aquariums in the U.S., and he became the oldest male sea otter on record in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) “studbook” when he reached 22 years and 2 months old. (On average, sea otters in the wild live 15–20 years.) An AZA studbook dynamically documents the entire demographic history of each individual of a species—this is an invaluable tool to help us understand how individuals and groups are doing and allows us to provide the best standard of care.

Curator of Birds and Mammals Julie Carpenter describes Adaa as “a beautiful animal with a gentle way about him. He had his quirks, such as hopping with his rear flippers when on land instead of walking and making soft cooing sounds while chewing.”

Adaa, which means “come ashore” in the Aleut language, was approximately 4 months old when he was found on an airport runway at Port Heiden, Alaska, in January 2000. Julie explained this about his age: “While we don’t know Adaa’s exact date of birth, we have a very close estimate. As pups, sea otters have unique pelage [the fur covering of a mammal] and pup teeth that change as they grow. The stage of pelage and teeth growth, in addition to size and time of year, allows us to accurately estimate the age of the pup within a couple of months—sometimes even weeks or days—of birth.” At the time of his passing, Adaa was approximately 22 years and 8 months of age.

Adaa then lived at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon, until April 2004, when he was transferred to the Seattle Aquarium. In 2012, Adaa was temporarily moved to the Oregon Zoo following the birth of his daughter, Sekiu, to allow mother (Aniak) and daughter space to bond without the presence of a male. In the wild, females with pups are often found in rafts without males. Once Sekiu was older and weaned, Adaa returned to Seattle Aquarium.

“He was a gentle male and was always amazing with the females,” says Julie. “In his older years he was often seen holding onto Mishka, a younger female, while he slept and was even seen grooming her.”

Adaa had some favorite enrichment activities, like playing with or crunching on ice and solving puzzle feeders. He will be dearly missed by the staff and volunteers at the Aquarium and by the many in-person and live-webcam visitors who enjoyed his company.

“Adaa had an enormous amount of trust in the people who cared for him,” says Senior Veterinarian Dr. Caitlin Hadfield, “particularly the animal care professionals who worked most closely with him. It was always inspiring to see that relationship. It allowed us to work together to provide the care he needed as he got older.”

Four policies to help salmon in Washington

Posted on January 26, 2022February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

Each year, thousands of Washington salmon migrate, swimming against the current to return to the rivers and streams where they were born. If you visit the Cedar River in the fall, you may spot bright-red sockeye flashing underwater, Chinook building a redd or coho migrating farther upstream to spawn. Adult salmon die within a few weeks after spawning, and the salmon life cycle begins again with the eggs left behind. Right now, young salmon may be emerging from the gravel, foraging for food and making their home in the Cedar River, where they will live and grow before heading out to sea.

Salmon are keystone species and critical for Washington ecosystems, economies and communities, as well as for the survival of the endangered southern resident orcas. Yet our salmon populations face many threats, and some species are dangerously close to extinction.

Salmon rely on a healthy habitat during all phases of their life cycle, including freshwater, estuarine and marine ecosystems. How can we recover salmon populations and protect their habitat? The Seattle Aquarium is working to advance several actions during the 2022 state legislative session that would support critical ecosystems and healthy salmon and orca populations for years to come. Learn more about these priorities and how you can take action below!

Marine Shoreline Habitat (SB 5885)

The time after juvenile salmon leave streams and rivers behind and enter the Salish Sea is a critical survival period. But along Puget Sound shorelines, structures like old docks and bulkheads that are either unpermitted or have fallen into disrepair disrupt and pollute that nearshore habitat. This bill would require shoreline surveys to map these types of structures, then enable steps to restore nearshore habitat.

Duckabush River Estuary Restoration Project

Estuaries—tidal wetland environments where rivers meet salt water—are important environments for all sorts of species, from migratory birds to juvenile salmon. A $50.2 million state investment in the Duckabush River Estuary Restoration Project would restore critical habitat that fish rely on, including threatened summer chum and Chinook salmon. With estuary restoration, there will be pools and slow water areas for fish to hide, rest and grow until they are ready for the marine environment.

Kelp Forests and Eelgrass Meadows (HB 1661/SB 5619)

Washington state is a global hotspot for kelp diversity and is home to eelgrass meadows that provide nursery habitat for juvenile salmon and feeder fish. Unfortunately, these habitats have declined dramatically. This bill would enable creation of a plan to restore or conserve 10,000 acres of kelp forests and eelgrass meadows by 2040—supporting vital habitat for all kinds of species in our coastal waters.

Lorraine Loomis Act for Salmon Recovery (HB 1838/SB 5727)

Named in honor of late Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission chair and Swinomish Tribe member Lorraine Loomis, this bill would protect and restore riparian habitat along Washington state rivers and streams. Shading these waterways keeps the water cool and clean, making salmon populations and the broader ecosystem more climate resilient as air and water temperatures rise. Stay tuned for updates on this bill as the legislative session advances.

Join us in taking action for salmon!

There are steps you can take right now to help salmon have a better chance of recovery:

If you live in Washington state, speak up this week for salmon. Email your elected officials or call the toll-free legislative hotline at (800) 562-6000 (TTY for hearing impaired (800) 833-6388) between 8am and 7pm, Monday through Friday, to leave a message for all three of your legislators at once. Ask them to support HB 1838/SB 5727, SB 5885, HB 1661/SB 5619 and a $50.2 million investment in the Duckabush estuary project.
Discover other ways to help salmon and protect ocean health.

Read about our other 2022 legislative priorities and sign up for our email action alerts.