Seattle Aquarium was opened in the year 1977 and is located in Seattle, Washington. Until 2010, the aquarium was owned and controlled by both the City of Seattle and the Department of Parks and Recreation. In the year 2010, a non-profit organization known as the Seattle Aquarium Society took control of the aquarium and started managing it. This aquarium has close to 700,000 visitors per year. About 45,000 of those visitors are students. The aquarium teaches about marine life and other topics related to the marine environment. It aims to educate visitors about life in the marine environment.
Since the opening of the aquarium, they have recorded more than about a million visitors.
This aquarium is within the top ten most attended aquariums in the United States of America. In the Puget Sound area, this aquarium is ranked among the top five highest-paid visitor attractions. A major expansion of the aquarium in the year 2007 included a gift shop, a meeting space, and a 120,000-gallon exhibit. The aquarium has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquarium. The main mission of this aquarium is to promote the conservation of the marine environment.
The animal collection of the Seattle Aquarium is divided many fantastic exhibits, six of which are:
•Windows on Washington waters: this exhibit was created during the expansion of the aquarium, It duplicates the coastal waters in Washington state. This exhibit consists of various native specimens such as sea anemones, rockfish, and salmon. They have divers perform shows in this exhibit multiple times throughout the day.
•Life on the Edge: this exhibit was created in the year 2002, and it consists of two large pools which contain marine life from tidepools.
•Pacific Coral reef: This reef is man-made but mimics the appearance a natural reef. Fish in this exhibit are normally found living in or around reefs in nature.
•Birds and Shores: it is designed in such a way that it has three separate areas. These areas are the Shorebirds exhibits, Northwest shores, and the Alcids. These areas consist of different kinds of birds native to each respective geographic area.
•The Underwater Dome: this exhibit was constructed when the main aquarium was erected and opened in 1977. Most of the specimen found in this exhibit are usually species that you find in Puget Sound. Some species include Sturgeon, Sharks, Lingcod, and Rockfish.
•Marine Mammals: Orcas, river otters, sea otters, harbor seals, and Northern fur seals are found among this exhibit. One focus within the Orca Family Activity Center is to teach and enlighten visitors about orcas, especially the community living within the Puget Sound.