Emma Leiser, Author at Seattle Aquarium

Watch our care team welcome a critically endangered bowmouth guitarfish in need of a safe home

Posted on February 26, 2024February 23, 2024 by Emma Leiser

It’s difficult to describe a bowmouth guitarfish. It’s even harder to see one in the wild.

The bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostomus) has been in its current form for millions of years—and it shows. These prehistoric-looking, blueish-grey fish appear to be part ray, part shark and even part dinosaur. They sport gills on their undersides, a telltale sign that they are, in fact, rays.

Elusive and endangered

Though they live close to shore, sightings are rare. The bowmouth guitarfish is classified as “Critically Endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species®, meaning they have an extremely high risk of extinction.

Earlier this year, the Seattle Aquarium had an unexpected opportunity to provide a safe home to a bowmouth guitarfish pup. And next summer, visitors to the Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion will have the chance to be part of her surprising story.

And then there were nine!

The pup’s mother was caught in a commercial fishing set net off the east coast of Taiwan. What happened next surprised everyone: while in a holding pool at the fishing center, the mother gave birth to nine live pups.

Our conservation partner in Taiwan, Fred Fan of Fred Fan Aquatics, quickly diverted the animals to a safe place. He then contacted the Seattle Aquarium to work on finding them a long-term home. There are no marine-protected areas where the mother was caught, and fishing for bowmouth guitarfish is legal throughout many regions of Asia. As a result, releasing the mother and pups would have put them at risk of getting caught in another net.

Pups provide hope

The existence of nine bowmouth guitarfish pups in one place felt both miraculous and daunting.

Fan and the Seattle Aquarium contacted additional conservation partners in the region and North America, knowing that accredited aquariums have animal care and species recovery expertise.

Late one night in January 2023, the pups—donated by Fan—arrived from Taiwan to the Seattle Aquarium’s offsite Animal Care Center. There, eight pups would quarantine and receive care for several weeks before moving to teams at the Georgia Aquarium, Shedd Aquarium and Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment. And one female pup would remain in Seattle.

No time to waste

Globally, around 400 species of elasmobranchs—sharks and rays—are threatened, largely due to overfishing. In fact, an estimated 100 million individual sharks are killed by people every year. Fishing records for bowmouth guitarfish suggest we’ve lost more than 80 percent of the species in recent years.

Meanwhile, accredited aquariums have been caring for bowmouth guitarfish since 2005. In 2014, a bowmouth guitarfish pup was born in an aquarium for the first time.

We’re still learning about these solitary, elusive fish. We know that they live in relatively shallow, coastal waters, where they stay close to sandy bottoms. They like to crunch on the crustaceans and mollusks they find on the ocean floor. (The bowmouth guitarfish who will live at the Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion eats restaurant-quality, sustainably sourced lobster, shrimp and bony fish.)

Though bowmouth guitarfish are rare, they are also wide-ranging. They’re found in coastal areas throughout the Indo-West Pacific, including from South Africa north to the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, north to Japan and south to Australia. This range provides the chance for many communities and people to be part of the effort to restore their numbers.

Sharing knowledge is key

In November 2023, Fred Fan, aquariums from across the world, academic partners and conservation leaders met at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago to discuss the role aquariums can play in preventing bowmouth guitarfish from going extinct, as well as the structure and development of programs to aid in their recovery.

Restoring wild populations requires trust, partnership, expertise, genetic diversity of the species and time—the least available resource a critically endangered species has. Even so, there’s hope and a highly committed team of marine scientists, researchers and care experts working on these plans.

Beginning next summer, when you visit the Ocean Pavilion, you’ll meet the bowmouth guitarfish in our care and learn how you can join efforts to advocate for the survival of this ancient, fascinating species.

“Like human nurses—but in the veterinary field:” All about vet techs at the Seattle Aquarium

Posted on February 23, 2024April 11, 2024 by Emma Leiser

This story is part of our series, The Doctor Is In—highlighting our veterinary team’s expertise in service of animal wellbeing.

Veterinary technicians—or vet techs—are an integral part of the veterinary care team here at the Seattle Aquarium. But what does it mean to be a vet tech, and what kinds of education and experience are needed to work as a vet tech in an aquarium setting? Lindy McMorran, BS LVT Cert AqVN /T, and Erika Russ Paz, BS LVT, recently sat down with us to share some details.

First things first: What's a veterinary technician?

