Policy Archives - Seattle Aquarium

Kelp, that’s all folks—the 2025 legislative session is over! Here’s our recap.

Posted on May 26, 2025May 30, 2025 by Emma Leiser

This session had a lot of long days, fast-moving advocacy efforts, and even some trips to Olympia. Check out what happened—in the imagined voices of some of our marine friends!

“I’m thrilled to announce that Washington has a new state symbol: me!”

“On April 16, Governor Ferguson signed HB 1631, officially designating bull kelp forests—aka me—as the marine forest of Washington. He also declared April 16, 2025, to be Bull Kelp Day and named one of the Aquarium’s Youth Ocean Advocates, who worked with Puget Sound Restoration Fund to come up with the idea for this bill, Washingtonian for a day!

Thanks to Representative Nance, who I’ve heard was a great ‘kelp’ and champion, this bill is a key step in acknowledging the importance of bull kelp forests and the critical role we play in the health of the Salish Sea.”

—Bull kelp forest

It’s critical to emphasize the importance of bull kelp right now because approximately 80% of bull kelp forests have disappeared, particularly in south and central Puget Sound. Check out our web story to learn more!

“That’s a ‘WRAP’ on plastic!”

“Jellyfish are some of my favorite snacks and let me tell you, if you think cold fries are a bummer, there’s nothing worse than chomping on a plastic bag. Or trying to lay my eggs in sand mixed with tiny pieces of plastic trash.

For the last five years, the ‘turtley’ awesome humans at the Seattle Aquarium have been working with rad environmental champions Representative Berry, Senator Lovelett and other partners to advocate for a bill that would help reduce plastic and other packaging materials. Previous versions of the bill, the WRAP Act and the ReWRAP Act, didn’t make it over the finish line—but the latest one, the Recycling Reform Act (SB 5284), finally passed the legislature!

This bill will ensure curbside recycling services for all Washingtonians—including the 11 jurisdictions currently without—and incentivize producers to use packaging that’s more recyclable, reusable or compostable. This is a big step in reducing plastic pollution so I, my friends and our families can swim, dive and snack safely. Truly time for a shell-ebration!”

—Sea turtle

In addition to sea turtles, hundreds of marine species—including whales, salmon and seals—ingest plastic pellets or become entangled in plastic. The Recycling Reform Act is an important step in reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in the ocean.

“You might’ve heard the phrase, ‘just keep swimming,’ but do you ever think about what you’re swimming in?”

“I sure do. To keep myself and my fellow salmon healthy, it’s important that the waterways we’re swimming, eating and reproducing in are clean and free of pollutants and toxics. And I hate to talk dirty about Washington, but hundreds of sewage spills occur across the state every year. I couldn’t read a spill alert—but even you humans aren’t getting notified, since information isn’t typically available when a spill has occurred.

That’s why I’m sending my best fishes, er, wishes, to the Aquarium’s policy team for helping to pass HB 1670, championed by Rep. Hunt and Sen. Slatter. As a result, there will be a public-facing website so humans can look up information about sewage spills to help improve transparency around human and environmental health. Now can someone teach me how to read?”

—Salmon

Salmon play a critical role in the health and functioning of their ecosystems. Even though their populations are relatively small, they impact the wellbeing of many other species and can serve as an indicator of the overall health of their habitats.

“You probably know that orcas like me breathe air, just like humans, but did you know that air pollution is bad for us, too?”

“And, while most things aren’t as black and white as I am, this issue is. Polluted air can lead to respiratory issues, which can lead to other health conditions. That’s why I’m so excited that the Aquarium has been supporting the CURB Act (HB 1303), which is led by Front & Centered and Rep. Mena. While it didn’t pass this session, we’re going to keep trying!

Unlike my tail, supporting this bill is no ‘fluke.’ This legislation would require environmental justice impact statements to evaluate environmental and public health risks as well as cumulative impacts on overburdened communities. People from such communities typically live about 2.5 years less than others. Some air pollutants are incredibly persistent and aren’t broken down easily, so they can accumulate and persist as they move through the food chain. Yep, you’re right; this is concerning for apex predators like me. That’s why this bill is important to the health of Puget Sound and everyone who depends on clean air—including marine mammals like yours truly!”

