Page 3 – Seattle Aquarium

How the Johnson family makes it a day at the waterfront

Posted on September 29, 2024January 29, 2025 by Emma Leiser

The Seattle Aquarium teamed up with Rome and Falesha Johnson—parents to Caliyah Joy and Romen—for a day of family fun on the Seattle waterfront. Dive in to see their adventures!

Click the image below to see the full-size itinerary.

Download itinerary as a PDF

The Johnson family’s day at the waterfront

A joyous and tight-knit family

Follow along as we make it a day on the Seattle Waterfront. It’s time for some family fun!

1: Seattle Aquarium

Our favorite spots are Window on Washington Waters and Caring Cove, a play space where kids can learn about animal care.

2: Lunchtime: Ivar’s Fish Bar

The food here is a hit for both parents and kids every time. You can’t go wrong with a fresh basket of fish and chips.

3: The Great Wheel

This Seattle classic is known for its dazzling views of Elliott Bay. Plus, there’s stroller parking.

4: Aquarium café for gelato

The Seattle Aquarium has Nutty Squirrel Gelato now! Creamy and flavorful, it’s the best sweet treat on the waterfront. They even have vegan options. P.S. The Aquarium allows same-day reentry. Make sure to get a hand stamp before you head out!

More Seattle waterfront itinerary highlights

Pike Place Market pigs  
The Secret Garden (in Pike Place Market) 
Argosy Cruises 
Pier 62 
Magic Mouse Toys 
Pioneer Square Habitat Beach 
Ferry ride to and from Bainbridge Island 
Carousel (near the Great Wheel)

What does poop have to do with the Ocean Pavilion? (Hint: more than you’d think!)

Posted on September 17, 2024November 27, 2024 by Emma Leiser

It takes a lot of work—not to mention time—to get living systems like the Ocean Pavilion’s habitats ready to welcome new animals. On the surface, it might seem simple: make a plan, construct the habitats, fill them with water, move the animals in and you’re done, right? Not surprisingly, it’s far more complex than that (read our web story to take a deeper dive).

For this story, we’re going to focus on a particular aspect of preparing the habitats for new animals—one that involves everyone’s favorite topic: poop! But first, some background.

Get your wheels turning on cycling

Cycling in the world of aquariums is different from biking around your neighborhood. It refers to the process of building a population of beneficial bacteria that make an aquarium habitat ready for animals.

The Ocean Pavilion’s habitats are filled with fascinating sharks, rays and schooling fish—and guess what accompanies them? You guessed it: poop (and pee).

While we humans have bathrooms to get rid of our wastes, aquatic animals swim in the very same water with them. Bacteria to the rescue! It’s the key to getting rid of those wastes and keeping the water healthy for all the animals in the habitats. And it has to be present, by the millions, before any fish and invertebrates can move in.

Bacteria, bacterium? The word bacteria is plural—meaning multiple organisms. Bacterium is the word for a single organism.

Bacteria don't deserve the bad rap

Although they’re commonly made out to be villains, associated with infections and disease, bacteria can also be superheroes. The populations in the Ocean Pavilion fall into that category.

How come? Because they oxidize* and break down toxic nitrogen, which comes from ammonia in animal wastes, into less toxic forms: nitrite and, eventually, nitrate. That’s why they’re referred to as beneficial bacteria.

These bacteria do important—but slow—work and also have needs of their own. First, the temperature needs to be just right. They like it warm. And, because they don’t float freely in the water, they need surfaces on which to live.

*Put very simply, oxidizing is like bacteria’s version of eating—similar to the way we humans eat and break down food.

Enter bio balls

Bio balls are small orbs, just about an inch in diameter, that offer plenty of surface area for the beneficial bacteria to settle on and grow. Here at the Aquarium, we placed nearly half a million bio balls in a holding pool, then jumpstarted the typically slow bacterial growth process by adding nitrogen (aka bacteria food) to the water.

When the time was right, our team loaded bio balls into sacks and transplanted them to habitats in the Ocean Pavilion to continue the growth process (see how it worked in our video). This method helped reduce the overall cycling time—meaning that we could welcome animals to the habitats that much sooner.

