History of ASLC

In 1990, Seward Association for the Advancement of Marine Science (SAAMS) was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, doing business as the Alaska SeaLife Center. During the planning stages for the envisioned marine science center, scientists worked with architects and engineers to design a facility with state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment, saltwater pools and life support systems flexible enough to accommodate a wide variety of species and projects, and a public aquarium section with exhibit tanks for displaying its research animals along with other North Pacific birds, fish and invertebrates. 

ASLC broke ground in 1995.  The City of Seward donated the seven-acre waterfront site.  The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Settlement Fund provided $26 million to help build the $56 million facility.

The Alaska SeaLife Center opened to the public in May 1998, and now functions primarily as a marine research center with resident animals and laboratory facilities that allow scientists to complement field studies with controlled experiments. ASLC-supported research projects have focused on declining populations of marine mammals and seabirds in the North Pacific Ocean, with particular emphasis on understanding a precipitous decline in Steller sea lion populations that has occurred over the past several decades.

The Center was designed from the outset to combine research with public education, and takes advantage of its 55,000 square foot exhibit space to put “research on display.” Live animals in naturalistic habitats and a variety of interactive exhibits help visitors understand the significance, processes, and findings of ongoing marine research projects.   Approximately 150,000 people visit the SeaLife Center each year, and the education department has added outreach and distance education programs in order to extend its reach to remote communities in Alaska and the lower 48 states.   

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