—Orca

Along with clean air and water, orcas need plenty of salmon to thrive. Learn more about the threats they face and how you can take action to make a difference on our Helping orcas webpage!

“Just like my sea turtle friends, sometimes I mistake human-made materials for food or natural materials.”

“I’m thrifty and I always have been. Finding different materials to help build my nest is a great way to create a cozy, safe home for my babies. I’m also thrifty when it comes to finding food, often looking for it on the beach as well as in the water. But it can be hard to tell what’s natural and what isn’t.

My feathers are all I need to look and feel good, so I can’t relate to the human need to buy so many clothes. But I do know that fashion waste, particularly fast fashion waste, is a big problem. It’s estimated that 100 billion pieces of clothing are manufactured each year and 35% of the materials in the fashion industry supply chain end up as waste¹, often in oceans and washed up on beaches.

HB 1107, championed by Rep. Mena, didn’t pass but will hopefully be reintroduced next session. It would require manufacturers to be more transparent about the impacts of their clothing—from chemicals in the materials to how unwanted and excess waste is managed.”

—Seabird

Despite their name, oysters aren’t the favorite food of black oystercatchers. They’re more often found eating mussels, chitons and limpets. Learn more on our webpage—then come see this beautiful species in person at the Aquarium!

Thanks to our imaginary marine pals for sharing their thoughts about the 2025 state legislative session. Interested in learning more about the Aquarium’s policy work—and opportunities to raise your voice in support of the marine environment? Visit our Influencing policy webpage.

¹ https://justoneocean.org/portfolio/the-fashion-industrys-impact-on-the-ocean

Quiz: Discover your advocacy style and learn about bills in the 2025 legislative session

Posted on February 25, 2025February 25, 2025 by Emma Leiser

FareWHALE to the 2024 legislative session: Marine critters give us this session’s poli-sea updates

Posted on March 14, 2024March 14, 2024 by Joseph Becker

The short 2024 Washington legislative session has ended. We could tell you about how the Seattle Aquarium worked with our partners on multiple bills to protect the ocean and advance environmental justice. But we’d rather bring you an extra special edition of the post-session report and go live with marine animals who share their “poli-SEA” updates.

What was your favorite bill from this legislative session?

Giant Pacific octopus: Unlike me, this one’s a no-brainer. House Bill 1153, which prohibits commercial octopus farming in Washington waters, passed. And I’m as happy as a clam, as humans say. Like other octopuses (and apparently human teenagers), I like my alone time and need things to keep my brain active, so being in a crowded aquaculture operation would be hard on me. There are no octopus farms in Washington waters currently, and the state legislature took proactive measures to help keep me and my fellow octopuses safe in the future.

Humpback whale: Did you know that scientists have discovered that saving whales like me could help sequester more carbon dioxide? Whales, especially large whales like me, help with the natural carbon cycle. Our high-nutrient feces help algae and other primary producers. And when we die and sink to the bottom, we take stored carbon with us. Yep, that’s right. We whales have been helping to cycle carbon for…well…a long time. That’s why I’m a fan of House Bill 1368, which transitions Washington’s school bus fleet from diesel to zero emissions. The state’s school buses currently generate about 150,000 metric tons of climate pollution. That’s as much weight as me plus 4,200 of my humpback buddies! Reducing emissions from school buses will help kids be more focused and breathe cleaner air.

Can you tell us about any other bills that will help clean up the environment?

Giant Pacific octopus: While I am happy in dark spaces, apparently you humans need to use something called light bulbs for your homes. (Are you afraid of the dark?! Maybe you just need more arms to help you feel your way around…) But the fluorescent thingamabobs you humans use contain mercury, which is incredibly toxic. I’m thrilled that House Bill 1185 was passed to deal with that problem. Since 2009, Washington has had a product stewardship program for the safe disposal of mercury-containing light bulbs called LightRecycle. This bill extends LightRecycle and bans light bulbs that have mercury. It will protect Washingtonians, the environment, and me and my fellow ocean-dwellers.

