Seattle Aquarium Seattle Aquarium Pier 59 & Pier 60 Species List

[Northwest_FIsh_Keeping]

Since most of the spotlight has been on the Ocean Pavilion recently (which you can find the species list & news thread I've been doing on the building here), I thought it was time to put some focus back onto the original buildings: Pier 59 & Pier 60
A historic slice of Seattle's Waterfront, these two buildings put a large focus on mainly local species we have here in the Puget Sound / coast of Washington, along with other a couple other Coldwater species. Now while it is still in the early stages of planning, these two piers are slated to go under renovation hopefully within the next decade, with Pier 60 being the main focal point of it which I will talk about at the end.
*Note* Now I decided to split up the Aquarium campus threads because both buildings have their own thing going on, and since Ocean Pavilion focuses on Tropical Species of the Coral Triangle, and the Piers focus on the local wildlife, felt more appropriate to give them both their own threads
Within the last couple of years, the number of rarities in the Pier's collection has definitely dwindled, mainly because a lot of them were super old in age, which I'll also highlight at the end.

Species in Green are species who are on exhibit, but not signed.
Species in Red are species who are signed, but not on exhibit.
(Now since a majority of these exhibits pull in Seawater from the Sound, there are a lot of seasonal hitchhikers and "guests" that pop up on exhibit. I'll only mention them if they're a significant species, otherwise they're basically all the same and not very important)

Now to begin with Pier 59:

Window on Washington Waters (WoWW) | 120,000 Gallon Tank modeled after a specific dive sight in Elliot Bay known as 'Neah Bay' (now none of these species are signed, so this is to the best of my knowledge based off of the volunteer handbook)

• Wolf Eels | Anarrhichthys ocellatus
• Coho Salmon | Oncorhynchus kisutch
• Yellow-Eye Rockfishes | Sebastes ruberrimus
• China Rockfishes | Sebastes nebulosus
• Deacon Rockfishes | Sebastes diaconus
• Canary Rockfishes | Sebastes pinniger
• Black Rockfishes | Sebastes melanops
• Red Irish Lord | Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus
• Giant Green Anemones | Anthopleura xanthogrammica
• Ochre Stars | Pisaster ochraceus

Crashing Waves | 40 feet long tank that replicates a long coastline

• Striped Surfperches | Embiotoca lateralis
• Giant Plumose Anemones | Metridium farcimen
• Purple Sea Urchins | Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
• Green Sea Urchins | Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis
• California Sea Cucumbers | Apostichopus californicus

'Dock Piling Tank' | A small cylinder tank that replicates a dock piling

• Shiner Perches | Cymatogaster aggregata
• (The Kelp is fake)

'Life on the Edge': Outer Coast | One of two touch pools, this one is home to mainly the anemones and urchins

• Purple Sea Urchins | Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
• Green Sea Urchins | Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis
• Giant Green Anemones | Anthopleura xanthogrammica
• Crimson Anemones | Cribrinopsis fernaldi
• along with various sponges

'Life on the Edge': Inland Seas | The more diverse of the two, this one contains a majority of our Sea Stars, various Anemones, Scallops, etc

• Leather Stars | Dermasterias imbricata
• Rainbow Stars | Orthasterias koehleri
• Ochre Stars | Pisaster ochraceus
• Bat Stars | Patiria miniata
• Vermillion Stars | Mediaster aequalis
• (All of the Sea Stars are currently off display and BTS in quarantine)
• Painted Anemones | Urticina crassicornis
• Crimson Anemones | Cribrinopsis fernaldi
• Aggregating Anemones | Anthopleura elegantissima
• Beaded Anemones | Urticina coriacea
• Giant Plumose Anemones | Metridium farcimen
• Rock Scallops | Crassodoma gigantea
• Calcareous Tube Worms | Serpula vermicularis
• California Sea Cucumbers | Apostichopus californicus
• Shiner Perches | Cymatogaster aggregata
• Sharpnose Crab | Scyra acutifrons
• Northern Kelp Crab | Pugettia producta
• Coonstripe Shrimps | Pandalus hypsinotus
• Bering Hermit Crab | Pagurus beringanus
• Eelgrass | Zostera marina
  
• various species of algae

Ring of Life | The infamous "Jelly Doughnut" Tank (doughnut shaped Kreisel Tank that you can walk through)

• Greater Moon Jellies | Aurelia labiata

Giant Pacific Octopus | Cylindrical tank that's designed so you can almost always see the GPO. Typically each GPO will stay with us for about a year before it's released back into the wild.

