Seattle Aquarium

Today’s the day! The eagle rays are gliding, the mangrove trees are towering, the clownfish are nestling into anemones—and the Seattle Aquarium's Ocean Pavilion expansion is now open. 🐠 At the Ocean Pavilion, you'll come face to face with 3,500 animals and plants, including rays, sharks, schooling fish, mangroves, nearly 30 species of coral and more. The Ocean Pavilion will also use state-of-the-art, 360-degree, digital displays to tell a story about Earth's one ocean. All waters are connected—from our beloved Salish Sea to the Coral Triangle across the Pacific. At the Ocean Pavilion, we’ll explore how our fate and the ocean’s are connected and how, together, we can make a difference for the ocean we all depend on. This expansion of our campus and our mission has been over a decade in the making, and we can't wait to see everyone experience it for the first time. Prepare to dive in: https://lnkd.in/gRmYaxep 📽️: Devin Muñoz

After more than 20 years of dedicated service to the Seattle Aquarium and following the grand opening of the new Ocean Pavilion expansion, our President and CEO Robert Davidson has announced his retirement, marking the end of an era for the institution. He will remain in his role at the Seattle Aquarium until a successor is appointed in summer 2025. Davidson became the President and CEO of the newly nonprofit Seattle Aquarium in 2010, after serving as CEO of the Seattle Aquarium Society since 2002. He’s played a pivotal role in enhancing the nonprofit's board and expanding its programs, solidifying its mission both locally and nationally. Under his leadership, the Seattle Aquarium has become the largest marine conservation institution in the northwestern United States, transforming from a local aquarium into a globally recognized conservation organization. “I feel an immense sense of pride in everything we’ve achieved at the Seattle Aquarium,” Davidson said. “Together, we’ve made significant strides in inspiring the conservation of our marine environment and connecting our community to the wonders of the ocean.” Read more about Bob's legacy in Seattle Business Mag: https://lnkd.in/gDFFs6XH

The Seattle Aquarium honors Indigenous Peoples' Day. Since time immemorial, the Indigenous peoples of the Salish Sea have been the greatest stewards of this land, air and water. The Aquarium is on the homelands of the Coast Salish people and Indigenous science and knowledge are essential to understanding our shared ocean and restoring its health. We are honored to be responsible guests on their traditional and contemporary territories. And we are committed to developing a strong foundation for long-lasting and mutually beneficial partnerships with Tribal Nations, urban Native peoples and, as our mission continues to grow, the Indigenous peoples of the Indo-Pacific and their local diaspora.

It was an honor to act as a Testing Partner for the TOM FORD Plastic Innovation Prize powered by Lonely Whale, the first phase of their award-winning #UnwrapTheFuture program! 🐋 Our testing was primarily focused on biological degradation, to better understand how different materials behave in both the temperate marine environment and in an organism’s internal environment (which, in our case, meant a simulated whale stomach) if they aren’t disposed of properly and end up in the ocean. Together, we helped accelerate the adoption of prize-winning seaweed-based alternatives to traditional thin-film plastic by trailblazing innovators Sway, Zerocircle, and Notpla. Today, we are proud to share more about the impact of our multi-year collaboration. Read Lonely Whale’s report at UNWRAPTHEFUTURE.ORG.

This World Octopus Day, meet sqiqələč. 🐙 Sqiqələč (skee-sku-luch) is one of the Aquarium's newest residents. Reflecting the Aquarium’s place on traditional and contemporary Coast Salish land, her name means "baby octopus" in the Lushootseed language. The name was chosen by middle- and high-school students in a language and performing arts class at Muckleshoot Tribal School. Aquarists Malik and Kaitlin—who help care for giant Pacific octopuses here at the Aquarium—facilitated conversations about naming sqiqələč with the students’ teacher, Teresa Allen. Like other giant Pacific octopuses, sqiqələč will live at the Aquarium temporarily. We hope you love her as much as we do! Read more on the naming process and how we're working with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe to enrich cultural and marine science education work: https://lnkd.in/gg_Z8_Sr

The Overlook Walk is now open! 🌉 The rooftop of the Ocean Pavilion connects to the new Overlook Walk. Together, they form an elevated public park connecting Pike Place Market PDA to the waterfront for the very first time! On the Ocean Pavilion's rooftop, you’ll discover native plantings designed with guidance from traditional ecological knowledge-keeper Valerie Segrest (Muckleshoot), co-founder and principal at Tahoma Peak Solutions—as well as sandblasted images led by Owen Oliver (Quinault/Isleta Pueblo) of Headwater People Consulting.

Seattleites, can you believe it's been 5 years since we said goodbye to the viaduct?! Since then, we've been pretty busy building our new Ocean Pavilion expansion. Watch as it comes to life. Full video on our YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gT69u4Bj And it just keeps getting better, because this Friday, October 4, the Overlook Walk opens! The rooftop of the Ocean Pavilion connects to the new Overlook Walk and together, forms an elevated public park connecting Pike Place Market PDA to the waterfront—making waterfront access much easier and more inviting. We're excited!

For the final day of #SeaOtterAwarenessWeek, let's talk enrichment! 🧩 Providing the very best care and quality of life for the animals entrusted to us—at all stages of their lives—is a vital part of our mission. Every animal at the Seattle Aquarium receives enrichment. Enrichment refers to experiences that offer opportunities for animals to satisfy their behavioral needs, optimize their level of mental stimulation and create a rich, variable environment. Enrichment can fall into many categories, including: • Sensory experiences, such as floating objects with differing textures. • Food, such as task-oriented devices (like puzzles with a favorite morsel inside)! • Habitat, such as changes that add complexity to the surroundings. • Environmental enrichment devices, such as toys that the animal can manipulate. • And more! You can catch Mishka and Sekiu enjoying different types of enrichment on our sea otter live cam—tune in to see what they're getting up to at any given moment!

We’re proud to have collaborated with American Humane on the new documentary, “Escape from Extinction Rewilding”—featuring our Chief Conservation Officer Erin Meyer, PhD discussing kelp forests and sea otter populations! This film follows the tireless conservation efforts of organizations implementing rewilding practices across a diverse array of species in equally diverse environments—from the forests of Rwanda to the Pacific Coast of North America. 🦦 Through powerful storytelling and compelling cinematography, this film highlights how humanity, when armed with knowledge and compassion, can halt the decline of countless animal species and restore the environments we call home. “Escape from Extinction Rewilding” premieres today, September 27! If you're in the Seattle area, catch it at Big Picture Downtown Issaquah. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gRkJnk7c #SeaOtterAwarenessWeek

Today for #SeaOtterAwarenessWeek, we're celebrating our scientists! For years, Aquarium researchers have regularly surveyed sea otters and their diets. 🗺️ Each June for the past 24 years, Seattle Aquarium researchers have participated in an annual survey documenting the increasing trend of Washington's sea otter population. Fun fact: Washington's sea otter population has been estimated to be growing at a rate of 10% each year! 🦪 And each month since 2010, Aquarium biologists have been hiking our state's outer coast to collect foraging data and document what sea otters eat. When otter diets start to diversify (meaning they eat a variety of non-preferred foods), the otter population has reached local carrying capacity and needs to expand into new territory. In one day, our research team might document over 600 otters across three different sites along the coast. Read more about tracking wild sea otter populations: https://lnkd.in/g5KYRNEH 📸: Research Scientist Amy Olsen