“It’s like a human nurse—but in the veterinary field,” explains Lindy. Similar to a nurse in a clinic or hospital, Lindy and Erika might spend a typical day at the Aquarium running anesthesia during a procedure, dispensing medications, taking x-rays, maintaining supplies and equipment for the Aquarium’s Veterinary Care Center and scheduling exams. They may also be found working with animal care staff to train behaviors that help with animal care, such as the ability to give an injection or take a blood sample with an animal’s cooperation.

Both women have Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees—Lindy’s in marine biology; Erika’s in marine science with a minor in biology—and licensed veterinary technician (LVT) credentials. Earning the credential requires about two years of full-time studies, followed by a national exam and state test. (Details, including alternative criteria, can be found on the Washington State Department of Health website.)

Most vet techs go on to work at the kind of veterinary clinic where you might take a pet dog or cat, so the curriculum focuses on their care. Although much of the core training applies to animals of all kinds, “there was no training that was specific to aquatic animals,” notes Lindy.

For vet techs in aquarium settings, that’s where hands-on experience, internships and/or additional courses—not to mention a passion for the marine environment—come in.

Says Erika, describing highlights of the path that brought to her to the Aquarium, “I worked as an educator and marine science camp counselor at an aquarium during college. I also interned at an aquarium and as a wildlife rehabilitator. And, after graduation, I spent time as an observer in Alaska, collecting data to help manage our fisheries. I worked with PAWS, caring for a wide variety of species from the Pacific Northwest, as well. ”

That’s in addition to seven years in a general veterinary practice before joining our team early this year. “A background in marine science and biology, along with a passion for the ocean and care of animals, ultimately led me to the Aquarium,” Erika comments.

Specialties: Not just for human nurses

“Human nurses can have specialties, like oncology or pediatrics. Veterinarians can have those same kinds of specialties,” Lindy says. “But for vet techs, specialties are less common.”

Like Erika, Lindy augmented her schooling by working with marine animals—for example, as a volunteer for SR3, a local organization focused on marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, and here at the Seattle Aquarium. She’s been focused on aquatic animals since 2007: as an intern, a lab assistant, an instructor and more.

Through her years of specific experience with aquatic animals, Lindy recently earned a new credential, Certified Aquatic Veterinary Technician, from the World Aquarium Veterinary Medical Association (WAVMA). She’s just the second person in the continental United States to achieve the certification, which became available from WAVMA at the beginning of 2023, joining select others from around the world.

Put simply, the new credential recognizes Lindy’s expertise with marine animals. “It’s one of the only ways a vet tech in the aquarium field can prove their experience,” she notes. “For instance, there is no board certification specialty for vet techs in aquatic medicine, but there is one for zoos.”

Broad experience + passion = a well-rounded, expert team

“Growing our veterinary team and seeking people with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise helps ensure that each animal receives the individual care they need, which benefits their wellbeing,” comments Lindy.

That adaptability, always important, is even more so as the Aquarium expands with the opening of the new Ocean Pavilion this summer. Interested in learning more about veterinary care at the Seattle Aquarium? Check out our web story devoted to the full team.

The doctors (and techs) are in: Getting to know the Seattle Aquarium’s veterinary care team

Posted on February 20, 2024April 11, 2024 by Emma Leiser

This story is part of our series, The Doctor Is In—highlighting our veterinary team’s expertise in service of animal wellbeing.

Providing medical care for the animals at the Seattle Aquarium—soon to be nearly 18,000 with the opening of the Ocean Pavilion!—is far from a one-person endeavor. Working to provide excellent animal health and wellbeing requires skill and expertise from a well-rounded veterinary team, one that is required to be available any time of the day or night, every day of the year.

The Seattle Aquarium’s veterinary care team is currently composed of six people:

Two full-time veterinarians—Our director of animal health and team leader, Dr. Caitlin Hadfield, MA VetMB MRCVS DiplAZCM DiplECZM and Dr. Sasha Troiano, DVM MS CertAqV;
Two relief veterinarians, who are available to step in when our staff veterinarians are unavailable and/or extra support is needed—Dr. Brian Joseph, DVM MFAS CertAqV and Dr. Alicia McLaughlin, DVM CertAqV; and
Two veterinary technicians*—Lindy McMorran, BS LVT Cert AqVN/T and Erika Russ Paz, BS LVT.

*Not sure what a veterinary technician is? Be on the lookout for our upcoming web story, in which we’ll introduce you to Lindy and Erika and share some highlights of what they do—as well as details about a prestigious new credential that Lindy recently earned!