Any disappointing results from the legislative session?

Sea otter: You might know that we sea otters spend a lot of time cleaning our fur so it keeps us warm, and pollutants like oil make that harder for us. But did you know other pollutants can hurt us internally? PFAS are very long-lasting chemicals that could make me or my pups sick. And they have been linked to harmful health impacts on humans as well. Not to mention they can be toxic to my prey, making it dangerous to feed my family our favorite invertebrates, like mussels and crabs. Senate Bill 6163, addressing PFAS in biosolids, would have helped prevent these toxins from contaminating the waters we call home. If it had passed, it would have established a system to monitor the presence of PFAS in municipal sewage waste produced at wastewater treatment facilities. These biosolids are often spread on farms or in forests, and the runoff can contaminate the environment, including the streams where salmon swim and ocean waters where I hunt and forage. Making sure biosolids have lower levels of toxic chemicals is very important. This bill “otter” pass next year!

Would you like to highlight anything else the Seattle Aquarium is still working on?

Sea turtle: When I’m hungry, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between my food and plastic litter! Plastic bags look a lot like jellyfish. Then there’s all the plastic on the beaches where I lay my eggs. Yuck! So, I’m pleased that the Seattle Aquarium and its partners in the Plastic Free Washington Coalition are going to keep working to pass the ReWRAP Act (House Bill 2049). While the bill ran out of time in this short session, my friends on the Aquarium policy team and their partners are in a “turtle-y” great place for the next session. Together, they’ll make sure Washington can upgrade recycling services through a producer responsibility program for packaging. They’re working toward reducing waste and my—and my fellow sea turtles’—chances of eating plastic. This bill will also address climate change by incentivizing companies to switch to more sustainable packaging alternatives, including reusable options. That’ll help reduce plastic production in the first place. Plastic is made from fossil fuels, and the production process results in a lot of nasty pollutants that no one—human or turtle—wants. I’m confident the ReWRAP Act will pass next year and look forward to shell-ebrating!

Salmon: The Seattle Aquarium also supported efforts to pass a bill that would allow local elections to take place in even-numbered years (House Bill 1932). Like our salmon journey upstream, where we face great obstacles, there are often barriers for voters too. Voter turnout has been proven to be higher in even years, when national elections take place. Allowing local elections in those years would help ensure they reflect the diversity of the broader population. Plus, national and local elections are both important to elect people who will help pass laws that will better protect the marine environment. I vote for HB 1932 to be put on the legislature’s priority list for next year!

Any last words or requests for your fans here on land?

Salmon: People who care about climate change, pollution and the recovery of animals like me should make sure they are registered to vote before the next election! I encourage everyone to swim on over to votefortheocean.org to check your status, register if needed and find other helpful resources.

Humpback whale: If you’d like to find other ways to support the Seattle Aquarium’s policy work and be an advocate for ocean animals like us, head over to the Act for the Ocean page!

Youth Ocean Advocates in action: ReWRAP in Olympia

Posted on February 5, 2024February 22, 2024 by Joseph Becker

On January 15, our Youth Ocean Advocates (YOA) traveled to Olympia to show their support for the ReWRAP Act by participating in a constituent lobby day. The Seattle Aquarium collaborated with our Plastic Free Washington Coalition partners to gather nearly 100 Washingtonians to discuss with legislators how this bill will reduce waste and marine plastic pollution by transforming our state’s recycling system.

The ReWRAP Act (HB 2049/SB 6005), sponsored by Rep. Liz Berry and Sen. Liz Lovelett, will comprehensively increase recycling rates, incentivize more sustainable packaging design and ensure that all Washingtonians have access to free curbside recycling. Packaging producers will be financially responsible for the end-of-life costs of their packaging, a policy that other states like Maine, Colorado, Oregon and California have already passed.