• Giant Pacific Octopus | Enteroctopus dofleini (Currently we have sqiqələč (skee-sku-luch), which means baby octopus in the Lushoot language)
• Painted Anemones | Urticina crassicornis
• Bat Stars | Patiria miniata
• (Kelp is fake)

Closer Look Table | A row of 7 small aquariums that are designed to highlight individual species with the according various theme for that period of time. This rotation's theme is "Hidden in plain sight"

• Common Acorn Barnacles | Balanus glandula

• Greater Moon Jelly Polyps | Aurelia labiata

• Northern Kelp Crab | Pugettia producta

• Crecent Gunnel | Pholis laeta

• Leafy Hornmouth Snails | Ceratostoma foliatum

• Pinto Abalones | Haliotis kamtschatkana

• Starry Flounder (juveniles) | Platichthys stellatus

'Only in Hawaii' | The last remaining bit of the "Pacific Coral Reef" Gallery. This tank highlights species that are endemic to Hawaii, however it will also be closed soon and overhauled to match the next exhibit that will take over the PCR space.

• Potter's Angelfishes | Centropyge potteri
• Longnose Butterflyfishes | Forcipiger longirostris
• Yellow Eye Kole Tangs | Ctenochaetus strigosus
• Saddle Wrasse | Thalassoma duperrey
• Pocillopora sp, Coral

Pacific Coral Reef Gallery | Now closed to the public, this space used to be the Aquarium's only tropical gallery till the Ocean Pavilion opened. The main reason is because a lot of the tanks are old and were starting to deteriorate. Word is this space will be turned into a new exhibit that highlights the Aquarium's conservation efforts. My guess is some Pinto Abalone highlights, and the possibility of joining the Sunflower Sea Star breeding program since neither PDZA or Seattle are currently apart of the program and the Sunflower Star is a keystone species here in Washington.

Caring Cove and Virtual Reality experience | No live exhibits

Now moving onto Pier 60:

Birds | True to it's name, this walkthrough aviary holds the Aquarium's bird collection. Split up into 3 sections based on where each bird is found. Keep in mind due to the Avian Flu that hit Woodland Park Zoo recently, there is a rope barrier around each of the sections to limit how close you can get to the birds for right now.

Sandy Shores |

• Black Bellied Plover | Pluvialis squatarola (aka 'Ghar')
• Western Snowy Plover | Anarhynchus nivosus (aka 'Crush')
• Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus (aka 'Shimmy')
• Black Oyster Catcher | Haematopus bachmani (aka 'Wanda')
• Striped Surfperches | Embiotoca lateralis
• California Sea Cucumbers | Apostichopus californicus
• Eelgrass | Zostera marina

Rocky Shores |

• Black Oyster Catcher | Haematopus bachmani (aka 'Edna')
• Kelp Greenling | Hexagrammos decagrammus
• Green Sea Urchins | Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis
• Purple Sea Urchins | Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis
• Red Sea Urchins | Mesocentrotus franciscanus
• Giant Green Anemones | Anthopleura xanthogrammica
• Ochre Stars | Pisaster ochraceus

Sea Cliffs | this area is behind mesh so there's no close contact with the Seabirds

• Tufted Puffins | Fratercula cirrhata (unfortunately don't have their names memorized)
• Common Murres | Uria aalge (unfortunately don't have their names memorized)
• Rhinoceros Auklet | Cerorhinca monocerata (aka 'Lola') (Apparently we're 1 of 3 holders globally, the other 2 being Oregon Coast Aquarium & Alaska Sealife Center. I wasn't aware they were so rare)
• Pigeon Guillemots | Cepphus columba (This pair has been behind the scenes for a long time, but they're still signed on one of the recent signage updates so I thought I'd add them)