Throughout the entire process, our water quality team kept feeding nitrogen to the bacteria, not only to help them grow, but also to help them get very familiar with animal pee and poop. (Luckily for our team, the nitrogen they used is less messy than actual pee and poop; it’s a fine, white powder.)

When the water quality team determines that the habitat is ready, animals move in and take over the process.

Ultra-nerdy details

How does the water quality team know that the habitat is ready and the bacteria are populating the way we need them to? They start by testing for nitrogen—which, as you’ll remember, is serving as a proxy for animal waste—in the water.

If the team adds nitrogen to the water, tests it and discovers the same amount is still there, they know that the bacteria haven’t populated yet. A decrease shows that the bacteria are consuming the nitrogen.

And that’s just the beginning! As mentioned above, the bacteria break down nitrogen into nitrite and, eventually, nitrate. So the team also tests for nitrite. A decrease in ammonia followed by a spike in nitrite tells them that the bacteria are doing exactly what they’re supposed to.

This process takes time and involves many rounds of testing to ensure the bacteria are thriving and ready to eat their fill of waste. Each habitat in the Ocean Pavilion has hosted thousands of bio balls, doing their good work in preparation for the arrival of schooling fish, skates, rays, sharks and more. Pee and poop: it’s what’s for dinner!

We're there even though you can't see us

While the bacteria that do all this good work aren’t visible to the naked eye, you know what is? All the incredible animals that depend on them for a healthy, clean habitat. Plan a visit to explore the Ocean Pavilion today!

Dive down memory lane with us to celebrate Barney’s birthday bash!

Posted on September 14, 2024June 9, 2025 by Emma Leiser

Barney the harbor seal was born right here at the Seattle Aquarium on September 14, 1985—that’s right, 39 years ago! And he’s been stealing the hearts of staff and guests alike ever since, while inspiring millions to help protect his beloved and charismatic species.

“Barney remains one of the oldest harbor seals in human care—possibly the world—that we know of,” notes Curator of Birds & Mammals Veronica Seawall. Here at the Aquarium, we have a number of geriatric, or elderly, animals entrusted to our care, and our expert team works hard to create environments that meet their evolving needs as they age. (Interested in learning more? Read all about how we provide expert animal care at every age.)

Now that Barney’s in his golden years, he enjoys the simple things in life, like a nice nap in the sunshine, getting his teeth brushed daily and eating some of his favorite snacks, including all things fish. He’s also a fan of his birthday celebrations, as you’ll see in the photos below. Dive down memory lane to revisit some of those celebrations with us as we commemorate Barney’s 39th!

2024

Centennial celebration—happy 39th, Barney!

According to the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), of which we’re proud to be an accredited member, the median life expectancy for harbor seals in zoos and aquariums is about 25 years. At 39, Barney has lived well beyond that. In fact, his biological age is about the equivalent of a 100-year-old human!

Give him—and his caretakers—some love on our Facebook or Instagram to mark the occasion.

2023

38 years young!

Barney’s 38th birthday bash was complete with a “cake” made from ice and 38 frozen fish!

2022

37 looks good on you

We welcomed harbor seal Casey earlier in 2022, and all three “roomies”—Barney, Hogan and Casey— dug into a delicious, fish-filled ice treat together.

2021

Having his cake and eating it too

Barney rang in his 36th birthday by tucking into a towering ice treat “cake.”

2020

Pandemic party

While we couldn’t invite the public to celebrate with Barney because of our temporary, pandemic-related closure, our incredible animal care team made sure he felt the birthday love.

2015

Just another enriching birthday

Animals at the Aquarium receive enrichment every day (read more about it on our webpage). Special occasions, like Barney’s 30th, give our animal care team a fun reason to get creative with it.

2013

28 and looking great!

In 2013, Barney celebrated his birthday with cake in his habitat’s new haul-out space*! Generous support from people like you allowed us to renovate and expand the harbor seal habitat back then.

*What’s that? Space that the seals use to go onto dry land to nap, groom, cooperatively participate in their own health care and, in Barney’s case, eat a birthday treat.