Having learned about the intricacies of the bill to prepare to speak with legislators, Ellen, a 17-year-old from West Seattle, believes the bill will “revolutionize recycling in Washington.” For her, “It seems like it will kind of restore hope in the whole initiative of recycling and ideally shift the burden of protecting the environment more to the corporations who are responsible for manufacturing those materials in the first place.”

The lobby day volunteers organized over 70 meetings with state senators and representatives to encourage support for the ReWRAP Act. Together, 16 YOAs attended 12 meetings! Samuel, a 16-year-old from Redmond, found it “really empowering to be able to interact with the people who are helping put this legislation forward within our state and therefore be part of that process as well.”

In meetings with their legislators, YOAs spoke about their personal reasons for wanting ReWRAP to pass. Ellen went to Olympia to share with her legislators that she is “really passionate about ocean conservation and advocacy,” to contextualize how important this bill is to her. In her meetings, Cristina, a 17-year-old from Auburn, spoke about how this bill will make sure everyone has access to recycling services. She said, “A lot of the times in environmental policy, the focus can be put on the consumers when so much of pollution is coming from large corporations, so this really is taking pressure off the consumer or small businesses.”

Though meeting with a representative can seem intimidating, Annabelle, a junior who attends a high school in Seattle, found that “legislators want to hear from you.” She wanted to encourage others to “just be confident in yourself and use your power as a Washington resident.”

After marching across the Washington State Capitol Campus in nearly freezing temperatures, our YOAs and other lobby day participants got to hear from Rep. Berry, an environmental champion who has worked closely with many stakeholders, including the Aquarium, to advance this bill in the House. Representative Berry underscored the importance of youth engagement in policy. Lac, age 15, came away from the day feeling that “what you do does matter in terms of ocean pollution and (young people) are the future of our society.”

The YOAs also attended a House Education Committee hearing, where they got to listen to other young advocates testify on bills related to middle and high school curricula. Claire, a high school senior from Seattle, found it inspiring to hear other kids testify in that hearing “getting to see younger generations involved in this sort of thing is really important and just very exciting to see.”

The YOAs also met with Washington State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti and had a chance to check out the state vault. Sonia, a 17-year-old from Seattle, learned that “there are many different ways to become involved in politics, whether that’s being a treasurer or being a legislator or attending hearings…there are different ways to advocate your message.”

During the Lobby Day lunch speaker series, Athena Burk Bravo, a former Seattle Aquarium YOA, exemplified the different ways young people can reduce plastic pollution. Athena spoke to all the lobby day participants about her work founding a nonprofit called Trash Talk, which educates King County residents about the impact of recycling and pollution.

At the end of the day, Nikki, a 16-year-old YOA from Sammamish, said, “It was just so inspiring being in a big group of people, all really passionate about the same cause. And that really gets me excited to maybe attend more events like this and keep looking into what goes on with the ReWRAP Act.”

Recruitment for the new cohort of Seattle Aquarium Youth Ocean Advocates begins with orientation sessions in March. If you or a high schooler you know wants to participate in advocacy opportunities like this, you can go to the YOA webpage for more information. In the meantime, check out the rest of our 2024 State Legislative Priorities and stay up to date on the ReWRAP Act and other action opportunities by signing up for our policy action alerts!

Quiz: Find the Washington bill you otter know about!

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

Protecting ocean health: Report from the 2023 state legislative session

Posted on April 28, 2023February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

The Seattle Aquarium spent the 2023 state legislative session working hard to advance science-based policies to protect our marine environment. We’ve been signing in “pro” on key environmental bills, delivering testimony, sharing opportunities to take action with the Washington community and collaborating with legislators and partners across the state—and many of you joined us in speaking up! Please enjoy as we look back at highlights from this session and share a preview of future efforts.

Session highlights

Reducing plastic pollution

We worked closely with our partners in the Plastic Free Washington coalition on HB 1085, which will make tangible reductions in three sources of unnecessary plastic waste—single-use water bottles, mini hotel toiletries and plastic foam-filled docks and floats. The bill:

Requires that new buildings with water fountains also contain bottle-filling stations (making it easier to use reusable water bottles!).
Phases out small plastic containers, wrappers and packaging for personal care products in hotels and other lodging establishments.
Bans soft, film-wrapped polystyrene foam dock floats to reduce pollution in the environment.