Salmon | Pretty much a nursery for Juvenile Salmon, along with a view a view of the Bay and Salmon Ladder

• Coho Salmon (juveniles) | Oncorhynchus kisutch

• Striped Surf Perches (juveniles) | Embiotoca lateralis
• Northern Kelp Crab | Pugettia producta

Puget Sound Fish | A gallery consisting of local species inhabiting three different zones: Eelgrass Beds / Deep Waters / Rocky Cliffs (this list will follow that order)

• Shiner Perches | Cymatogaster aggregata
• Roughback Sculpin | Chitonotus pugetensis
• Penpoint Gunnels | Apodichthys flavidus
• Aggregating Anemones | Anthopleura elegantissima
• Furry Hermit Crab | Paguristes ulreyi
• Northern Kelp Crab | Pugettia producta
• Giant Plumose Anemones | Metridium farcimen
• Plumose Anemones | Metridium senile
• California Sea Cucumber | Apostichopus californicus
• Eelgrass | Zostera marina

• Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers | Eumicrotremus orbis
• High Cockscombs | Anoplarchus purpurescens
• Sailfin Sculpins | Nautichthys oculofasciatus
• Blackeye Hermit Crab | Pagurus armatus
• various species of algae

• Bay Pipefishes | Syngnathus leptorhynchus
• Three-spined Sticklebacks | Gasterosteus aculeatus
• Leather Star | Dermasterias imbricata

• Basket Stars | Gorgonocephalus eucnemis
• Veiled Chitons | Placiphorella velata
• Brittle Stars | Ophiura sp.
• Creeping Pedal Sea Cucumber | Psolus chitonoides
• White Sea Cucumber | Eupentacta quinquesemita
• Burrowing Tube Anemone | Pachycerianthus fimbriatus
• Giant Plumose Anemones | Metridium farcimen

• Mosshead Warbonnets | Chirolophis nugator
• Green Sea Urchins | Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis

• Splitnose Rockfishes | Sebastes diploproa
• Redbanded Rockfishes (juveniles) | Sebastes babcocki
• Leather Star | Dermasterias imbricata

• Pinto Abalones | Haliotis kamtschatkana
• Yellowtail Rockfishes (juveniles) | Sebastes flavidus
• Green Sea Urchins | Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis
• Crimson Anemones | Cribrinopsis fernaldi
• Vermilon Stars | Mediaster aequalis

• Grunt Sculpins | Rhamphocottus richardsonii
• Mosshead Warbonnet | Chirolophis nugator
• Strawberry Anemones | Corynactis californica
• various species of algae

• Canary Rockfishes (juveniles) | Sebastes pinniger
• China Rockfishes (juveniles) | Sebastes nebulosus
• Longfin Sculpin | Jordania zonope
• Pacific Blood Star | Henricia leviuscula
• Strawberry Anemones | Corynactis californica
• Crimson Anemones | Cribrinopsis fernaldi
• Purple Sea Urchin | Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis
• California Sea Cucumber | Apostichopus californicus

• Deacon Rockfishes (juveniles) | Sebastes diaconus
• Widow Rockfishes (juveniles) | Sebastes entomelas
• White Spotted Anemones | Urticina eques

• Blackeye Goby | Rhinogobiops nicholsii
• Orange Cup Corals | Balanophyllia elegans

• Yellowtail Rockfishes (juveniles) | Sebastes flavidus
• Canary Rockfishes (juveniles) | Sebastes pinniger
• China Rockfishes (juveniles) | Sebastes nebulosus
• Deacon Rockfishes (juveniles) | Sebastes diaconus
• Painted Greenling | Oxylebius pictus

Underwater Dome | Another infamous exhibt at the Aquarium, this 400,000 Gallon underwater dome is home to the largest local species of fish at the Aquarium