Your gift today will make a difference too: Please consider a donation of $19.85, $39 or any amount on behalf of Barney’s birthday!

2012

Awww, you shouldn’t have

Shown here in the habitat’s previous haul-out space, Barney looks ready to devour the ice treat that our animal care team prepared for him.

2011

Stealth celebration

What’s better on your 26th birthday than a delicious ice treat, just waiting for you to notice it as you casually swim by?

2010

Blow out the candles!

Here’s a throwback to Barney’s 25th! Our animal care team went all out with an ice treat complete with “candles” for him to crunch and munch.

1985

Baby Barney’s birth day

Photo: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

How’s this for a sweet, vintage photo of newborn Barney alongside his mom, Clyde? For perspective on how long ago that was in terms of other Pacific Northwest icons, Barney was born the same year that downtown Seattle’s tallest skyscraper, Columbia Center, opened; two years before the band Nirvana was formed; and 15 years before the Kingdome was demolished. Just our humble opinion, of course, but we think he’s the best and most charming icon of the bunch. Happy, happy 39th to beloved Barney!

Quiz: What kind of Aquarium café diner are you?

Posted on August 30, 2024August 21, 2024 by Emma Leiser

3, 2, 1…Ocean Pavilion!

Posted on August 29, 2024September 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

It’s the final countdown to opening the Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion. This expansion of our campus and our mission has been over a decade in the making. Follow along as we prepare to open to the public on August 29!

Wave hello to the open Ocean Pavilion!

The day we’ve all been waiting for is finally here! Our Ocean Pavilion expansion welcomes its first public visitors today. We’re thrilled to share the vibrant underwater world of the Coral Triangle with guests. Plan a trip to see these immersive reef habitats for yourself.

Wheel's in motion!

Visual artist Paige Pettibon (Confederated Salish and Kootenai) created this amazing seasonal round for the Ocean Pavilion. Depicting the cycle of life here, in the lands and waters of the Coast Salish people, it features beautiful illustrations of marine animals, phases of the moon, plants, people and more. Come give it a gentle spin when you visit!

Speak of the devil

Meet the elusive devil scorpionfish, a new resident of our closer-look habitat, At Home in the Ocean. Scorpionfish are known for their venomous spines and the canny camouflage that helps them hunt. In the wild, their prey, including invertebrates and small fish, should keep an eye out for these ambush predators.

You won't "belief" this playscape reef!

The Coral Reef Encounter at the Ocean Pavilion allows youngsters and families to explore what it might be like to live on a coral reef—discovering the sights, sounds and textures below the surface in a cozy, kid-size tunnel. You can even see what it’s like to be a clownfish, nestled within the tentacles of an anemone, in a colorful, cushioned nook! Learn more about the Ocean Pavilion’s habitats on our webpage.

The tale behind this tail

Can you identify this species that recently moved into the Ocean Pavilion? Here’s a hint: He’s often spotted gliding through the building’s largest habitat, The Reef, with his tail trailing behind. Plan a trip to the Ocean Pavilion to see all of him for yourself!

The view from her window

Not all Ocean Pavilion highlights are underwater. We’re also finishing “dryside exhibits,” as we call them, that tell stories about people inspiring hope and action for a healthy ocean. Can you guess which legendary marine scientist and ocean conservationist peered through this scuba mask decades ago? Hint: She famously said, “No water, no life. No blue, no green.”

Who's new in The Reef

An Indo-Pacific leopard shark has glided into our largest habitat, The Reef. Once abundant in the Coral Triangle, these slow-swimming reef sharks are now nearly extinct due to overfishing and habitat loss. As a founding member of the international ReShark collective, we’re working with partners to restore their wild populations to marine protected areas.

Going deep for healthy habitats

Our dive team is taking the Ocean Pavilion’s immersive experience to a whole new level. They’ve been cleaning The Reef habitat each day for weeks—even before any of the new animals had moved in—and will continue to do so after all the sharks, rays and schooling fish have settled in. Plan a visit to see the results of their hard work!

Water you looking at? Fish in The Reef!