Protecting salmon and nearshore habitat

With the passage of SB 5104, the Washington Department of Ecology will conduct a survey of marine shorelines on a regular two-year cycle using new technology to capture geo-referenced oblique aerial and 360-degree, on-the-water imagery. The information collected during these surveys will fill data gaps about marine shoreline conditions to enable strategic, targeted recovery actions to benefit salmon, orcas and the marine food web. We worked closely with partners and testified in support of this bill.

We’re grateful to the state legislature for including $14 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.

Recovering southern resident orcas

We were part of the group of NGOs leading efforts to pass SB 5371, which will implement the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife’s (WDFW’s) recommendation to create a 1,000-yard buffer from small vessels around the critically endangered southern resident orcas to help them forage more successfully and feed their young. The requirement takes effect in 2025, but you can help protect endangered orcas today by taking the voluntary pledge to keep 1,000 yards away from the southern residents at givethemspace.org.

We’re also celebrating that the operating budget includes ongoing funding for the Quiet Sound program, which will help reduce underwater noise and other impacts from large commercial vessels on endangered southern resident orcas.

Restoring biodiversity

We’re grateful to the state legislature for including $23 million in funding this biennium for WDFW’s Recovering Washington’s Biodiversity project. Senior Ocean Policy Manager Nora Nickum advocated for this funding with partners at a lobby day in Olympia. In meetings with senators and representatives, Nora highlighted pinto abalone recovery as one of the priorities that would be supported by this funding.

Advancing climate action

The Seattle Aquarium supported bills to address climate change, including HB 1181, which requires local governments to incorporate climate resilience into comprehensive plans. We’re also taking action in our own operations under our regenerative plan.

Cultural access

After three long years, cultural access legislation finally passed in Olympia. We supported and advocated for HB 1575, which would provide local governments with additional tools to support cultural access programs—many of which were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill allows cities or counties to implement a cultural access program by a public vote of the people or a vote from the majority of their city or county councils.

This new bill will help the Seattle Aquarium expand on the work we do already with our Connections program and help enhance our public partnerships and education programs to help broaden our reach within communities throughout the state.

Capital budget request

We are thrilled to have received $3 million in the capital budget for the Ocean Pavilion. This expansion of the Seattle Aquarium, located in the heart of Seattle’s new waterfront park, will provide a pedestrian connection to Pike Place Market, revitalize our neighborhood and place conservation at the center of our city. The Ocean Pavilion is scheduled to open in June 2024.

The road ahead

While we were able to make strides on several ocean health priorities, there’s still work to do. The Seattle Aquarium will continue to work with our partners toward producer-responsibility legislation for packaging (like this year’s WRAP Act).

In the next legislative session, we’ll also continue working to pass measures to report embodied carbon emissions in infrastructure projects (Buy Clean and Buy Fair) and to enable small businesses to repair electronics, which will help limit the need for new materials that may be sourced through harmful practices like seabed mining (Fair Repair Act).

In the meantime, we’ll continue to advocate for national policy priorities—including reducing plastic pollution and waste, and recovering biodiversity. Visit our Policy and Act for the Ocean webpages for the latest news and action opportunities.

Thank you!

Thank you to Rep. Berry, Rep. Lekanoff, Sen. Lovelett, Rep. Mena, Sen. Rolfes and Sen. Salomon for their leadership on these important pieces of legislation.

We also 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.

Two new policies to reduce packaging waste and plastic pollution

Posted on February 17, 2023February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

The Seattle Aquarium has been working to reduce sources of plastic pollution in the environment—in 2020 we helped pass the Reusable Bag Bill to eliminate thin, single-use plastic bags in Washington state and in 2021 we worked with our partners to ban certain expanded polystyrene foam products like recreational coolers and packing peanuts.

This year, two of our top priorities for the 2023 Washington state legislative session aim to address the problems of recycling and packaging waste (SB 5154/HB 1131) and plastic pollution (HB 1085).

