Explore

Here, you will find a detailed explanation of the captivating visual media that is included in the center. From the description and history of the Grey Whale that hangs in the center of the room, to the intricate details of the mural that decorates the wall, our text descriptions allow all users of SEA Discovery Center to enjoy the beauty and complexity of the stunning visual media that is presented at the center. 

Each visual media piece has been carefully and accurately described in text, and each piece is in the order that appears at the center. So that if you use an assistive technology tool on your phone, you can follow along enjoying the details of each piece in person at the center. And if you are at home on a computer, a screen reader can describe the visual media that is present at the center. Whether you're here to learn, explore, or simply enjoy the artistry of the sea, the text descriptions of our visual media collection offers something for everyone. Dive in and discover the stories behind the images that capture the heart of SEA Discovery Center.

Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people.
Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. Chief Seattle (1854)
SEA Discovery Center is within the aboriginal territory of the suqwabš, “People of Clear Salt Water” (Suquamish People). Expert fisherman, canoe builders, and basket weavers, the suqwabš live in harmony with the lands and waterways along Washington’s Central Salish Sea as they have for thousands of years. Here, the suqwabš live and protect the land and waters of their ancestors for future generations as promised by the Point Elliot Treaty of 1855.

Sea History

SEA Discovery Center has had a long history as an educational resource built by the community to serve the community. Originally conceived in the 1960s as the Poulsbo Marine Science Center, the aquarium began its history as a marine education resource for the Kitsap community and school districts.

In the 1990s it moved to its present location in downtown Poulsbo, where it continued to serve the community with programming for all ages until a temporary closure in 2005.

In 2006, long-time Poulsbo entrepreneur and marine science advocate Bill Austin, along with local resident Bruce Harlow and others, reopened the center with the City of Poulsbo's support and community contributions. They constructed new seawater systems and aquarium exhibits that are still present today, and eventually added the floating boathouse classroom in the marina.

In May 2016, the Poulsbo Marine Science Center was formally gifted to Western Washington University to continue stewardship of the community's marine center. As a self-sustaining entity of WWU, the center reopened under the name SEA Discovery Center and once again served the community as a public aquarium and marine environmental education resource for school, families, and learners of all ages until the COVID-19 pandemic once again forced its closure.

During the 2020-2022 closure, Western worked with local partners to create a reopening plan to meet the needs of the community, and in May 2022 SEA welcomed the community back to cultivate the next generation of marine stewards once again.

Thank you for being part of our story!

Gray Whale - Eschrichtius robustus

Fast Facts:
Length – 42-49 feet
Weight – 90,000 lbs
Fluke Width – 10 feet
Range – Pacific Ocean
Threats – Climate change, Vessel strikes, Entanglement, Oil spills

Unlike orcas, who have teeth, gray whales have a baleen which is made of keratin (like your hair and nails) and acts like a strainer: the whale takes in a large mouthful of seawater or sediment then uses its enormous tongue to force water out through the baleen leaving only krill, shrimp, and other small nutritious sea life behind.

Gray whales in the Salish Sea are part of the Eastern North Pacific (ENP) stock, which migrates 11,000 miles per year: the longest migration of any mammal in the world.

In the Salish Sea we see gray whales as they pass through on their epic migrations between Alaska (where they spend their summers) and Baja California (where they give birth and nurse their calves), though some individuals (dubbed “Sounders”) have now been observed spending several months here in the Salish Sea during the summer stirring up sediments to feast on shrimp and amphipods.

Gray whales prefer shallow water near shore which historically made them easy targets for industrial whaling, though their populations are now recovering.

The Gray Whale Above You

On March 24, 1995 a young male gray whale was found dead in Liberty Bay near Keyport. Though just 1-2 years old the whale was already 27 feet in length and weighted 7 tons.

The staff of the Poulsbo Marine Science Center (now SEA Discovery Center) obtained permission from the National Marine Fisheries Service to remove the bones and display the skeleton in the aquarium.

