Alaska SeaLife Center

Description

Alaska SeaLife Center
The Alaska SeaLife Center is considered as the only facility in Alaska, which combines a public aquarium with marine research, wildlife response, and education. While mainly dedicated to marine education and research, it’s the only permanent marine rehabilitation and rescue facility in the state. It also lies at Mile 0 of the popular Seward Highway on the Resurrection Bay’s shores. Visitors to the windows to the sea have close encounters with octopus, puffins, sea lions, harbor seals, and some marine life while learning regarding the work their researchers conduct both in their laboratories and in the field.






Steller Sea Lion

Common Name: Steller Sea Lion
Scientific Name: Eumetopias jubatus
Steller sea lions are distributed mainly around the coasts to the outer continental shelf along the North Pacific Ocean rim from northern Hokkaiddo, Japan through the Kuril Islands and Okhotsk Sea, Aleutian Islands and central Bering Sea, southern coast of Alaska and south to California.Two stocks are recognized, an Eastern Stock and a Western Stock. The Eastern population is considered threatened and the Western Stock is listed as endangered.Average Length: Males: 9ft, Females 7ft,Average Weight: Males: 1500lbs, Females 500-600lbs.

Harbor Seal

Common Name: Harbor seal
Scientific Name: Phoca vitulina
One of the most abundant pinnipeds in the Northern hemisphere. They have a circumpolar range. In the Atlantic Ocean they range as far south as Florida but are mostly concentrated in the north Atlantic from Greenland south to Massachusetts. In Europe they range from Norway to France. North Pacific animals can be found from California to Nome, Alaska including the Aleutian, Pribilof and Commander Islands.Harbor seal populations are relatively stable worldwide, but have shown declines of around 80% over the past 30 years in the arctic regions. Their population in Alaska is considered depleted.The ASLC has been a part of various research projects to find answers for these declines.Average Length: Males: 4-6ft, Females 4-5ft,Average Weight: Males: 220-330lbs, Females 120-250lbs.



Common Name: Ringed Seal
Scientific Name: Phoca hispida
The ringed seal is found in the Northern Hemisphere with a circumpolar distribution ranging from 35°N to the North Pole. There is only one recognized stock of ringed seals in U.S. waters: the Alaska stock.There are 4 subspecies: Ladoga (Phoca hispida ladogensis), Arctic (Phoca hispida hispida), Okhotsk (Phoca hispida ochotensis), and Baltic (Phoca hispida botnica).Arctic is the only species found in U.S waters.In December 2012 they were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.Average Length: 5ft,Average Weight: 110-150lbs.






Wolf-eel

Common Name: Wolf-eel
Scientific Name: Anarrhichthys ocellatus
Size: up to 240cm (94in), 18.4kg (40.6lb)
Eastern Aleutian Islands to southern California; Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan.Subtidal to 226m (740ft). This bottom dwelling fish is common along rocky shorelines and areas with large boulders which form caves or crevices.Wolf-eels are believed to mate for life and a pair will occupy the same den year after year and possibly their entire life unless they are forced out by a larger wolf-eel or a Giant Pacific Octopus. They begin pairing up at 4 years of age and reproduce at around 7 years. The female lays an egg mass within the den and it is guarded by both the male and female. The egg mass may have as many as 10,000 eggs and will hatch in around 16 weeks. The larval wolf-eels are pelagic and will drift around in the upper part of the water column for up to 2 years before settling out.

Green Sea Urchin

Common Name: Green Sea Urchin
Scientific Name: Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis
Size: Up to 9cm (3.6in) across, average around 5cm (2in)
Northern hemisphere, including some Arctic waters; in the Pacific south to northern Washington.Rocky intertidal up to 1,150m (3,770 ft), most common from intertidal to 9m (30 ft).Sea urchins have separate male and female individuals. They may use an environmental cue such as temperature or daylight hours to synchronize the release of their gametes into open water during spawning. Larval sea urchins pass through different planktonic stages before settling out of the water column to feed on the ocean floor. They grow larger by expanding the number and size of the hard calcite plates of their test.

Black Oystercatcher

Common Name: Black Oystercatcher
Scientific Name: Haematopus bachmani
Distribution: Rocky seacoasts along cool Pacific shores from the Aleutians south to Baja California.
The black oystercatcher is a keystone species along the North Pacific shoreline and is believed to be a particularly sensitive indicator of the overall health of the rocky intertidal community. The black oystercatcher is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “Species of Concern” because of its small population size, restricted range, and threats to habitat from human and natural factors that may potentially limit its long-term viability.Average Wingspan: 35 inches.Average Weight: 500-700 grams.Black body with pink legs, long red-orange bill and yellow eyes, no seasonal change.






GiftShop

Take a part of the Alaska SeaLife Center with you! We have all of your favorite SeaLife plush animals, logo t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, green-conscious goodies, and gifts handmade by Alaskan artists.

Facility Rental

Planning a special event? Join us at the Alaska SeaLife Center! From corporate meetings and conferences to cocktail receptions and intimate dinners, the Alaska SeaLife Center provides a unique backdrop for any occasion.

Visit the full website for complete details,www.alaskasealife.com