• Spiny Dogfish Sharks | Squalus acanthias
• Green Sturgeons | Acipenser medirostris
• White Sturgeons | Acipenser transmontanus
• Coho Salmon | Oncorhynchus kisutch
• Chinook Salmon | Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
• Lingcods | Ophiodon elongatus
• Sablefishes | Anoplopoma fimbria
• Cabezon | Scorpaenichthys marmoratus
• Quillback Rockfishes | Sebastes maliger
• China Rockfishes | Sebastes nebulosus
• Rosy Rockfishes | Sebastes rosaceus
• Widow Rockfishes | Sebastes entomelas
• Deacon Rockfishes | Sebastes diaconus
• Yellowtail Rockfishes | Sebastes flavidus
• Brown Rockfishes | Sebastes auriculatus
• Canary Rockfishes | Sebastes pinniger
• Yelloweye Rockfishes | Sebastes ruberrimus
• Copper Rockfishes | Sebastes caurinus
• Black Rockfishes | Sebastes melanops
• Striped Surfperches | Embiotoca lateralis
• Pile Perches | Rhacochilus vacca
• Kelp Greenlings | Hexagrammos decagrammus
• Starry Flounders | Platichthys stellatus
• Pacific Blood Stars | Henricia leviuscula
• Ochre Stars | Pisaster ochraceus
  
• Fish Eating Anemones | Urticina piscivora
• Painted Anemones | Urticina crassicornis
• Sand-rose Anemones | Urticina columbiana
• White Spotted Anemones | Urticina eques
• Leather Stars | Dermasterias imbricata
• Mottled Stars | Evasterias troschelii
• Giant Kelp | Macrocystis pyrifera
  
• Bull Kelp | Nereocystis luetkeana
• various species of algae

Salmon Ladder | Not in use anymore since the Salmon stopped coming back years ago, but the aquarium still keeps it running to show guests the importance of Salmon Ladders. Sometimes you do see the odd Surf Perch who probably came in as a baby through the water flow OR was dropped by a Seagull. They're eventually taken out and released

Window on Elliot Bay | Pretty much a small scale WoWW, you can see this tank from outside as well

• Wolf Eel | Anarrhichthys ocellatus
• China Rockfishes | Sebastes nebulosus
• Copper Rockfishes | Sebastes caurinus
• Widow Rockfishes | Sebastes entomelas
• Yelloweye Rockfishes | Sebastes ruberrimus
• Yellowtail Rockfishes | Sebastes flavidus
• Deacon Rockfishes | Sebastes diaconus
• Quillback Rockfishes | Sebastes maliger
• Striped Surfperches | Embiotoca lateralis
• Gumboot Chitons | Cryptochiton stelleri
• Green Sea Urchins | Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis
• Hairy Triton Snails | Fusitriton oregonensis
• Ochre Stars | Pisaster ochraceus
• Fish-eating Anemones | Urticina piscivora
• Painted Anemones | Urticina crassicornis
• Giant Plumose Anemones | Metridium farcimen
• White Spotted Anemones | Urticina eques

Freshwater Stream | Home to more Juvenile Coho & Chinook Salmon who are in their freshwater phase

• Coho Salmon | Oncorhynchus kisutch
• Chinook Salmon | Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Harbor Seals | Outdoor Harbor Seal habitat that is home to our 3 males Casey, Hogan, and Barney. (Barney who is 39 years old, one of the oldest Habor Seals in captivity)

• Harbor Seals | Phoca vitulina

Northern Fur Seals | Outdoor habitat home to our 2 males Chiidax and Flaherty. We're 1 of 3 holders in the US, the other 2 being Mystic Aquarium and New England Aquarium(? not so sure about New England recently)

• Northern Fur Seals | Callorhinus ursinus

Northern Sea Otters | Outdoor habitat home to our 2 female Northern Sea Otters, Mishka and Sekiu

• Northern Sea Otters | Enhydra lutris kenyoni

North American River Otters | Outdoor habitat home to our 2 males, Molalla and Ahanu

• North American River Otters | Lontra canadensis

Closing and Notes | And that concludes the species list for the historic piers. Unfortunately the last 2 /3 years or so the number of rarities in the collection has dwindled, the most notable being:

• Long Billed Curlew (aka 'Uncle P') passed away due to age related issues at the old age of 37 (yup that isn't a typo, he was in the Aquarium's care for 37 years)
• Giant Wrymouth (Cryptacanthodes giganteus) (aka 'Belle') passed away due to a parasitic / bacterial infection which is unfortunately common within the species. She was the only one on exhibit in the US, and 1 of 2 globally (the Vancouver Aquarium is the only aquarium to my knowledge with one on exhibit)
• Moss Crab (Loxorhynchus crispatus) was moved Behind the Scenes
• Hawaiian Green Lionfish (Dendrochirus barberi) was moved Behind the Scenes with the closing of the PCR Gallery. To my knowledge, we were the only holder of the species outside of Hawaii. Hopefully he makes a re-appearance in the OP soon.
• and a handful of others.