Staff and volunteers removed the meat and blubber, then the bones were cleaned and the skeleton was put together on a wooden frame. Once the bones were properly articulated the team drilled holes for permanent attachment and inserted a steel rod through the vertebrae to hold the weight of the 500-pound skeleton. It took 17 hours to hang the skeleton where you see it now above your head.

The entire process took staff and volunteers over 1,200 hours, and all costs were donated by the community. Today the skeleton is an invaluable educational resource and an awe-inspiring reminder of the wildlife that surrounds us here in the Liberty Bay and wider Salish Sea.

How you can help whales in the Salish Sea
See A Blow, Go Slow! Be a responsible boater or kayaker and visit BeWhaleWise.org to learn how far you must stay from whales in your area.
Report Strandings. Save the NOAA Stranding West Coast Stranding hotline: 1-866-767-6114.
Discard Debris. Properly dispose of your garbage and chemicals, and safely remove marine garbage when you see it!
Learn & Share! Learn all you can and share your passion with friends and family, because we protect what we care about!

Low tide leaves pools of saltwater on the shores of the Salish Sea.

Every tide pool is unique, and may contain sea stars, urchins, anemones, crabs, sea cucumbers, snails, and even small fish! This part of the beach that is covered by water at high tide and uncovered at low tide is called the Intertidal Zone. These animals are specially adapted to live in such a harsh environment. They may: store water in their bodies until the tide comes back in, have excellent camouflage or hard shells to avoid being eaten by predators, or use strong suction to hold fast to rocks under pummeling waves

Cold Current Sensitive

Preston Graves created this mural for SEA Discovery Center in 2023. With many layers of paint at varying levels of opacity the mural explores the incredible biodiversity beneath the surface of the Salish Sea.

From right to left, and around the corner, the viewer progresses from shallow to deep and from day to twilight. Animals are depicted in relation to one another and their environment.

On the rocky reef a Giant Pacific Octopus, the largest octopus in the world, reaches for a Red Rock Crab who has broken off a piece of a Moon Snail's shell. Next to the Moon Snail are clam shells with perfect holes drilled by the snail to extract the tender clam. Eventually the snail's shell will become a home for a large Black-Eyed Hermit Crab, pictured next to the Sunflower Star with a Red-Fingered Coryphella Nudibranch perched atop. In the water column above the octopus are the transparent shed skins of its suckers; it sheds all two thousand of them almost daily.

Notice the glorious encrustation on every surface. Soft, sticky-tentacled anemones and squishy sponges are surrounded and contrasted by sharp barnacles and hard chitons. Fish hide from predators, like the outline of a living Cormorant, and also ambush prey in small rocky caves, barnacle shells, or in the soft folds of kelp or seaweeds.

In the middle depths where the rocky reef gives way to sand a Sunflower Star, largest and fastest of all the stars, feels its way on thousands of tiny tube feet. A clam takes evasive maneuvers from such a large predator. A golfball-sized (and shaped) Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker anchors itself to a rock with specialized suction fins while mating Sea Lemons lay concentric rings of eggs nearby.

Deeper, on the dark sandy bottom, Striped and Diamondback Tritonia Nudibranchs, respectively, rear up to eat soft-bodied Sea Pens with Sea Spiders motionless in their gills. An ancient Sixgill Shark cruises by in the distance, while its relative the Spotted Ratfish comes in for a closer look. Also known as Ghost Shark, the Spotted Ratfish's sports brilliant gold lateral line, and its curious nature makes it a favorite among divers. Signs of human life are present too: a Showy Snailfish occupies a broken bottle, and a Red Octopus peers out from a glass jar.
The mural reflects the feeling of being underwater in the Salish Sea: suspended in translucent green water, glassy and luminous, the constant flux of plankton, and extraordinary range of colors and textures.

Can you find all the marine life?

The list below contains 100 species of marine life in this mural. In keeping with the experience of being underwater in the Salish Sea, many more plants and animals are visible but not quite sharp enough to positively identify. A flaming red piece of algae might be a Decorator Crab or an abstract passage of paint. Further marks indicate plankton, particles, or perhaps Preston just paused his paintbrush there.

