Seattle Marine Aquarium

Lore & Background

The aquarium was a 6,000 square foot building staffed by skin-divers and volunteers. In 1965, Canadian fishermen accidentally trapped an orca, and Ted Griffin acquired it for $8,000, naming it Namu after the area of capture. Namu, then the world's only captive killer whale on display, measured 22 feet in length and weighed about four tons, performing demonstrations for attendees. After Namu's death, local fans and aquariums worldwide wanted Griffin to obtain more orcas, leading to large-scale capture operations, including the Yukon Harbor operation in 1967, which briefly resulted in five small orcas swimming together in one tank.

The aquarium also featured sixgill sharks beginning in 1964, captured from Puget Sound at 500 feet deep using a long line baited with ham, raw beef, and lingcod. The sharks lost their appetite and motivation after capture, and Griffin entered the tank in a wetsuit to force-feed them mackerel and push them around; the sharks did not last long, but their presence significantly increased attendance. The aquarium also housed Homer, an 88-pound octopus captured in Puget Sound, which was a record for captured octopuses at the time.

Protesters picketed the aquarium due to its use of live orcas in exhibits.

Reader's Guide

The Seattle Marine Aquarium is notable as an early private facility that brought orca whales into captivity for public display, beginning with Namu in 1965. Under Ted Griffin, the aquarium held a total of eight orcas over its years of operation, including Namu, Shamu, Katy, Kandu, Walter (briefly), and three unnamed individuals. The aquarium's orca capture operations, such as the Yukon Harbor operation in 1967, were among the first large-scale efforts to supply orcas to aquariums worldwide.

The facility also experimented with displaying deep-water sixgill sharks, though the sharks did not survive long, and set a record with its 88-pound octopus, Homer. The aquarium's closure in 1976 was directly tied to the opening of the municipally owned Seattle Aquarium on Pier 59, marking a shift from private to public aquarium management in the city. Its legacy includes both the pioneering of orca captivity and the public opposition it generated.