Modernizing and transforming our recycling system

The Washington Recycling and Packaging (WRAP) Act (SB 5154/HB 1131) will establish a producer responsibility program which will reduce unnecessary packaging and paper, fund statewide recycling services, and ensure that materials are actually recycled. Under producer responsibility, companies that make packaging are responsible for the costs, environmental impacts and end-of-life of their products, so the burden doesn’t fall on the end-customer or local government. It’s a proven, successful approach to increase package recycling and the norm in Canada and much of the European Union.

In 2021, Maine and Oregon became the first U.S. states to pass packaging producer responsibility legislation, and Colorado and California joined in 2022. Now, Washington has an opportunity to join them.

Walking the talk in our gift shop

The Seattle Aquarium’s gift shop, operated by our partner Event Network, has been working to reduce the hard-to-recycle packaging and unnecessary packaging waste they receive by reaching out to their individual vendors to collaborate on more sustainable alternatives. Here are a few examples of packaging switches that our gift shop has made so far:

Eliminating and replacing plastic bags and plastic foam with eco-friendly or reusable alternatives.
Removing plastic windows from cardboard boxes that are then recyclable.
Eliminating “box-within-box” packaging—smaller, lighter-weight packages reduce emissions and pollution associated with transportation.
Requiring items to be shipped between layers of recycled paper sheets instead of individually wrapped in plastic bags.

We’re so glad to have Event Network as a partner and sustainability champion, and we’re excited that they have managed to convince producers to switch more than 70 gift shop items to more sustainable packaging. But they have found this way of making change to be time-consuming and resource-intensive. That’s where the WRAP Act can help! The policies in the WRAP Act will address this problem more efficiently statewide by establishing incentives with graduated fees and requiring packaging producers to meet targets associated with things like reusability and recyclability.

Reducing sources of plastic pollution

HB 1085 will make tangible improvements in reducing plastic pollution by addressing three sources of unnecessary and hard-to-recycle plastic waste: single-use water bottles, mini plastic toiletries and thin-walled or soft-shelled foam-filled floats for docks. Read more about the sustainable alternatives required by this bill in our previous blog post on our 2023 Washington State Legislative Session policy priorities.

Take action!

If you live in Washington, find your WA legislative district and urge your legislators to transform our recycling system by supporting the WRAP Act (SB 5151/HB 1131) and reduce plastic pollution by supporting HB 1085 in the 2023 session.
Choose products with less packaging. Buy used instead of new whenever possible. Buy in bulk rather than singly packaged snacks and other items. Reward corporations that package responsibly.
Check out our Act for the Ocean page for additional ways you can help the ocean and marine wildlife!

Thank you to the Washington state legislators who are fighting ocean plastic!

We thank Sen. Rolfes, Rep. Berry and Rep. Mena for being the lead sponsors of these bills to transform our recycling system and reduce plastic pollution, and we also extend our thanks to all of the co-sponsors.

Join us to support quieter waters for orcas

Posted on February 6, 2023February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

From late October to early January—for the first time—many large ships in Washington waters slowed down for orcas.

How does this help whales? Slower vessels make less noise. When the waters are quieter, endangered Southern Resident orcas have an easier time communicating with each other and echolocating to find and catch scarce salmon. Slow-moving vessels are also less likely to hit a whale, and as a bonus for the climate, the ships’ greenhouse gas emissions decrease.

A promising partnership

The voluntary ship slowdown was made possible by a new program called Quiet Sound—a collaborative effort involving government agencies, the shipping industry, the U.S. military, tribal groups, environmental organizations like the Seattle Aquarium and the scientific community—and modeled after a successful program in British Columbia, Canada. The Washington waters trial encouraged vessel operators to reduce their speed in designated transit areas to targets of 11 or 14.5 knots, depending on vessel type. The result? Twenty nautical miles of a quieter, better protected habitat for orcas and other wildlife.

Quiet Sound’s strong start

Week to week, between 46% and 69% of ships slowed down—a remarkable participation rate for a brand new, voluntary initiative.
The slowdown window overlapped with three-quarters of the days the Southern Residents were in Puget Sound in 2022.