The first fish have entered The Reef, the largest habitat in our Ocean Pavilion expansion. These fish have been busy exploring their new space. We introduce animals, like this spotted sweetlips, to new habitats through a carefully-monitored method to ensure their safety. Learn more about that process (plus creating The Reef) in our recent web story.

Check back soon for more updates!

How J. Kenji López-Alt makes it a day at the Seattle waterfront

Posted on August 21, 2024December 24, 2024 by Joseph Becker

The chef, author and Seattle Aquarium member recently partnered with the Aquarium to map a food-centric day at the Seattle waterfront. Kenji’s itinerary includes several snack stops—and a pause to pet sea cucumbers at our Life on the Edge habitat.

Download itinerary as a PDF

J. Kenji López-Alt’s day at the waterfront

Chef | author | Seattle Aquarium member

Follow along with me as I make it a day on the Seattle Waterfront. Nothing beats food with a Puget Sound view! 

1: Khachapuri from Skalka

If you like the idea of really good flatbread—like fluffy pita or charred pizza dough—filled with cheese, butter and eggs, you’ll have a good time. 

2: Seattle Aquarium 

Work up an appetite while visiting their many habitats. We love interacting with the sea cucumbers in the touch pools and feeling their slick, leathery skin. 

3: Antojito from Maíz 

This Mexican spot starts with fresh masa and serves up tacos, tamales and more, all filled with delicious, dripping guisados of the day. 

4: Hoagie from Post Alley Pizza 

The pizza is fantastic but the hoagies are the sleeper hit. Built on freshly-baked rolls, piled with cold cuts, provolone, greens, oil, vinegar and “jazz” seasoning. 

More Seattle waterfront itinerary highlights

Ivar’s
Okinawa Teriyaki 
World Spice 
Aditi Chai 
Pier 62 
Pike Place Fish Market
The Seattle Great Wheel 
Pike Place Buskers (located throughout Pike Place Market)

From idea to ecosystem: Creating the Ocean Pavilion’s biggest habitat

Posted on July 30, 2024August 6, 2024 by Emma Leiser

Famously beautiful and fiercely important, coral reefs are bursting with many different forms of life, making them hubs of biodiversity. With the opening of our Ocean Pavilion expansion, the Seattle Aquarium will say hello to The Reef, a multistory habitat that mirrors an Indo-Pacific coral reef. Its warm waters will house fish, including sharks and rays. This thriving reef ecosystem will also be visible to anyone walking by the Aquarium via the building’s public oculus window.

But what does it take to transform a slice of downtown Seattle into a tropical reef? A lot, it turns out.

Planning it out

With the Ocean Pavilion, Aquarium leaders wanted to create a window into the Coral Triangle, a region of unmatched marine biodiversity in the Indo-Pacific. Guests would experience both the stunning natural beauty of the area and learn more about the connections between the Coral Triangle and our local marine ecosystems—and the challenges both regions face. After the experience, guests would be motivated to take action to regenerate the health of Earth’s one ocean.

Throughout the Aquarium’s years-long planning process, the decision of which animals could live in The Reef and how to design the habitat were intertwined. Over several years the Aquarium’s animal care, engineering, and engagement teams worked alongside the Ocean Pavilion architect (LMN) and habitat designer (Thinc) teams to create environments that support animal wellbeing and facilitate connections between the animals and guests.

That collaborative process resulted in plans for The Reef to include an open swimming area, crevices created by corals and rockwork, and flat, sandy enclaves. Each area provides critical habitats for the different tropical animals that comprise a reef ecosystem. The open swimming area gives animals, including spotted eagle rays and other cartilaginous fish known as elasmobranchs, plenty of room to move freely. The sandy areas give bottom-dwelling elasmobranchs, like Indo-Pacific leopard sharks, a place to rest. And the corals and rocks—including a large rock wall near a central viewing window—provide the kinds of protective spaces that smaller fish naturally seek out.