Initials = hard-earned credentials

Did you happen to take in the initials following our vet team’s names? They’re credentials—each one representing extensive education and certification.

For instance, staff vet Dr. Sasha Troiano and relief vets Dr. Brian Joseph and Alicia McLaughlin have doctorates of veterinary medicine, or DVMs. The three also have certified aquatic veterinarian (CertAqV) credentials from the World Aquatic Veterinary Medicine Association (WAVMA), indicating their extensive experience working with aquatic animals. In addition, Dr. Troiano has a Master of Science (MS) degree; Dr. Joseph has a Masters of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (MFAS) degree.

Lindy McMorran and Erika Russ Paz have Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees—marine biology for Lindy; marine science with a minor in biology for Erika—and licensed veterinary technician (LVT) credentials. In addition, Lindy recently received a certified aquatic veterinary nurse/technician (CertAqVN/T) credential from WAVMA—more on that in our upcoming web story!

As for Dr. Hadfield’s credentials, we’ll let her explain them in her own words:

MA: “I did a bachelor’s degree in zoology that included a master’s.”
VetMB: “Then I did my vet degree, which goes by those initials at University of Cambridge —the initials vary a bit by school.”
MRCVS: “That means I’m in good standing as a member of the United Kingdom’s Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. It’s an odd requirement from England!”
DiplACZM: “These letters are for board certification. This was my first one, with the American College of Zoological Medicine—that’s what the ‘ACZM’ is for. Qualifying to take the exam requires years of clinical experience and publications. That’s followed by a challenging exam—in my case, I specialized in aquatics for my second day of exams, while day one had everything from red-eyed tree frogs to rhinos.”
DiplECZM: “I was also able to get certified with the European College of Zoological Medicine—the ‘ECZM’ in the title—and become a ‘diplomate’ of that group.”

Benefitting animal wellbeing beyond the Aquarium's walls

Members of the Aquarium’s veterinary, water quality and animal care teams share their expertise with the larger community in many ways—for instance, serving in leadership roles with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (a nonprofit, independent organization that accredits zoos and aquariums, including the Seattle Aquarium, worldwide); helping to rescue and rehabilitate stranded animals; participating in research on wild populations; making presentations; collaborating on and authoring papers and articles—and even co-authoring an entire textbook on fish medicine.

That’s right: On top of her regular duties, Dr. Caitlin Hadfield found time to co-author the 624-page Clinical Guide to Fish Medicine. Written for vets, vet techs, biologists and fish enthusiasts, it’s now required reading for zoological board exams.

What kind of exams are those? “Just like your dentist and knee surgeon have done additional exams to confirm their specialization, there are boards for vets who specialize in zoological medicine or specific types of animals,” Dr. Hadfield explains. “Boards require a lot of extra studying and difficult exams. It’s great to be on the required reading list because it ensures a steady stream of readers! But more importantly, it helps set high standards for health care of fish.”

The book was the first of its kind. “There are textbooks that provide practical information on clinical medicine of domestic species—like dogs and cats—that vets can refer to through the day while at work, but that resource just didn’t exist for fish,” notes Dr. Hadfield. “There are good textbooks on fish, but they are focused on specific aspects of fish medicine or particular diseases and aren’t as useful in a busy clinical setting. So we submitted a proposal to the publisher and they accepted.”

A true team effort

For any team to be successful, each member must bring something different and valuable to the table—and that’s definitely the case at the Seattle Aquarium. “I’m really proud of the team’s diverse skills and how we work together and learn from each other,” comments Dr. Hadfield. “We provide care whenever it’s needed: any time of day or night, any day of the year,” she adds, “so we need a team that can be one voice for animal care and wellbeing, and support the wellbeing of the staff and volunteers we work with. That’s a big task given the variety of species in our care.”

And that variety is increasing in a big way with the opening of the Ocean Pavilion this summer. Interested in a behind-the-scenes look at some of the species you’ll find there—and a chance to see Dr. Hadfield and other Seattle Aquarium team members in action? Check out episode six of our Animal Care Stories series. And if you’re curious about what it takes to become an aquarium vet, dive into this great conversation with Dr. Hadfield!

Quiz: Who is your SEAlebrity crush?

Posted on February 13, 2024February 13, 2024 by Emma Leiser

Marine ink-spiration: Tattoos of the Seattle Aquarium, part 2

Posted on January 24, 2024February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

A few weeks ago, we introduced you to some of the many Seattle Aquarium team members who are so passionate about the marine environment that they’ve gotten tattoos representing the animals nearest and dearest to their hearts.