An opportunity to do more

To continue and even expand this work, Quiet Sound needs additional funding from the Washington state legislature. This legislative session, the Seattle Aquarium is supporting a $700,000 two-year request in Olympia to do just that.

But large ships are just one source of underwater noise. This legislative session, we also have an opportunity to reduce noise from smaller recreational boats. Senate Bill 5371/ House Bill 1145 reflects the latest science-based recommendations from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to create a 1,000-yard buffer around the endangered orcas for all small boats (except active commercial fishing and tribal fishing boats and permitted research boats). This simplifies currently complex regulations and reflects the latest science from NOAA, showing that a Southern Resident orca’s chance of catching a salmon is dramatically reduced when boats are moving at any speed within 1.5 km (1,640 yards). The bill also reduces the cost of a commercial whale-watching license, and boaters would not see any changes in what is allowed for viewing other whale species. The Seattle Aquarium supports this legislation, and we hope you will raise your voice with us.

Ready to help orcas?

Contact your Washington state legislators and ask them to support two initiatives to reduce noise impacts on orcas: funding for Quiet Sound and Senate Bill 5371/ House Bill 1145. Call the toll-free legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000 (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.
Observe Be Whale Wise regulations and guidelines, at a minimum, when boating and try to give the endangered orcas even more space. That’ll make it easier for them to forage successfully.
Learn where to watch whales from shore: There are amazing spots around the region!
Report whale sightings so mariners can receive alerts when whales are in the area and take action to avoid them. You can report through Orca Network, the WhaleReport app (on Apple and Android) or the Whale Alert app (on Apple and Android).

For more orca inspiration, check out our short film Stories from the Salish Sea: Eba and the Orcas if you haven’t already! That webpage also has ideas for how you can take action to reduce toxic pollution, which will help increase salmon available for the orcas to eat—vital for their recovery.

Speaking up for ocean health: 2023 priorities in the Washington legislature

Posted on January 13, 2023December 19, 2023 by Emma Leiser

As the Washington state legislative session begins, the Seattle Aquarium is working with partners to advance science-based policies and funding that will protect ocean health. Read on to learn about some of our top priorities for 2023—and how you can take action, too!

Reducing plastic pollution

Waste, including harmful plastics, accumulates in the ocean and on our shorelines, putting marine wildlife at risk. Single-use packaging represents a particularly significant environmental problem—very little of it is recycled. Packaging producers are best placed to change that by switching to readily available alternatives. We are advocating for bills that will incentivize producers to make such changes; modernize and transform our recycling system; and reduce sources of plastic pollution and waste.

The Washington Recycling and Packaging (WRAP) Act (SB 5154/HB 1131) will:

Make producers of packaging and paper products responsible for the full life cycle of their products and incentivize them to redesign packaging to be reusable, compostable or recyclable.
Ensure all Washington residents with garbage collection services also have access to recycling services.
Remove confusion about what is recyclable and what is not, through a harmonized statewide list—and ensure that what we put in our recycling bins will actually be turned into something new.

HB 1085 will:

Require bottle refill stations wherever a drinking fountain is required in all new buildings.
Eliminate small, hard-to-recycle plastic packaging for personal care products (like mini shampoo bottles and soap wrappers) in lodging establishments, in favor of bulk refillable dispensers or non-plastic packaging.
Ban foam-filled floats for docks to reduce a major source of plastic pollution in lakes and marine waters.

We are also supporting a bill called Right to Repair, which would enable small businesses to repair personal electronic devices like cell phones so people can keep using them instead of buying new ones. This will help limit the need for new materials that may be sourced through harmful practices like seabed mining.

Protecting salmon and nearshore habitat

Salmon are keystone species and critical for Washington ecosystems and communities, as well as for the survival of the endangered southern resident orcas. We are supporting several policies and budget items to recover salmon and protect their habitat, including:

Filling data gaps about marine shoreline conditions through regular aerial and on-the-water surveys, which will enable strategic, targeted recovery actions to benefit salmon, orcas and the marine food web (SB 5104).
Increasing investments in salmon habitat restoration, including a $41M state investment in the Duckabush River Estuary Restoration project.