Populating The Reef

Our teams designed The Reef with the animals in mind. Animal care experts knew the habitat would need to support resident species throughout their lives. And all these different species needed to coexist, so large predator species would not be a good fit. Finally, we focused on getting these animals through sustainable means. All of the elasmobranchs in The Reef came from other zoos and aquariums or were diverted from the commercial fish trade.

Corals presented an animal care concern. Reef-building stony corals need an intense amount of light, which is difficult to simulate and maintain deep in an aquarium habitat. Stony corals also need water with high levels of calcium and other supplements, which is challenging to replicate in a closed environment with other animals. Ultimately, the team chose to include only handmade corals in The Reef, representing about 40 different species. Over 30 species of living corals will occupy other habitats in the Ocean Pavilion where they can safely thrive.

The animal care work for the Ocean Pavilion began over two years ago when the first animals came to the Aquarium’s off-site Animal Care Center. Since then, our aquarists have become very familiar with the needs of these fishes, invertebrates (animals without backbones) and even mangrove trees!

Prepping the habitat

Unlike our habitats at Piers 59 and 60, the Ocean Pavilion has a closed loop system, meaning once water enters the building, it generally stays and recirculates. The water comes in from Elliott Bay and completes a treatment process that includes heating, filtration and disinfection so it can safely mimic the water found in the Coral Triangle. But before animals can safely swim in the water, a different group of organisms needs to set up shop: bacteria!

Two different types of nitrifying bacteria break down ammonia-rich animal waste. The first type transforms ammonia into nitrites. The second turns nitrites into nitrates, which are safer to have around. The Aquarium’s Water Quality team cultivated populations of these bacteria in about a month by creating the ideal conditions for them to reproduce and thrive.

Before animals enter the habitat, the Engineering team thoroughly tests elements of the life support systems, which maintain all habitats and water throughout the building. These tests make sure the temperature regulation, filters, pumps, pipes and more run smoothly. The team always has failsafe redundancies built into habitat systems and backup plans in case of an emergency to ensure animal wellbeing.

Moving in

Habitat? Check. Water? Check. Systems? Check. Time for the animals!

The team starts by carefully planning the transport of each animal to the Animal Care Center so they can quarantine. This is an important time to help the animals settle into their temporary habitats and assess their health status.

When fish are ready to move into The Reef, the team starts by introducing groups of small schooling fishes. These smaller fish need ample time to get to know their new home and find the hiding spots where they feel most comfortable. Then we move on to introducing larger fishes, with the elasmobranchs brought in later in the lineup.

Moving animals into The Reef is an unhurried, carefully monitored process. Each new addition requires a period of observation to make sure the animals are adjusting well. Once the animal care, veterinary, water quality and engineering teams agree that the animals and the habitat are doing well, the next wave of animals can come in.

This highly involved process can take weeks or even months, but it is the best way to ensure animal wellbeing.

Protecting wild coral

The Reef at the Ocean Pavilion may have taken years to come together, but wild coral reefs take even longer. Large reef systems, like barriers and atolls, can take millions of years to fully form.

Reef-building corals—which are animals that live in large groups called colonies—use calcium carbonate to build their stony skeletons. Build rates vary from species to species, but in the Coral Triangle, even the fastest corals add less than an inch per year to their skeletons.

Despite the fact that they take up less than 1% of the seafloor, coral reefs are incredibly important marine ecosystems. They support about 25% of known marine life, providing crucial habitat space and other resources. Humans benefit too because these reefs protect shorelines and provide food, medicine and more. Unfortunately, corals face many threats including climate change, rising ocean temperatures, pollution and unsustainable fishing practices.

When you visit the Ocean Pavilion, you’ll experience the wonder of coral reefs and learn more about how people around the world are working to restore these ecosystems. No matter where you are, from the Coral Triangle to the Salish Sea and beyond, you can join them today.

To reduce your carbon footprint, try walking or taking public transit. You can even pick up litter when you see it on the beach. Keep our waterways clean by limiting fertilizer usage in your greenspaces. Some sunscreens have chemicals that hurt corals. Choose reef-safe formulas to protect yourself and corals! Visit our Act for the ocean page to learn more.

Don’t miss “puffin plumage palooza” at the Seattle Aquarium!