Other notable species such as Spotted Chimera, Big Skates, Plain Midshipman (Porichthys notatus), Armored Sturgeon Poachers (Podothecus accipenserinus), Sea Pens, Feather Stars, etc haven't been present in the collection for years. Hopefully they'll make a re-appearance in the near future. (The Midshipman & Sturgeon Poachers are mentioned on the Aquarium website even after the revamp so this is either outdated information that slipped through since the Wrymouth is also mentioned still, or we might be getting them back on exhibit in the near future)

Now the Pier renovations are still in the very, very early stages of planning, but so far Pier 60 will get the most work done to it. This should include updated habitats for the Birds and Mammals (since the enclosures are very, very, very outdated. I hope Barney makes it to 50 since he deserves to experience the new habitat after living in the current one his whole life) and an updated habitats for the Fish. After how the OP turned out, I'm very excited to see what the front office is scheming for the new renovations.

 

[Local_Shark]

This is a great list! One tiny thing I will note, if your spiny dogfish were collected locally as I would expect is likely, they’re most probably Pacific spiny dogfish (Squalus suckleyi). That’s a relatively new taxonomic division so entirely understandable if they’re still signed as acanthias.

 

[MOG2012]

This looks like an interesting aquarium. New England lost the fur seals a couple years ago.

 

[Northwest_FIsh_Keeping]

This is a great list! One tiny thing I will note, if your spiny dogfish were collected locally as I would expect is likely, they’re most probably Pacific spiny dogfish (Squalus suckleyi). That’s a relatively new taxonomic division so entirely understandable if they’re still signed as acanthias.

Ahh gotcha, that makes a lot more sense. I never knew there was an Atlantic Spiny Dogfish species, I'll have to change that once I update the list whenever the new exhibit takes over the old PCR space. I wish we had more Elasmobranchs considering we have the Dome which is pretty large, Big Skates and Spotted Chimera (not Elasmobranchs but deserve a mention) used to be special "visitors" of the Dome but we haven't had any in a few years. I'm hoping for when Pier 60 is renovated, there will be a consideration for more species other than the Dogfish BUT it does make sense why they're the only species since from the very slim list of Shark species we have here, they're the most "suited for captivity" (i.e Thresher Sharks, Salmon Sharks, Deepwater Catsharks aren't really feasible). We do have Broadnose Seven Gill Sharks here which the Aquarium used to do research on, but they disappeared from the Sound for an unknown reason years ago so that stopped, however they have been coming back fairly recently. However the only Aquarium I know who keeps them is Numazu in Japan.

Interestingly enough, just this past Summer, the discovery of Broadnose Sevengill & Soupfin / Tope Sharks was made in the Puget Sound (which was new to history). Which could be something cool to highlight in the future if the Aquarium is somehow able to get some for the collection if they prove to be in the Sound year round and not migrating in and out (perhaps like a research project similar to what Monterey Bay does where they keep the Sevengills on exhibit for a while, then tag and release back into the wild). Oregon Coast also keeps Sevengills, and Aquarium of the Bay used to (I think they may still have one) Soupfin Shark on exhibit too. So there are a few options I'm hoping the front office is considering for the future.

This looks like an interesting aquarium. New England lost the fur seals a couple years ago.