Now we’re back with our second installment—featuring a group of five outstanding individuals who met with us to share their tattoos and the inspiration behind them. We hope you enjoy getting to know these folks and reading the stories behind their ink!

“My tattoo is the scientific name for sea otters: Enhydra lutris. They got me into this field of work that I love, and I wouldn't want to be doing anything else.”

—Kelli Lee (she/her), animal care specialist

“This is going to sound silly but, growing up, I enjoyed watching a show called The OC. In the last season, my favorite character started advocating for southern sea otters, which are found along the California coast.

I grew up in the Bay Area, more inland, so I didn’t have much exposure to marine mammals. When I first saw the show, I didn’t know exactly what a sea otter was. Obviously, I thought they were really cute—and then I started looking into them, how they’re a keystone species and how living so close to civilization has created challenges for them.

I pursued my first internship, at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, because it was with sea otters. I wanted to get experience with them to see if I wanted to work with terrestrial or marine animals.

I loved them right away. But it was working with other species in that section of the zoo, like harbor seals and puffins, that made me really want to stay with this. So l have sea otters to thank for me getting into the aquarium field and specifically focusing on marine animals.

My favorite is training with the animals, especially new behaviors. You have to be thoughtful of what species you’re working with and the individual, because everybody is different, with their own ways and speeds of learning. It’s really cool.

Working with my team is also something that I really enjoy. We help each other through the ups and downs of work and our lives too. It’s great to have support like that at work.”

—Kelli Lee (she/her), animal care specialist
Tattoo by Kendal Tull-Esterbrook at Lilith Tattoo, Instagram @lub.dub.tattoo

“A cuttlefish felt right: I had a job that I enjoyed in an organization that I appreciated during an important transition in my life. It all came together at the same time.”

—Jessica Williams (she/her), philanthropy data entry specialist

“I’ve always loved cephalopods. Anything in that group—I love it if it’s free-flowing and tentacle-y. I think they’re so graceful and magical. Especially cuttlefish. I love how they look like spaceships, the way they hover at a very specific angle. I can’t get enough of them.

I moved to Seattle looking for a clean slate. You may notice that my tattoo has the colors of the transgender flag. I moved here because I’m trans and this is a wonderful place to transition. I have family up here. Everything came together: Seattle was the place for me to go next.

I was floating, not sure what I wanted to do, but I knew the kind of mission I wanted to serve, the kind of place and people I wanted to be around. For me, that’s the Seattle Aquarium. I love my team. It’s such a good group and I’m happy to work with people I’m so frequently in awe of.

I like that the Aquarium is trying to change the conversation around animals that people don’t necessarily have a lot of empathy for. I love the concept of not lower intelligence, but different intelligence—and that we have the opportunity to widen people’s idea of what animal intelligence is.

I also think the Aquarium is elevating the conversation that a lot of people living next to a body of water are having: ‘This is valuable. We need to save it.’ It’s not just us working here who care—there’s a community of people around us who want to see this place succeed and help the marine environment thrive.”

—Jessica Williams (she/her), philanthropy data entry specialist
Tattoo by Grace Peters at Grace Does Tattoos, Instagram @gracedoestattoos

“It reignited that passion in me: ‘Here’s an opportunity where I can actually make a difference and see that difference in the world.’ ”

—Emma Leiser (she/they), web intern

“I got my kelp tattoo because I’ve always felt strongly about our ocean and environment and wanted a little something on my body to represent that. I love that kelp is such a vital part of so many different ecosystems. It’s shelter, it’s food…it’s a beautiful resource for so many different creatures, and I just think that’s super neat.

I was a very science-driven kid. In high school, I took a marine biology class, which was really cool because I was at a small, rural, poor school—we didn’t even have a physics class. But we had an amazing teacher with a degree in marine ecology. She had a full roster but was so passionate that she wanted to teach marine biology too. That was an incredible experience for me as a young kid in inland California, three hours from the coast.

Growing up, we never really went on vacations but we did go tide pooling occasionally, and that was—oh my gosh, so magical. That’s why I love that the Aquarium has programs like the Beach Naturalist program. Just giving kids and families opportunities to explore what’s in their local environment. It’s one thing to read and learn about it, and it’s entirely different to actually experience it and make that connection with your local waters and all the creatures living there.

