Seattle Aquarium

Not to be confused with Seattle Marine Aquarium, an aquarium on Pier 56 which closed in 1977 .
Seattle Aquarium
Date opened May 20, 1977[1]
Location Pier 59, Seattle, Washington, USA
Coordinates 47°36′28″N 122°20′35″W / 47.6076966°N 122.3431277°WCoordinates: 47°36′28″N 122°20′35″W / 47.6076966°N 122.3431277°W
Volume of largest tank 400,000 US gal (1,500,000 l)[2]
Annual visitors 836,720 (2009)[3]
Memberships AZA[4]
Website www.seattleaquarium.org

The Seattle Aquarium is a public aquarium opened in 1977 and located on Pier 59 on the Elliott Bay waterfront in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

History

The aquarium opened on May 20, 1977, and was initially owned and operated by the City of Seattle, Department of Parks and Recreation. On July 1, 2010, the nonprofit Seattle Aquarium Society, the official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization for the Seattle Aquarium, assumed management of the Seattle Aquarium from the city.[5] Architects for the facility were Bassetti/Norton/Metler/Rekevics.[6]

The aquarium promotes marine conservation and instructs over 800,000 visitors each year, including 50,000 students, to learn about their impacts on marine life. It also conducts research on marine life. In June 2013, an 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) expansion opened that includes a new 2,625-square-foot (243.9 m2) gift store and café, as well as two new exhibits: Window on Washington Waters and Crashing Waves.

Exhibits

Salmon in the underwater dome at The Seattle Aquarium.
View of Seattle Aquarium along Alaskan Way, Seattle
The salmon ladder

Notes

  1. 2.0 2.1 "Underwater Dome". seattleaquarium.org. Seattle Aquarium. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  2. "Quick Facts". seattleaquarium.org. Seattle Aquarium. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  3. "List of Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  4. "Seattle Aquarium Society". seattleaquarium.org. Seattle Aquarium. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  5. "Bassetti Architects: Seattle Aquarium". bassettiarch.com. Bassetti Architects. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  6. "Window on Washington Waters". seattleaquarium.org. Seattle Aquarium. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  7. 8.0 8.1 "Almost There: Work Continues on the Expanded Aquarium" (PDF). Currents (Seattle, Washington: Seattle Aquarium Society) (Spring 2007): 3. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  8. 9.0 9.1 "Welcome to Seattle Aquarium". seattleaquarium.org. Seattle Aquarium. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  9. "Life on the Edge". seattleaquarium.org. Seattle Aquarium. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  10. "Life of a drifter". seattleaquarium.org. Seattle Aquarium. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  11. "Birds and Shores". seattleaquarium.org. Seattle Aquarium. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  12. "Orca Family Activity Center". seattleaquarium.org. Seattle Aquarium. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  13. "Puget Sound Fish". seattleaquarium.org. Seattle Aquarium. Retrieved 27 February 2011.

External links