Copper Rockfish (Sebastes caurinus)
Quillback Rockfish (Sebastes maliger)
Brown Rockfish (Sebastes auriculatus)
Vermilion Rockfish (Sebastes miniatus)
Young-of-the-Year Rockfish (Sebastes spp.)
Great Sculpin (Myoxocephalus polyacanthocephalus)
Sailfin Sculpin (Nautichthys oculofasciatus)
Longfin Sculpin (Jordania zonope)
Kelp Greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus)
Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus)
Showy Snailfish (Liparis pulchellus)
Spotted Ratfish (Hydrolagus colliei)
Spotted Ratifsh Egg Case
Big Skate (Beringraja binoculata)
Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus)
Mosshead Warbonnet (Chirolophis nugator)
Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker (Eumicrotremus orbis)
Juvenile Wolf Eel (Anarrhichthys ocellatus)
Red Irish Lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus)
Double-Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina)
Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini)
East Pacific Red Octopus (Octopus rubescens)
Stubby Squid (Rossia pacifica)
Striped Nudibranch (Armina californica)
Diamondback Tritonia (Tritonia festiva)
Opalescent Nudibranch (Hermissenda crassicornis) + Eggs
Red-Fingered Coryphella Nudibranch (Coryphella verrucosa)
Golden Dirona (Dirona pellucida)
Noble Sea Lemon (Peltodoris nobilis) + Eggs
Cryptic Nudibranch (Cormabe steinbergae)
Yellow Margin Nudibranch (Cadlina luteomarginata)
Pacific Batwing Sea Slug (Gastropteron pacificum)
Orange Sea Pen (Ptilosarcus gurneyi)
Sand Rose Anemone (Urticina columbiana)
Giant Plumose Anemone (Metridium farcimen)
Moonglow Anemone (Anthropleura artemisia)
Painted Anemone (Urticina crassicornis)
Swimming Anemone (Stromphia didemon)
Twelve-Tentacled Jelly Dwelling Anemone
(Peachia quinquecapitata)
Cryptic Burrowing Anemone (Halampa crypta)
Stubby Rose Anemone (Urticina clandestina)
Red-Flecked Mopalia Chiton (Mopalia spectabilis)
Merton’s Chiton (Lepidozona mertensii)
Giant Barnacle (Balanus nubilus)
Pacific Geoduck (Panopea generosa)
False Geoduck (Panomya ampla)
Horse Clam (Tresus keenae)
Nuttall’s Cockle (Clinocardium nuttallii)
Giant Rock Scallop (Crassodoma gigantea)
Pinto Abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana)
False Jingle (Pododesmus macroschisma)
Swimming Scallop (Chalmys rubida)
Scallop Sponge (Mycale adhaerens)
Lewis’s Moon Snail (Euspira lewisii) + Eggs
Sea Spider (Nymphon pixellae)
Black-Eyed Hermit Crab (Pagarus armatus)
Gaper Pea Crab (Pinnixia littoralis)
Horned Shrimp (Paracrangon echinata)
Opossum Shrimp (Mysis spp.)
Spot Prawn (Pandalus platyceros)
California Sea Cucumber (Parastichopus californicus)
Burrowing Sea Cucumber (Cucumaria miniata)
Ochre Star (Pisaster ochraceus)
Mottled Star (Evasterias troschelii)
Leather Star (Dermasterias imbricata)
Sunflower Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides)
Rose Star (Crossaster papposus)
Short-Spined Pink Star (Pisaster brevispinus)
Polychaete Worm (Family Nereididae)
Slime Tube Worm (Myxicola infundibulum)
Feather Duster Worm (Eudistylia vancouveri)
White-Ringed Ribbon Worm (Tubulanus albocinctus)
Kelp Lace Bryozoan (Membranacea serrilamella)
Pink Mouth Hydroid (Ectopleura marina)
Aggregating Nipple Sponge (Polymastia pachymastia)
Shiny Orange Sea Squirt (Cnemidocarpa finmarkiensis)
Orange Zoanthid (Epizoanthus scotinus)
Hairy Tunicate (Boltenia villosa)
Lion's Mane Jelly (Cyanea capillata)
Egg Yolk Jelly (Phacellophora camtschatica)
Moon Jelly (Aurelia labiata)
Water Jelly (Aequorea victoria)
Red Sausage Jelly (Euphysa spp.)
Neon Sea Flea (Podoceras cristatus)
Comb Jelly (Bolinopsis infundibulum)
Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana)
Winged Kelp (Alaria marginata)
Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima)
Turkish Towel (Chondracanthus exasperatus)
Red Eyelet Silk (Sparlingia pertuda)