I saw the opening here at the Aquarium and got so excited because I love the work that’s being done here—and I didn’t even know about half of it yet. I just really desperately wanted to work somewhere that was actually fighting to make a difference.”

—Emma Leiser (she/they), web intern
Tattoo by Callie Little at Good Habits Tattoo, Instagram @goshcallie

“I've always had a passion for marine life, but didn't always have a lot of opportunities to experience it, growing up in Minnesota. Little bits of my history and my love of animals carried me to the point of wanting to get a beluga whale tattoo.”

—Ben Swenson-Klatt (they/them), annual fund officer

“I have a particular affinity for beluga whales, which goes all the way back to my early childhood. My parents would read the book Baby Beluga to me and I had the joy of getting to see them at the Shedd Aquarium when I was young. My parents like to joke that I broke down in tears because I was so excited to see them. I’ve always just loved them so much.

I have a tattoo artist friend and pitched the idea of a beluga whale wearing a hat. My fun story is that I had already booked the appointment when I was in the process of interviewing, and I got the tattoo on the day that the Aquarium offered me the annual fund officer job. It definitely felt like a wonderful coincidence.

I fully believe that there is no action too small to take to protect our environment and, obviously, things like recycling make a big difference. But putting your money where it matters, I think, is a really important thing. Even something small really can make a big difference.

I look at fundraising as a way to organize collective care around things that are important to a community. And, for me particularly, I think that something that’s really inspiring about the Aquarium is that there’s this care in the Seattle community for our environment. We’re blessed to live so close to these incredible natural features. Having an organization that’s on Puget Sound and taking care of it—I think that’s a really important thing for the city to believe in.”

—Ben Swenson-Klatt (they/them), annual fund officer
Tattoo by Gabby Clarke, Instagram @_honeydewd_

“Sunfish are such cool, unique animals. I think it's inspiring that they start as itty-bitty plankton and grow into the heaviest bony fish in the ocean.”

—Kaitlin Brawley (she/her), aquarist

“The reason I get tattoos is mostly to mark new chapters in my life and commemorate things that are important to me. In some cases they celebrate new jobs, places and experiences; others helped me find closure from loss or big life transitions. Whatever the reason, they always end up being very special to me.

The sunfish was one I had wanted for a while. To me, sunfish represent big things growing from small things. And they truly embody the ‘just keep swimming’ mentality, so they’re special to me in that way. I moved around a lot as a kid because my dad was military, so I’ve done a lot of starting small and just swimming until I get things figured out. Bigger things come from that.

I wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until I was 20. So I had a learning disability that impacted my grades and ability to study, to the point where I almost had to drop out of college. Then, after I got diagnosed and figured some things out, I got my life rolling on a better track. I ended up doing an internship with Monterey Bay Aquarium and moved to Hawai‘i to pursue diving and then, finally, the job here.

I think aquariums play an important role in connecting people to nature and getting them to care about it. Being part of that mission is something I really appreciate. Anytime I talk to someone and they say, ‘Oh, we love going to the Seattle Aquarium,’ it makes me happy to be part of that.”

—Kaitlin Brawley (she/her), aquarist
Tattoo by Anthony Bending at Lady Luck Tattoo, Instagram @ladylucktattoohawaii

Read part 1 of our Tattoos of the Seattle Aquarium series!

Interested in joining the people featured in our web story with a job at the Seattle Aquarium? No tattoos required! Visit our careers page to see our latest open roles.

Quiz: Find the Washington bill you otter know about!

Posted on January 12, 2024January 11, 2024 by Emma Leiser

Marine ink-spiration: Tattoos of the Seattle Aquarium, part 1

Posted on January 10, 2024February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

When we say that some Seattle Aquarium team members wear their love for the marine environment on their sleeves, we mean it literally. And it doesn’t stop there! As it turns out, a good number of Aquarium staff members show their love for the ocean and its inhabitants with some pretty incredible tattoos—on sleeves, arms, legs and more.

In fact, when we put out a call for people who would be interested in sharing their tattoos—and the inspiration behind them—in a web story, the response was so strong that a series was clearly in order.

Here we bring you “Tattoos of the Seattle Aquarium, Part 1.” We hope you enjoy getting to know these four folks and discovering the stories behind their ink!

"I’ve always liked the parallel of flowers and sharks: something that's so stereotypically beautiful and something that's portrayed so poorly in media."