Ah man, that's too bad to hear. I remember hearing that they were the "breeding center" for the species in the US. I know Chiidax came from New England so it sounds like he was one of the last to leave. So it sounds like it's just Seattle and Mystic now with them for the US? Thankfully Vancouver Aquarium in Canada has 5 of them I believe and they're not too far away. Sounds like they've always been a rarity in the US

 

[Local_Shark]

Ahh gotcha, that makes a lot more sense. I never knew there was an Atlantic Spiny Dogfish species, I'll have to change that once I update the list whenever the new exhibit takes over the old PCR space. I wish we had more Elasmobranchs considering we have the Dome which is pretty large, Big Skates and Spotted Chimera (not Elasmobranchs but deserve a mention) used to be special "visitors" of the Dome but we haven't had any in a few years. I'm hoping for when Pier 60 is renovated, there will be a consideration for more species other than the Dogfish BUT it does make sense why they're the only species since from the very slim list of Shark species we have here, they're the most "suited for captivity" (i.e Thresher Sharks, Salmon Sharks, Deepwater Catsharks aren't really feasible). We do have Broadnose Seven Gill Sharks here which the Aquarium used to do research on, but they disappeared from the Sound for an unknown reason years ago so that stopped, however they have been coming back fairly recently. However the only Aquarium I know who keeps them is Numazu in Japan.

Interestingly enough, just this past Summer, the discovery of Broadnose Sevengill & Soupfin / Tope Sharks was made in the Puget Sound (which was new to history). Which could be something cool to highlight in the future if the Aquarium is somehow able to get some for the collection if they prove to be in the Sound year round and not migrating in and out (perhaps like a research project similar to what Monterey Bay does where they keep the Sevengills on exhibit for a while, then tag and release back into the wild). Oregon Coast also keeps Sevengills, and Aquarium of the Bay used to (I think they may still have one) Soupfin Shark on exhibit too. So there are a few options I'm hoping the front office is considering for the future.

Completely agree with all you said about the elasmos. Would love to see big skates and ratfish back - they were present on my visit in 2014 at least. Aquarium of the Bay does indeed still have one soupfin and it would be great to see that species in another exhibit; Underwater Dome would be well suited. Also I assume you mean bluntnose sixgills in terms of what only Numazu (a truly terrible institution imo) has had?

 

[Northwest_FIsh_Keeping]

Completely agree with all you said about the elasmos. Would love to see big skates and ratfish back - they were present on my visit in 2014 at least. Aquarium of the Bay does indeed still have one soupfin and it would be great to see that species in another exhibit; Underwater Dome would be well suited. Also I assume you mean bluntnose sixgills in terms of what only Numazu (a truly terrible institution imo) has had?

That's what I meant, man my lack of sleep the other night was showing LOL
I have a feeling we don't have more Sharks in Dome is because the actual swimming space is fairly narrow because of the shape, so it's not exactly an open water exhibit like Oregon Coast's tunnel or Hourglass Shaped like Monterey Bay. That should be something the front office should consider with the renovation for sure

 

[Local_Shark]

That's what I meant, man my lack of sleep the other night was showing LOL
I have a feeling we don't have more Sharks in Dome is because the actual swimming space is fairly narrow because of the shape, so it's not exactly an open water exhibit like Oregon Coast's tunnel or Hourglass Shaped like Monterey Bay. That should be something the front office should consider with the renovation for sure

That very well could be why. Tope/soupfins wouldn’t mind that up to a certain size but all other active swimming sharks 100% would have trouble. Good to know they’re considering a renovation tho!

 

[Northwest_FIsh_Keeping]

Some of the exhibits in the "Puget Sound Fish Gallery" (PSF) got some updates, most notably:

• 2 Snake Pricklebacks (Lumpenus sagitta) were added to the largest Eelgrass tank, this is a pretty cool species that I wasn't aware of before.
• 8 Bay Pipefish are now on exhibit in their tank. A huge increase from the just the 2 or 3 that have been on exhibit for about the past year. At least from when I was a volunteer, there were always no more than 5 on exhibit at the most so this is pretty nice to see.
• The smaller of the two Basket Stars is now off exhibit so now there's just the one large one.

• Pigeon Guillemots | Cepphus columba (This pair has been behind the scenes for a long time, but they're still signed on one of the recent signage updates so I thought I'd add them)

Unfortunately one of them actually passed away this past Summer from old age so we just have the one now who still lives BTS. Supposedly they just don't like being out on exhibit which is why they've been BTS for so long (considering that the exhibit is quite outdated, I can see why) but I thought I'd just add this little piece of info.