As the mural progresses around this corner, day turns to twilight and the viewer descends to the deep sandy bottom. From the tiny Sea Spider to the Bluntnose Sixgill Shark which can reach twenty feet long, these animals thrive beyond the reach of sunlight. Just like the midwater, shallows, and city above, the deep is full of life.

Moon Jelly - Aurelia labiata

Moon jellies are found throughout the world's oceans. They are drifters, moving with the current. During the summer, large groups of moon jellies (called smacks) grow quickly throughout the Salish Sea, feasting on plentiful plankton at the surface.

Moon Jelly Anatomy

Delicate hair-like tentacles around the outside of the bell (body). Thick oral arms extending around the mouth to the edge of the bell. Transparent or whitish bell (body) with four sets of horseshoe-shaped internal organs in the center (though some may have up to six!).

Moon Jelly Life Cycle

Embryos called planula are released.
Planula settle onto hard surfaces and become polyps.
When triggered, polyps stretch out to form ephyrae.
Free swimming ephyrae grow and develop into adult medusae.
Adult females brood fertilized eggs.

Nudibranchs of the Salish Sea

White Lined Dirona – Dirona albolineata
Opalescent Nudibranch – Hermissenda crassicornis
Shaggy Mouse – Aeolidia loui
Clown Dorid – Triopha modesta
Striped Nudibranch – Armina californica
Diamondback Tritonia – Tritonia festiva
Leopard Dorid – Diaulula odonoghuei
Red-Gilled Nudibranch – Flabellina verrucosa
Bicolored Nudibranch – Janolus fuscus
Hooded Nudibranch – Melibe leonine
Nobel Sea Lemon – Peltodoris nobilis
Giant Rainbow Nudibranch – Dendronotus iris
Sea slugs called nudibranchs (from the Latin and Greek for "naked gills") are found throughout the world, and an incredible variety of them live right here in the Salish Sea! Nudibranchs have two sensory tentacles up front called rhinophores, and they "breathe" oxygen from the water through the soft structures on their backs. Nudibranchs are popular with divers and tidepoolers who love to spot their beautiful shapes and vibrant colors. Above you'll find some of the most common nudibranch species in our part of the Salish Sea. In the fall you may even see Dendronotus iris feeding on plankton at the surface right here in the Poulsbo marina!

Growing Plankton - A Slimy Experiment

Our octagon tank life support system is undergoing necessary repairs. This allows us an exciting opportunity to conduct an experiment! We aim to observe if planktonic larvae from the bay can naturally colonize this environment. This process allows us to study and understand marine life in a new and fascinating way!
Current Species: look for: barnacles, mussels, plumose anemones, and swimming amphipods.
We have pulled some examples of planktonic settling from our boathouse and local waters, while we wait for the tank to go through its normal settling process. We know it doesn’t look like much is going on at the moment, but rest assured, on a microscopic level, there’s a flurry of activity as new planktonic larvae make their home and begin to grow in this tank!

DRIFTERS: Plankton in Liberty

What is plankton?

Plankton is a general term for very small ocean organisms that drift with the current and are vital to the health of the entire ocean. Some are visible to the naked eye, and others can only be seen under a microscope. Plankton forms multiple layers at the base of the food web. From the Ancient Greek PLANK-tos - “drifter”.

Phytoplankton

Phytoplankton are plant-like organisms which live near the surface and perform photosynthesis. Phytoplankton produce more than half of the oxygen we breathe on Earth! Have you ever noticed tiny specks moving in the water?