—Alijah Benbrook (she/they), youth engagement mentor

“I like to talk about how hippos statistically kill more people than sharks do, and that you’re more likely to get struck by lightning twice in your lifetime than you are to get attacked by a shark. Stats like that can help people think about it in perspective.

The top of my tattoo is an Indo-Pacific leopard shark, which actually fits nicely because that’s the species that the Aquarium is helping to restore. The bottom is a blacktip reef shark, my favorite species of shark and the first larger species I ever saw in real life, when I was 11. And then my favorite flower: white lilies. Whenever I see them, I think of my mom. She had them around the house all the time when I was growing up. She was a single mom, so we’re very close.

I’ve had a fun path with the Aquarium. I was 5 the first time I did marine summer camp. I came every summer until I was too old, then I joined the Youth Ocean Advocates program, became an adult volunteer, worked in the gift shop—and now I’m on staff.

I think doing those youth development programs really shifted my gears because, when I was little, the one obvious pathway for a career in marine science was research. The Aquarium’s youth programs showed me that other paths were possible and brought me out of my shell. It feels very full circle because I wouldn’t be who I am without that type of mentorship—and it feels really good to give that mentorship to other kids.”

—Alijah Benbrook (she/they), youth engagement mentor
Tattoo by Zezi at Finer Things Tattoo, Instagram @zezitattoo

"I love the ocean. It’s so unimaginably huge and powerful, with this sense of peacefulness about it. There's something about it that—it’s funny, it’s the opposite word—is so grounding."

—Mike Strassburger (he/him), senior graphic designer

“When my wife and I travel, the ocean is almost always involved. We went to the Big Island a few years back and I felt extra connected to Hawai‘i and my family there. For the first time, it felt like another home.

I’d been thinking for a long time about a sleeve tattoo and after that trip, it all just kind of came together. My wife and I had been going through really tough times with our youngest kiddo, who we almost lost. So the seed of life symbol inside the sea turtle has a lot of meaning. And the turtle itself was an easy choice because they’re amazing, peaceful, beautiful creatures. A great conduit for me to appreciate life and my roots in Hawai‘i.

If I go snorkeling and see one, it feels extremely personal. You’re underwater, you feel completely alone and there’s a sense of, ‘It’s only me here. I can’t talk to anybody. I don’t see or hear anybody. I’m just in this space…and with me is this turtle.’ You can’t help but feel a super special connection, being in such a private zone and experiencing it with a turtle.

Feeling a sense of connection is a big driver for me. My job at the Aquarium is trying to help make the best possible experience for our guests through graphic design—and even if I’m just creating artwork on a computer, I know it’s connected to something larger. We have a mission and people are furthering it from every level. I like being a contributor to that.”

—Mike Strassburger (he/him), senior graphic designer
Tattoo by Mua Posala at Paka Polynesian Tattoo, Instagram @paka_polynesian

"I think great blue herons are really graceful, very cool birds. They're also kind of awkward and dorky, and I like that too."

—Shelby Kremenich (she/her), government relations coordinator, 2022–2023

“I studied environmental education at Western, up in Bellingham. Some of the lessons I did were about great blue herons and eelgrass, and how important they are in the marine environment. I especially liked learning about herons. There’s a rookery in Bellingham and I visited it a lot. So a heron felt like a natural choice for my first tattoo.

I was quite an activist in college, did a lot of protests. I got involved in the political community through that—especially the environmental political community—and got connected through folks I knew. Someone reached out to me near the end of my college program said, ‘Hey, we need a campaign manager for this person, do you want to do it?’ I did, and it ended up leading me to where I am now.

After I graduated in 2017, I ran campaigns in Whatcom County for three years. I worked on a state senate race where the candidate lost by just 48 votes—seriously. I’ve also worked for Congresswoman DelBene, Governor Jay Inslee and Senator Patty Murray. Politics is fun. It’s very fast-paced.

What I like about my work at the Aquarium is that it’s a fusion of politics—or, rather, government relations—and what I studied and enjoyed in college: environmental education and marine science. I think of the government relations team as a funding force, helping to fund the Aquarium’s conservation work through government resources. We also maintain relationships with elected officials to help make sure the Aquarium can keep growing its impact.”

—Shelby Kremenich (she/her), government relations coordinator, 2022–2023
Tattoo by Dani Wilson at Rabbit and Thorn Tattoo, Instagram @daniwilsonart

"If you talk about abalone, a lot of people will say, ‘Yum, delicious,’ but there's so much more to know."

