With a mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment, the Seattle Aquarium is one of Washington State’s leading environmental education and stewardship institutions and the region’s green gathering place for discussion and dissemination of information about marine conservation. Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), it’s the ninth largest aquarium in the U.S. by attendance and among the top five paid visitor attractions in the Puget Sound region. Since its opening in 1977, the Aquarium has hosted over 23 million visitors and provided marine conservation education to over 1.6 million school children.