Alaska SeaLife Center facts for kids
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| Date opened | May 20, 1998 |
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| Location | Seward, Alaska |
| Land area | 115,000 square feet (10,700 m2) |
| Coordinates | 60°06′00″N 149°26′27″W / 60.10000°N 149.44083°W |
The Alaska SeaLife Center is a special place in Seward. It's an aquarium and the only center in Alaska that helps injured marine mammals get better. It opened in May 1998, right on the shores of Resurrection Bay. The center works to understand and protect Alaska's ocean ecosystem.
It does this through research, helping animals, conservation, and teaching people. It's the only place in the world built to study the northern ocean environment. It also combines scientific research with public education and fun exhibits. The Alaska SeaLife Center shares what it learns to help everyone protect Alaska's amazing ocean life.
The center cost $55 million to build. A big part of the money, $37.5 million, came from funds related to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. This money was set aside for research and helping animals. The center is a private, non-profit group. It has about 105 full-time staff, plus many volunteers and interns.
In 2011, the Alaska SeaLife Center was recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This means it's one of the best aquariums, as less than 5% of places have this high standard.
Contents
Discovering Alaska's Ocean Life
The Alaska SeaLife Center is unique because it has both a public aquarium and a research facility in the same building. It works with the University of Alaska Fairbanks and many other groups. These include state, federal, and international agencies and universities.
Ocean Research
The SeaLife Center studies Alaska's ocean environments and the animals living there. This includes marine mammals, seabirds, fish, and invertebrates. Some of these animals are even threatened or endangered species. The center focuses on animals like Steller sea lions, eiders, harbor seals, sea otters, and fur seals. These animals have seen their numbers drop in Alaska.
The research aims to create new ways to study animals without harming them or their environment. The Science Department has special programs. These focus on pinnipeds (like seals and sea lions), eiders, sea otters, and salmon.
Helping Injured Animals
The Alaska SeaLife Center takes care of sick and injured ocean animals. This program helps them learn important things about wild animal groups. They rescue, treat, and then release stranded animals. The main goal is to get healthy animals back into their natural homes.
They help many kinds of stranded marine animals. These include harbor, ringed, spotted, and fur seals. They also help Steller and California sea lions, walruses, sea otters, and different birds. Animals come from all over Alaska for medical care and rehabilitation. If an animal cannot be released, it stays at the center or moves to another facility.
The Alaska SeaLife Center is the only permanent place in Alaska for stranded marine mammals. Because it's part of a research center, vets and staff learn a lot about these animals. This happens while they are being cared for.
Rescued animals teach the center about their bodies and how they live. This knowledge helps protect threatened and endangered species. The program also helps keep an eye on wild animal populations. It does this by studying sick or orphaned marine mammals and birds. Through talking and teaching, the center helps people understand the ocean and why it's so important.
The Rescue and Rehabilitation Program has permission from important government groups. These are NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) and USFWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). They can respond to stranded marine mammals and birds from all along Alaska's gulf coast. The program has vets, interns, and volunteers. They are all trained to help and care for these animals.
Learning About the Ocean
The Discovery Education programs at the center follow Alaska's and national science standards. They offer programs all year long. You can join Day Programs or even sleep over during Nocturne Sleepovers. The center also brings programs to schools in the Anchorage, Mat-Su, and Kenai Peninsula areas. They even offer Distance Learning programs. These can be shared worldwide using video conference equipment.
Fun Exhibits to Explore
The center has many public exhibits for visitors to enjoy. You can touch small ocean animals like sea stars and sea urchins in a shallow pool. There's an aviary where you can see many seabirds. It even has a two-story diving pool for them! You can also see harbor seals, Steller's sea lions, and amazing Giant Pacific octopuses.
The center also shows off Alaska's important food fish. These include salmon, halibut, king crab, and sablefish. In 2016, a new exhibit called Nose 2 Nose opened. It makes the underwater viewing area even better. There's a new Octopus Grotto where you can learn more about the octopuses. The exhibit also has fun activities for families. You can see octopuses, sea lions, seals, and many fish and birds up close.
See also
In Spanish: Alaska SeaLife Center para niños