—Bailey Johnson (she/her), aquarist

“I tell people how important they are for kelp forest health, and that they’re culturally significant to local tribes. That they used to be much more readily available in Puget Sound and now they’re not. And how we’re partnering to try to boost those numbers again.

I fell in love with pinto abalone when I was in college, working in a research lab. I thought they were excited to see me because when you give them kelp, they rear up and it’s the cutest little thing in the entire world. I was like, ‘These are my jam. I love them.’ So I decided to get a tattoo. My dad named him: Bill the ‘Balone, like baloney.

I also volunteered at the Aquarium during that time but it was when I did an internship here that I knew I’d found the thing I wanted to do. I was a temp for a while, got a relief position, then, earlier this year, there was an opening for a non-diving aquarist role. I’m not a diver—I have Type 1 diabetes and it’s hard enough being a diabetic on land. It was my dream job, and here I am.

The coolest part is that every day is different. You’re an aquarist, but you’re also a plumber or a life support technician, or coming up with a new design for a habitat. You have to be creative and artistic. I also like that we have our pinto abalone hatchery at the Animal Care Center now, and every other week I get to take care of them. I feel like I’m doing something important when I come to work, which is a really nice feeling.”

—Bailey Johnson (she/her), aquarist
Tattoo by Slave to the Needle, Instagram @slavetotheneedle

Read part 2 of our Tattoos of the Seattle Aquarium series!

Interested in joining the people featured in our web story with a job at the Seattle Aquarium? No tattoos required! Visit our careers page to see our latest open roles.

Hidden science superheroes: Meet the Seattle Aquarium’s water quality team

Posted on November 21, 2023June 17, 2024 by Emma Leiser

This story is part of our Nerdy Science Series—how we’re using research and technology in service of a healthy ocean.

From basket stars to fur seals, what do all animals at the Seattle Aquarium have in common? They need just the right conditions in their water to flourish. The mission of maintaining the Aquarium’s water quality every minute of every day is undertaken by a small but skilled group of chemists using both new technology and ancient solutions.

Water Quality Manager Hannah Mewhirter says her team is usually the first to notice when there’s a problem with a habitat’s water. That’s mainly because many water quality issues don’t change the water’s appearance.

The team tests 20–40 water samples from the main Aquarium and offsite Animal Care Center each day. They check several physical properties of the water like salinity, pH levels, dissolved oxygen levels and temperature. And they test for nutrients like ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and phosphate. All these parameters need to be balanced for aquatic animals to thrive.

The team also collects daily data, which helps them identify changes and guides their actions. When they notice an imbalance, they work with members of the engineering team and animal care teams to identify what caused the issue and how to amend it.

“It’s a collaborative process,” Hannah says. “We tell the animal care teams what their water quality looks like. They tell us what they need for their animals, and we work together. It’s like creating a customized plan.”

Many species at the Aquarium are from the Puget Sound region. To accommodate them, the Aquarium brings in seawater from Elliott Bay. After a little filtration and supplementation, this water is pumped into our animal habitats. We then filter and return the water back into Puget Sound.

Although seawater looks like an unlimited resource, it’s not. We want to be the best stewards of that seawater because it is the lifeblood of the Seattle Aquarium.

Hannah Mewhirter

Water Quality Manager, Seattle Aquarium

Ocean Pavilion brings changes

The Ocean Pavilion—which opens in 2024 and will feature tropical plants, fish and invertebrates from the Coral Triangle region of the Pacific Ocean—uses a different system. It’s designed to clean and recirculate 96% of the salt water in its habitats, saving both water and energy. Recaptured heat from the warm water will also help heat the building.

“The Seattle Aquarium has embraced a paradigm shift,” Hannah says. “Water quality is far more complex and sensitive in a closed-mode aquarium than in an open-flow aquarium. That will require daily testing and looking at more parameters because we are intentional about reusing the water.”

Innovative technology helps the team stay on top of water quality testing. One tool that Hannah is particularly excited about is the ion chromatograph, which tests nine different chemical properties at once. The tool not only cuts down on the time, energy and chemical reagents needed to conduct those individual tests but also reduces the amount of plastic packaging.

“Ammonia is one of the most sensitive parameters we test,” Hannah says. “We’re never going to miss ammonia testing. If anything, we’re going to add ammonia testing, especially in a fully recirculating water system. But thinking of doing that while adding environmental costs with all that plastic—it just didn’t sit well with me. So, we’re going to pursue a greener method using an ion-selective electrode.”

