Marine Life Center
Get a feel for
Local Marine Life
View - Explore - Touch
See what lurks beneath the bay!
Marine Life Center
Bellingham, WA
About Us
The Marine Life Center is under the umbrella of the Northwest Discovery Project, a non-profit organization formed July 10, 1992. One of the organization's main goals is marine education. At the Marine Life Center, over 70,000 visitors - mostly school children and parents - are introduced to our local marine flora and fauna in aquatic displays and a hands-on touch tank.
Our mission is to promote stewardship of Washington marine life through education. To introduce visitors and instill a love for the sea creatures that are at home in the water we call Puget Sound. We are active in initiating stewardship of waterways connecting Whatcom Creek, Padden Creek, Squalicum Creek and Nooksack River to the estuary in Bellingham Bay. We maintain a healthy habitat in the Center aquariums using a marina as a seawater source.
Our goal is to improve, restore and maintain marine habitat for fish and invertebrates living in Bellingham Bay. To provide an exciting educational center where visitors can closely observe, and develop a greater appreciation and connection with the animal world that lives beneath our coastal waters. A water world that is often hidden and inaccessible.
Public benefits of the Marine Life Center:
- Public education about Puget Sound marine life and habitat.
- Providing marine science education to over 2000 local school children.
- Summer internship program for WWU students to gain work experience.
- MLC is a community resource connecting the public with their beaches.
In collaboration with the Northwest Discovery Project we are raising funds for a new Northwest Terraquarium. Construction of this futuristic aquarium will commence as Whatcom's waterfront is redeveloped. The Terraquarium will be a first-class, 21st century facility that is a fun and engaging educational destination, drawing families from the entire Northwest region. Through the Terraquarium experience, we hope to inspire our visitors to become a part of an effort to restore and conserve our coastal lands and the ecosystems that feed into them. For more information on the Terraquarium contact the Marine Life Center.