Marine Life Center
Get a feel for
Local Marine Life
View - Explore - Touch
See what lurks beneath the bay!
Owned by the Port of Bellingham
Operated by the
NW Discovery Project
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 awareness. 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 interaction. The MLC staff and volunteers aim to introduce visitors to the creatures in the Salish Sea and instill a love for the marine animals that are at home in these waters. We are active in promoting stewardship of the waterways (Whatcom Creek, Padden Creek, Squalicum Creek and Nooksack River) and watershed that flow into the estuary of Bellingham Bay. In case you were unaware, the seawater source in the aquarium is drawn from the Squalicum marina.
Our goal is to improve, restore and maintain marine habitat for fish and invertebrates living in Bellingham Bay. The MLC is an exciting public interactive 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 access to the Salish Sea marine life and habitat.
- Providing a marine experience to over 2000 local school children.
- Summer internship program for WWU students to gain work experience.
- MLC is a Port of Bellingham aquarium 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.