Get to know the fascinating fish of Puget Sound
The waters of the Pacific Northwest are home to a tremendous number of fascinating fish – with equally captivating names! In this exhibit, you’ll see creatures such as grunt sculpins, Pacific spiny lumpsuckers and more. It features three habitats commonly found in Puget Sound: eelgrass communities, deep sandy bottoms and rocky areas.
Take photos of the colorful juvenile rockfish – and yourselves! – at our unique see-through tank. Steps away, be enthralled by bizarre-looking Pacific spiny lumpsuckers as they show off their round bodies with suction cups for grasping onto eelgrass in heavy currents. You’ll also learn that the Aquarium was awarded the prestigious Bean Award by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association for its research and successful rearing of these charming fish.
In our eelgrass exhibit, you’ll find gunnels and pricklebacks living in old bottles and other crevices; camouflaging pipefish and tubesnouts that are incredibly well adapted to life in their environment; and sticklebacks that are comfortable in either fresh or salt water. You’ll also discover why the eelgrass community is newly recognized as important in the ecology of Puget Sound and is being protected by regional and federal governments.
Don’t miss the fish found in deeper waters – including the elusive wrymouth, split-nose rockfish, sound and light-emitting midshipmen fish and armored sturgeon poachers.