Noctiluca scintillans - Dinoflagellate (Zooplankton)

100x Magnification. Noctiluca is the dinoflagellate that produces in the incredible blue bioluminescence in the Salish Sea during the summer!

Dinophysis - Dinoflagellate (Zooplankton)

400x Magnification. Some Dinophysis species produce Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning. When these species bloom, built up DSP can cause sickness for those that consume it.

Asterionellopsis glacialis - Chain Diatom (Phytoplankton)

100x Magnification. Each triangular cell is a complete organism. These plant-like diatoms grow together to form spiraling chains.

Ditylum brightwellii - Solo Diatom (Phytoplankton)

100x Magnification. This organism lives in surface waters and photosynthesizes: it produces oxygen from sunlight and carbon dioxide. Can be found individually or in short chains.

Calanus - Copepod (Zooplankton)

100x Magnification. Like all crustaceans, microscopic copepods need to molt to grow. Here, you can see that this copepod recently molted and exited its exoskeleton.

Zooplankton

Zooplankton are animals and animal-like organisms. Some will stay tiny, such as copepods. Some are only tiny in their larval stage and will mature into crabs, jellies, fish, and more. Have you ever noticed tiny specks moving in the water?

Eelgrass Beds - A Nearshore Nursery

Beds of eelgrass in shallow water conceal an entire world of hidden animals. Herring and sea snails attach their eggs to the long blades while juvenile fish, crabs, shrimp, and shellfish hide form predators on the sand underneath. Eelgrass beds are also invaluable to the climate: they are carbon sinks which make up 10% of the ocean's carbon-storing capacity! Hide and seek… There are over 30 animals in this exhibit! Can you find the juvenile flounder buried in the sand, the bay pipefish wrapped around the eelgrass, or the gunnels nested into seashells?

Sharp-Nose Decorator Crab Oregonia gracilis

Can you spot the decorator crabs who have covered themselves in bits of colorful algae? These amazing crabs “decorate” themselves by collecting pieces of algae and attaching them to their bodies. These unique and colorful “outfits” allow the crabs to camouflage in the eelgrass and ensure that no two crabs ever look quite the same!

Gunnel - Family Pholidae

Multiple species of slender fish called gunnels make their home near shore in eelgrass or rocky crevices! We have multiple species here in the Salish Sea, including the Crescent Gunnel (Pholis laeta), Penpoint Gunnel (Aphodichthys flavidus), and Saddleback Gunnel (Pholis ornate), all of which can be seen in many impressive color variations.

Cephalopods of the Salish Sea

The word Cephalopod (SEF-uh-loh-pawd) is derived from the Greek for “head footed.” Squid, octopuses, cuttlefish, and nautiluses are cephalopods.
The Scientific Study of Cephalopods is called Teuthology

All cephalopods have eight arms, while squid and cuttlefish have an additional two longer arms called tentacles. All except the nautilus possess an ink sac, which shoots a cloud of melanin and mucus at a predator, giving the animal time to jet away. All cephalopods possess an incredibly strong two-part beak which looks similar to a bird's beak.

Cephalopods have been in Earth's oceans for more than 500 million years. Ancient cephalopods have not yet lost their protective shells, so they are well-preserved in the fossil record throughout the world.

Cephalopods use color-changing skin cells called chromatophores to change color and texture instantaneously. This allows them to signal to possible mates, warn other animals, or completely blend into their surroundings. Some cephalopods are also capable of exhibiting bioluminescence (creating light through chemical reactions in their skin, like fireflies).

Cephalopods have large, complex brains for their size. Octopuses are famous for escaping aquarium exhibits, using tools, and solving complex problems such as untying knots and unscrewing baby-proof jars to catch prey.

Their lives are short and busy. Once a female cephalopod's eggs are fertilized externally (or internally, in the case of the Giant Pacific Octopus) she will anchor them in a large group. Most cephalopods are semelparous: they have only one reproductive cycle and die after mating. They do not provide paternal care, except the Giant Pacific Octopus who will fan water over eggs in her den until she dies.

Opalescent Squid - Loligo opalescens
Stubby Squid - Rossia pacifica
East Pacific Red Octopus - Octopus rubescens
Giant Pacific Octopus - Enteroctopus dolfleini - “GPO”
Opalescent squid lay bunches of finder-like eggs.
The stubby eggs of a stubby squid.
A female GPO tends thousands of eggs inside her den.
Octopus embryos ready to hatch.

Giant Pacific Octopus - Enteroctopus dofleini

Range - North Pacific Rim: USA to Korea
Depth - Intertidal to 6,600 feet
Size - To 20 feet & 100 lbs
Life Span - 3-5 years
The Giant Pacific Octopus (or “GPO” as it's colloquially known) is the largest species of octopus in the world. At the end of her life, the female octopus will lay between 120,000 and 400,000 eggs and stop eating for around 6 months until the eggs have hatched. When the larvae hatch, they are just the size of a grain of rice. From the thousands of eggs, only 1 to 2 will survive to become mature octopuses. Largest suckers on a giant Pacific octopus are about 6.4cm (2.5 in) and can support 16 kg (35 lb) each.
The Scientific Study of Cephalopods is called Teuthology.

Copper Rockfish - Sebastes caurinus

Range - Alaska to Baja California
Depth - Subtidal to 600 feet
Size - To 26 in & 10 lbs
Threats - Climate change Overfishing
You may catch a glimpse of SEA's resident Copper Rockfish in this exhibit. These fish are common along the Pacific Coast and well known to divers and anglers here in the Salish Sea. They live up to 50 years, though some species of rockfish can live 200 years! Juvenile Copper Rockfish hang out closer to the surface while adults have been seen 600 feet deep. They don't school but loosely aggregate, often hanging motionless in the water column. A female Copper Rockfish hatches millions of eggs inside her body then releases the tiny larvae into the open water. These fish tend to stay in one site and do not reach sexual maturity until 15 years old, which makes it easy to overfish them in a given location. Rockfish belong to the Scorpaenidae (Scorpionfish) family, which include many of the ocean's most venomous fish! The sharp spines on their dorsal fin also make them less attractive to predators. The recreational harvest of Copper Rockfish has been closed in Washington state since 2021. It is a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) under Washington's State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) and a Priority Species under WDFW's Priority Habitat and Species Program. This species is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including increased ocean temperature, declines in ocean pH, and decreased oxygen levels in their habitat. We think this species is pretty wonderful; after all, its scientific name means magnificent (sebastos) Northwest (caurinus) rockfish!

Leather Star - Dermasterias imbricata

Range – Alaska to Baja California
Depth – Intertidal to 300 feet
Size – To 12 in across
Fun Fact – Smells like garlic.
Leather stars are typically mottled reddish brown with soft bristly patches of gills and a more leathery texture than other stars. They are prolific carnivores that feed on other stars, sponges, sea pens, tunicates, anemones, and more, which is why these stars are not in the touch pool!

Cabezon - Scorpaenichthys marmoratus

Range – Alaska to Baja California
Depth – Subtidal to 250 feet
Size – To 39 in & 55 lbs
Fun Fact – Cabezon eggs are toxic!
Spanish for "large head," the Cabezon is the largest sculpin in the North Pacific. Females lay large masses of eggs on rocky reefs, which are guarded by males who use their huge cabeza to ram anyone who gets close. The Cabezon in this exhibit often sits on the bottom just below the window, so take a peek down to find this well-camouflaged fish.

Starry Flounder - Platichthys stellatus

Range – North Pacific Ocean
Depth – Subtidal to 500 feet
Size – To 36 in & 19 lbs
Fun Fact – Most are “right-eyed”
The Starry Flounder is a flatfish found abundantly in the Salish Sea around the rim of the North Pacific to Russian and Japan. They are "inshore" fish, typically staying in coastal waters and estuaries and sometimes even into the freshwater zone. Young Starry Flounder have been found up to 75 miles inland!