Seattle Aquarium

When the Seattle Aquarium completed renovations in June of 2007, it flung open a new door into the preservation of Puget Sound’s marine habitats with its 120,000-gallon Window on Washington Waters, the crown jewel of the $41 million expansion. Bearing the felicitous acronym WoWW, the window highlights a mélange of local marine wildlife inside a gargantuan 20’ by 40’ showcase and fittingly augments the Aquarium’s “wow” factor. The Seattle Aquarium’s other new, large exhibit is Crashing Waves: a 40-foot tank that hugs the corridor wall between the main entrance hall and the Aquarium proper. Emulating conditions in the coastal crags of Washington’s Neah Bay, waves roll periodically through the tank past the fish and invertebrates that live within. The exhibit offers a unique perspective on an underwater habitat as it enables visitors to witness the effects of waves both above and below the water.

Renovations to the Aquarium extend beyond the new exhibits. A more spacious lobby was added at the entrance on Alaskan Way to facilitate large groups and faster-moving lines. The new Aquarium café overlooks the great hall, serving a mildly overpriced variety of typical café cuisine and an assortment of sustainable seafood. The new gift shop offers literature, toys, and marine-inspired art to bring the Aquarium experience home.

Unfortunately, there are areas in which the recent renovations fall short. As was previously the case, most exhibits are drenched in “wow,” but are light on “how.” A handful of exhibits offer scientific facts about their inhabitants, but that information tends to be terse and simple to make it easily digestible for children. While frequent lectures by aquarium staff do compensate for this shortcoming, they are often overcrowded and difficult to hear.

Old Standbys

The Aquarium’s many other attractions remain intact. The hands-on tidal pools are one of the most tangible and captivating zoological exhibits in the Northwest. Visitors are invited to touch the anemones, urchins, crabs, and other inhabitants of the pools, which helps to build an empathic and personal connection with marine wildlife. The designs of the octopus and jellyfish tanks are thoughtful and artistic, and both offer compelling glimpses of these otherworldly creatures. The Aquarium boasts a small but beautiful collection of sea birds and an enthralling group of sea mammals, featuring sea lions, sea otters, and seals. Lastly, the 400,000-gallon underwater dome—in which visitors can view an assortment of eels, skates, sharks and large fish from inside a bubble—is the gem of the Aquarium and not to be missed.

The Aquarium in the Community

Aside from the exhibits, the Aquarium runs an impressive list of events, research, and outreach programs. The 2008 Sound Conservations present a series of talk-show style events that examine and explore the health of Puget Sound. Each event features an open discussion between knowledgeable experts and members of the community about threats to the Sound and its path to recovery. Research is conducted through the Seattle Aquarium Research Center for Conservation and Husbandry (SEARCCH), and includes studies on genetics, endocrinology, and population numbers. The Aquarium also operates the Beach Naturalist program, a team of trained volunteers who serve as stewards and educators for Puget Sound beaches. Other outreach programs include Citizen Science, which aims to stimulate scientific inquiry in historically under-represented high school students, and Seafood Watch, which helps to inform and advise consumers about the impact of their diet on the health of marine ecosystems.