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Seattle Aquarium
The Seattle Aquarium is found on
Pier 59 in the Seattle, Washington Elliot Bay waterfront and opened
in 1977; owned and run by the city's Department of Parks and
Recreation. It has grown into an important facility for marine
conservation and has helped 800,000 visitors and 50,000 students
every year learn and find out what kinds of impact people have on
marine life on this earth. It just opened a new 18,000 square foot
expansion, in 2007, that has brought many new exciting features. A
new 2,625 square foot gift shop was opened, as well as the Seattle
Aquarium Cafe, plus the two new exhibits include the Crashing Waters
and Window on Washington Waters. Other marvelous displays include;
marine mammals, life on the edge, underwater dome with rockfish,
sharks, lingcod and salmon, life of a drifter, Puget Sound fish,
Pacific coral reef, birds and shores, ocean oddities with short
dragon fish, cowfish, potbelly seahorses, pinecone fish and flying
gurnards. Some of the other enjoyable exhibits include; orca whale
calls, chance to stand in the middle of glowing jellyfish, and a
fantastic moment to touch a sea anemone's tender tentacles.
Examples of what goes on in these exhibits includes many wonderful
learning opportunities like the window on Washington waters, where a
120,000 gallon tank, with a fabulous 20 by 40 foot angled acrylic
window opens into the waters behind it with creatures that are
living in the Neah Bay, like salmon, rockfish, sea anemones and many
other types of fish that live in the kelp infested waters. Divers go
into the tank three times each day with a special mask that allows
them to communicate with those that are standing behind the window.
A very exciting experience to be sure. In the Pacific coral reef
tank you can see all the colorful and beautiful fish that live here,
while sharks slowly swim past. This 25,000 gallon shows what a coral
reef looks like as it grows, with all kinds of life thriving and
floating past your face.
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