Posted on July 23, 2024July 25, 2024 by Emma Leiser

Ahhh, summer in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Sunshine, blue skies, warming temperatures and…breeding plumage? If you’re a tufted puffin, the answer is yes. These charismatic alcids (or diving birds) are all dressed up for the season—and now is the perfect time to see them!

Birds of a feather sticking together

Tufted puffins are sometimes called “the parrots of the sea” because of their dramatic and colorful change in appearance during their breeding season. Beginning at about age 3, both males and females develop a bright orange bill plate (complemented by vibrant orange legs!), a white “face mask” and—our favorite part—distinctive golden tufts above their eyes, also the source of their common name.

These striking features have an important purpose: helping the tufted puffins find a suitable mate. Once together, they often become a bonded pair and form lifetime partnerships. Females typically produce a single egg, which both parents take turns incubating until the chick hatches about six weeks later.

Amazing all year ‘round

Tufted puffins get more muted—but only in appearance!—with the close of the summer breeding season. Their tufts and bill plates fall off, the white mask is replaced with black feathers and their legs return to their typical grayish/brownish color. They’re still absolutely fascinating to watch as they, like all alcids, appear to “fly” underwater while diving for their next meal of small schooling prey such as herring, krill and shrimp.

If hunting solely for themselves, they’ll gulp the food down while still under the surface. But if they’ve been successful during the breeding season and have a chick to feed, they can carry between five and 20 fish back to the nest, held crosswise in their bills!

"Puffin plumage palooza" is waiting for you!

Here at the Seattle Aquarium, we have five tufted puffins in our care. If you’d like to see them in all their colorful glory, now is the time—they typically begin to lose their breeding plumage just as we’re saying goodbye to summer in Seattle, late August or early September.

Plan a visit today to meet the tufted puffins, learn more about them and explore our habitats to find other new favorite marine animals!

Quiz: Who’s your tropical reef alter ego?

Posted on July 17, 2024July 19, 2024 by Emma Leiser

To celebrate the Ocean Pavilion’s August 29 opening, we created a fun quiz. Meet some of the amazing species that will call the Ocean Pavilion home, and discover which is most like you!

The ripple effect: Former youth volunteers make conservation a career, part 2

Posted on July 3, 2024September 25, 2024 by Emma Leiser

In our recent web story, we highlighted a number of former Youth Ocean Advocates, or YOAs—folks who participated in our teen volunteer program and then went on to a variety of ocean-related careers. Today, we’re happy to share several more.

These are just a few examples of the many young marine enthusiasts (over 2,500 since the program launched in 1994!) who learned and grew at the Seattle Aquarium—and then, in a wonderful ripple effect, went on to make a difference for the marine environment in their jobs and communities. We hope you enjoy reading their stories.

“The Seattle Aquarium shaped my journey and helped me see the tremendous impact of science education in informal settings.”

—Bethany Shimasaki, YOA 2012–2015

Imagine spending your days on the water, helping people discover the wonders of the ocean and the animals that live there. That’s what Bethany does: She works in ecotourism in Washington and Hawai‘i, specifically for small businesses that follow whale-watching guidelines. She shares knowledge with tour guests and, by taking photos of the whales she sees, she’s able to contribute data to researchers.

“I’ve been inspired by humpback whales since I was little,” she says. “I grew up in the San Juan Islands and spent a lot of my childhood on a boat.” Her curiosity and love for humpbacks only grew with time; in high school, she worked as a deckhand for a local whale-watching tour.

“Attending a career fair at the Seattle Aquarium helped me realize that people can do this for a living,” she comments. “I was shy and didn’t see my potential, but becoming a YOA helped me realize that I could talk to people.” She continues, “Education is key to changing policy. And if I can give people a connection to humpbacks, they’ll start caring and acting to protect them.”

“It defined my high school years and gave me a community that I’ll forever belong to. I became a part of the Seattle Aquarium and never left.”