Advancing endangered southern resident orca recovery

This small population of orcas is at risk due to lack of prey, pollution and disturbance from vessels. To help ensure the recovery of this iconic and important species, we are supporting:

Implementing the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife’s (WDFW’s) science-based recommendations to give endangered orcas a 1,000-yard buffer from all small vessels so they can forage more successfully (HB 1145/SB 5371).
Quiet Sound program funding to reduce underwater noise and other impacts from large commercial vessels on endangered southern resident orcas ($350k/year).
Funding for improving oil spill response preparedness in the San Juan Islands and reducing risks to southern resident orcas from oil spills.

Protecting the health and biodiversity of the Salish Sea

We are supporting WDFW’s $47.6M Restoring Washington’s Biodiversity funding package, including $850,000 per biennium to support pinto abalone recovery.

Working with partners and advancing environmental justice

As a member of the Environmental Priorities Coalition (EPC), we also support the other EPC and Partnership Agenda items including investing Climate Commitment Act revenue strategically and equitably and requiring local governments to incorporate climate resilience into comprehensive plans (HB 1181/SB 5203).

Raise your voice!

If you live in Washington state, speak up about your priorities for ocean and environmental health. Call the toll-free legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000 (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.
Share your WA legislative district with us so we can reach out to you about supporting targeted policy actions where your legislator could cast a key vote.
Sign up to receive occasional action alerts on ocean-related policy issues.
Write a letter to the editor to share your view on a bill or budget item that you find particularly important.
Discover additional ways you can help the marine environment by visiting our Act for the Ocean page.

A new series on protecting and preserving Puget Sound for all

Posted on July 21, 2022February 9, 2024 by Emma Leiser

Through a new campaign developed and produced by the nonprofit Sachamama, the Seattle Aquarium is featured alongside other prominent locals engaged in efforts to address threats to the health of Puget Sound—and the impact those threats could have on the vitality of our communities and economy.

Sachamama is a conservation organization grounded in Latinx cultural heritage and working to build support for a clean energy economy for all, and cultivating sustainable attitudes, behaviors and lifestyles. (Sachamama is a word in the Quechua language, which is spoken in the Amazon and South American Andes regions—it means “mother jungle.”) One of their key initiatives involves protecting the health of our ocean and inspiring conservation action and advocacy throughout Latinx communities.

Now we, along with several others, have lent support to Sachamama on a series of editorials focused on the health of Puget Sound and connections to local communities—including the environmental challenges that threaten our ecosystem and the well-being of our region’s residents.

The series showcases five local champions, their connections to the Sound and the environmental benefits the Sound provides for current and future generations. It’s part of a larger effort in support of 30×30, a global initiative to protect and conserve 30% of land and waters, including the ocean, by 2030.

Seattle Aquarium Senior Manager of Ocean Policy Nora Nickum was featured in Sachamama’s first published editorial, devoted to microplastics. The editorial highlighted our research into the prevalence of microplastics in Elliott Bay as well as partnering with the Plastic Free Washington/Washington Sin Plástico Coalition to pass SB 5323 and SB 5022, both of which will reduce plastic pollution in our local waters. Nora also participated as a panelist in Sachamama’s Facebook Live event focused on microplastics in Puget Sound. Seattle Aquarium Empathy Fellow Gabi Esparza was featured in the editorial as well, describing the important role of empathy in marine conservation and the Aquarium’s initiatives to increase access and inclusion throughout the community.

Other champions featured in the series include Candace Penn, climate change ecologist with the Squaxin Island Tribe Natural Resources Department; Luis Navarro, director of workforce development for the Port of Seattle; Ruby Vigo, coordinator for the Duwamish River Community Coalition; and Noe Rivera, an owner of Rivera’s Shellfish. All are working, in various ways, to ensure that Puget Sound can continue to be a source of life and livelihood for our communities and future generations. We thank Sachamama for their leadership on this exciting project—and inviting us to participate in it.