These sustainable choices also align with the Aquarium’s goal of becoming a zero-waste operating facility by 2025.

Finding solutions

The most powerful tool the team uses to keep water clean is low-tech but no less meticulous: bacteria.

When animals eat food, they convert some of it into energy and the rest into waste products, which contain a lot of nitrogen. In large quantities, nitrogen could create harmful conditions.

Nitrifying bacteria break down the nitrogen-rich waste products and help balance the chemistry in animal habitats. These bacteria create their own waste that other bacteria eat in turn, creating a sustainable cycle. The water quality team monitors the bacterial population to create a biological filtration system that maintains water quality 24/7.

Hannah sees her work as a puzzle with many pieces. Chemistry, creativity and collaboration help Hannah and her team keep the Aquarium’s water in the clear.

“Things are relatively stable from day to day—and we want them to be. But when they’re not, that is a challenge that brings out the joy of problem-solving. I like figuring out what has changed and collaborating on how we need to fix it,” Hannah says.

It’s all connected

Posted on November 16, 2023May 28, 2024 by Emma Leiser

Why is the Seattle Aquarium bringing tropical ecosystems to people in Seattle? After all, the Pacific Northwest, our own backyard, is home to vibrant and diverse marine life.

That’s certainly true. What’s also true is that ocean health is part of a bigger picture. Actions by people in other parts of the world impact our local waters and the animals who live there. And what we do here affects animals and waters far away.

Regenerating a healthy ocean begins with understanding how one ocean connects us all.

In school, many of us learned about five oceans or seven seas. A mind-bending image called the Spilhaus Projection shows us another way of looking at the blue planet. It focuses our gaze on one connected ocean, a place where animals move freely across vast, borderless waters. Can you spot home on this map?

Scientists have identified human-made chemicals and plastic debris in the deepest, most inaccessible parts of the ocean, ferried there by a complex system of currents. What’s more, the carbon we emit into the atmosphere makes the ocean warmer and more acidic everywhere. How we live and the actions of our businesses and governments affect the health of our entire planet.

Marine animals hold cultural and economic importance to people in multiple regions. For example, some “Alaskan wild-caught” salmon spawned in Washington streams (or hatcheries) just a few years earlier. Policies to protect salmon here also protect the livelihoods of people in Alaska. And likewise, how fishing is managed in Alaska affects salmon populations here and local animals that feed on them, including critically endangered southern resident orcas. As climate change drives some animals into unfamiliar waters, new communities will join their network of stewards. Now consider how these ideas apply to an animal with a huge migratory range, like a humpback whale! Some humpback whales can migrate 3,000 miles, from the waters off Alaska to the waters of Hawaiߵi. Imagine all the other ecosystems and communities they touch!

Like the Salish Sea, the Coral Triangle is a place of beauty and biodiversity. Because of the number and variety of species in the Coral Triangle, some people call it the “Amazon rainforest” of the ocean. Sadly, in both the Salish Sea and Coral Triangle, overfishing, pollution, development and climate change are taking a heavy toll. We’re losing iconic animals (like orcas and whale sharks), habitats that serve as fish nurseries (like eelgrass and mangrove forests) and important species that are sensitive to changes in ocean acidity (like oysters and coral reefs). We have much more in common than it might seem.

Shared problems can mean shared solutions—and hope. Did you know that governments in all six Coral Triangle countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands—have established marine protected areas that strictly manage human activities? Similarly, the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary helps animals off the coast of Washington thrive. Bans on lightweight plastic bags, a major contributor to ocean pollution, have flourished in recent years. In addition to states like Washington, countries including Botswana, Haiti, Morocco, New Zealand and dozens of others have banned them. Rewilding initiatives—like ReShark, which was cofounded by the Seattle Aquarium and has 90+ global partners—are breeding and restoring wild populations of threatened species. Young people, including the Seattle Aquarium’s Youth Ocean Advocates, are making their voices heard worldwide. Indigenous communities around the world are playing leading roles in the climate justice movement. Looking for a way into this work? There are many. Find an effort that excites you and get involved.

Make new connections

When the Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion opens in 2024, you’ll be able to explore habitats that reflect the exquisite biodiversity of the Coral Triangle and the precious animals there. You’ll hear stories about leaders who are making a difference in ocean health. And get ready to join them!

Get excited for our Animal Crossing™: New Horizons promotion by taking our new quiz!

Posted on October 20, 2023February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser