In the coming months the Marine Life Center — a Port of Bellingham-run facility at 1801 Roeder Avenue — will undergo renovations and plans to rehome large fish that inhabited the center tank.
The center tank will need to be replaced as it has begun to show signs of wear and tear. The tank was originally built into the floor of the center out of concrete in the 1980s, Port of Bellingham community outreach manager Stephanie Wiley said. As part of the project, the large fish that previously inhabited the tank had to be rehomed.
The Port has not announced a timeline for closure or construction dates. However, Wiley said the capital project for $358,660 was approved in the 2025 budget. Wiley said the Port is currently in the design phase of the project.
In November, after receiving the required transfer permit from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Marine Life Center transferred the large fish which formerly inhabited the center tank, Wiley said. The relocated fish include two cabezons, a wolf eel, two rockfish and two wrymouth.
Wiley said the Port is excited about its future new tanks. The remaining sea creatures living in the center tank will remain at the Marine Life Center and may inhabit the new acrylic tanks or existing tanks.
“When the actual physical construction happens, we’ll start focusing on our planning for those new tanks and what is going to be going in there,” Wiley said.
She said the new acrylic tanks will bring fresh energy.
“It’s just kind of time for something new within that space,” she said. “What is going to be happening is we will have that old concrete tank that is going to be removed, and our foundation and flooring will all be repaired and prepared for three acrylic tanks that are going to go in place. It will not be the really big center pool that people are used to seeing in there.”
Letters and visitors
The center sees roughly 30,000–40,000 visitors each year.
Prior to the transfer, the center began collecting letters in a box at the center to give members of the public an additional opportunity to say goodbye to the large fish. Among the roughly 60 letters the center has received for the were:
Dear Tiger — I hope you have a happy time at where you’re moving to. I hope you make new friends and I wish I could be there with you. Love, Willow
Dear Chocklet — You are amazing! I love your name. It is amazing, I love your color, fishy wishy. Love Chelsea.
Originally built in 1986, the Marine Life Center started as an open seasonal touch tank. Early inhabitants included sea anemones and sea stars. After the first season, all the sea creatures were released back into the Salish Sea.
In 1995, the tank was refurbished, including the addition of a canvas roof, and the facility was formally named the Marine Life Center. Former nonprofit Northwest Discovery Project operated the facility from the 1990s until 2019, when the Port took over operations under its community outreach division.
“Our mission is to promote marine stewardship through education, access and open dialog,” Wiley said. “We really feel it’s important to have an opportunity for people to learn about their local marine life of the Salish Sea, and kind of understand how they can have an impact. As a steward of that space, it’s also really important to us to remain free, so we’re free to the public.”
Winter hours are open Friday through Tuesday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed for lunch Saturday and Sunday 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.), and closed Wednesday and Thursday.
Other nearby marine life centers include Padilla Bay Reserve in Skagit County, which serves as a research and education center about the Salish Sea; and the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, which aims to provide the public with education on whales and marine life in the Salish Sea.
— By Joshua Kornfeld
Also read in Salish Current:
• “PNW researchers seek comprehensive dogfish data,” Oct. 30, 2025
• “Friday Harbor researchers look to sea star transfers,” Aug. 19, 2025
• “Eminent climate scientist named director of Whale Museum,” March 31, 2025
• “Tribes seek to turn the tide on ocean acidity,” June 27, 2024
• “Elephant seal Elsie Mae teaches, inspires during molting haulout,” Sept. 22, 2023