—Trinity Conn, YOA 2012–2015

The first time Trinity walked through the Aquarium’s Pacific Coral Reef habitat, she was captivated. “The corals blew my mind,” she says. “They looked so weird that I just had to know more.” By then, Trinity already knew she wanted to be a scientist. “I loved animals, marine life, the ocean and being outdoors right from the start,” she comments.

Trinity joined the YOA program in high school because she wanted to learn more about careers in marine conservation and see how she felt working in that world. Her years of volunteer service only fueled her interest in coral. “It felt like an unexplored world with so much to learn,” she explains.

That curiosity is still driving her. Trinity recently earned her Ph.D. from Penn State University, where she studied coral genomics and conservation. She is now continuing that work as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Shedd Aquarium.

“Being a YOA was the spark that ignited my lifelong passion for conservation and driving larger social change—it provided a platform for me to learn, grow and hone my advocacy skills.”

—Derek Baker, YOA 1995–1997

Sometimes former YOAs make their way back to the Aquarium—like Derek Baker, our senior director of strategic initiatives and government affairs. After graduating from Western Washington University with a double major in political science and communication, he held numerous roles in government and the private sector related to public policy, community organizing and communications. When the opportunity arose to join our staff in 2018, he jumped at it.

“I’ve always had a passion for our marine environment and effecting change,” he notes. “I was excited to take the skills I learned around public policy, community organizing and the power of connecting with people through storytelling, and apply them to ocean conservation at the Aquarium.”

Derek continues, “The challenges facing our ocean and planet can appear daunting, but educating and bringing government stakeholders to the table can make large-scale change possible for our communities. Just like our ocean, government and its policies touch us all—and bringing policymakers to the table will ultimately lead to a healthier future for everyone.”

“Meeting and working with Seattle Aquarium staff members made me realize I could make my love of the ocean my job.”

—Hyejoo Ro, YOA 2012–2015

Hyejoo grew up in the Pacific Northwest where, she says, “I was always interested in the marine environment, always outside and surrounded by nature—which really helped foster my empathy for animals.” Field trips to the Aquarium, the University of Washington and various labs opened her eyes to the idea that her love of animals and nature could become more than just a hobby.

Hyejoo brought her love for the ocean to college, where she’s currently in graduate school at the University of California–Merced. Her research is focused on understanding the dietary patterns of predators with stable isotopes, which are a tool that traces and reflects diet and habitat. She’s studied how shark or grey wolf diets differ according to different life history traits, like age and sex or where they live. Her work is centered on whether these predators are considered to be keystone species and their impact on other populations.

She’s not stopping there. In the future, Hyejoo would like to continue her research with stable isotopes because, she says, “They are a tool that can shed light on complex ecological interactions between species in any system—marine, terrestrial, estuaries, rivers, lakes and more.”

“My time at the Aquarium helped me break out of my shell. I was super shy and it helped me grow.”

—Liz Allyn, YOA 2014–2015

As a marine mammal technician for Makah Fisheries, Liz has found a sweet spot in the space where policy and research meet. She’s focused on evaluating strategies to restore local salmon, including studying seal and sea lion populations in Puget Sound. In what she describes as “a little of everything,” her role involves both fieldwork and data analysis.

“My childhood was centered around the ocean,” Liz says. She spent weekends on the beach at Golden Gardens and visited the coasts of Oregon and Maine. “I wanted to be either a marine biologist or a human rights lawyer—and, as it’s turned out, my career is kind of an intersection of those things,” she explains.

Participating in what was then called our Citizen Science program through her high school marine biology class in 2012, Liz researched sea stars. “That’s when it hit me: people do this for work,” she says. She soon joined the YOA program, one of the many steps that helped lead her to where she is today. Going forward, she aims to finish her Master of Science in fisheries at the University of Washington and continue working at the intersection of marine ecology and treaty resource management.

Be part of the next generation of Youth Ocean Advocates

With the opening of the Ocean Pavilion this year, the YOA program’s capacity will grow even further. Offering school-year and summer sessions, it’s open to young people enrolled in grades 9–12 in a high school, Running Start, GED or homeschool program at the time of application. Interested in becoming a YOA—or know someone who might be? You’ll find details on our Youth Ocean Advocates webpage.