News archives

guests stand at a shark exploration station, with a large inflatable shark mouth in the background

Shark Summer Returns to Birch Aquarium!

This summer, sharks take the spotlight with fun activities for all ages!

Kelp Cutting ceremony.

Kelp Cutting Marks New Chapter: Birch Aquarium Unveils Adam R. Scripps Living Seas Gallery

New exhibition brings guests into the world of the Pacific Ocean through immersive displays.

Person holding up a phone displaying Birch Aquarium's free digital guide on the Bloomerg Connects app, with colorful tropical fish and vibrant corals in the background.

Birch Aquarium Launches Free Digital Guide Alongside UC San Diego Partners

Bloomberg Connects app makes arts and entertainment organizations accessible for onsite and offsite visits through photo, audio and video features.

Three Birch Aquarium Educators wearing blue shirts demonstrate a Science Bites lesson

Bite-Size Science, Big Impact: Birch Aquarium Brings Scripps Research to Local Schools

Entrance to an exhibit featuring the Oarfish, Regalecus russellii, with blue curtains framing a dark room where the preserved deep-sea fish is displayed in a lit case.

Birch Aquarium Unveils Oarfish Exhibition

A preserved Short-crested Oarfish found locally last year is on display at Birch Aquarium

A detailed rendering of a vibrant new coral habitat that will be featured in Living Seas

The Countdown is on for Birch Aquarium’s Living Seas

New exhibition opens May 22 with new habitats and immersive experiences

Nan Renner is the 30th Annual Inclusive Excellence Awards - University-Wide Staff Recipient

Birch Aquarium’s Renner Wins Inclusive Excellence Award

Renner honored for her contributions to diversity, equal opportunity and affirmative action

Scripps Pier

Happy National Student Employment Week!

Get to know some UC San Diego students making waves at Birch Aquarium

The Penguin Care Team gently holds the three Little Blue Penguin chicks of the 2025 hatch season.

Caring for Penguin Chicks

Birch Aquarium celebrates another successful hatch season, welcoming three Little Blue Penguin chicks.

Two Birch Aquarium staff members hold a KultureCity Sensory Bag

Birch Aquarium is KultureCity Certified!

Two mountain yellow-legged frogs rest on lush green vegetation in their habitat, their golden-hued legs contrasting against the foliage.

Birch Aquarium Leaps Into Frog Conservation

The aquarium joins collaborative effort to save the endangered Mountain Yellow-legged Frog.

a large brown and white bird sits on a tree branch; its wings are darker brown with blue speckles

Birch Aquarium Welcomes Animal Ambassadors

These animals play a key role in conservation outreach and education.

A little blue penguin swims underwater beneath a floating basketball in its habitat.

March of the Meatloaf

Help Birch Aquarium win Penguins International’s 2025 March of the Penguin Madness Tournament

Three campers wearing Birch Aquarium green and blue rash guards and snorkel gear stand in front of the ocean

Make a splash with Birch Aquarium’s Summer Camps!

The popular summer camps promote ocean exploration, science and adventure.

Entrance to Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen with the credit wall on the left and the title on the right

PST ART Climate Impact Report: Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen at Birch Aquarium

Embodied Pacific is a distributed, multi-sited exhibition with seven locations on and around the University of California San Diego campus, one site of which is Birch Aquarium at Scripps.

an aquarist feeds Tongue Corals at Birch Aquarium

Caring for Animals During Construction

A couple enjoys a cocktail while posing for a photo, both wearing pink sunglasses that read "Oceans of Love." Hand-drawn hearts are playfully scattered throughout the image.

Five Fun Valentine Ideas to Celebrate Love Under the Sea

Guests view Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen installation Superradiance. Embodying Earth.

Lecture Series Highlights Art & Science

2025 Perspectives on Ocean Science Lectures to spotlight Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen exhibition

Aerial image of Birch Aquarium and Scripps Pier.

A Celebratory Year for Birch Aquarium

Reflecting on 2024’s Milestones and Looking Ahead

An overhead view of Blue Beach at Birch Aquarium shows people attending Indigenous Ocean Day 2024 including a tule boat building station

First-ever Indigenous Ocean Day at Birch Aquarium

A celebration of Indigenous people and ocean culture brought together local communities

A newly hatched Dwarf Seahorse is carefully collected and transferred into a specialized grow-out tank for its growth and development.

Tiny Tails: Raising Seahorses at Birch Aquarium

A selection of Birch Aquarium themed merchandise

Ocean-Loved Gifts, Staff-Approved Picks

Birch Aquarium’s Favorite Holiday Gift Recommendations from Our Team

Rendering of a vibrant mangrove habitat featured in the Living Seas exhibition.

Birch Aquarium Makes Moves from Hall of Fishes to Living Seas

New exhibition Living Seas is set to open next year with expanded habitats and upgraded life-support systems

Close-up of a Seahorse Hotel, an underwater structure designed to restore seahorse habitats. Four seahorses can be found holding onto the hotel with their prehensile tails.

The Best Exotic Seahorse Hotel

Birch Aquarium unveils underwater "Seahorse Hotel” to highlight ongoing seahorse conservation efforts.

Participants in Birch Aquarium's Tidepooling Adventures learn to respectfully navigate the intertidal zone

Adventure Outdoors During King Tides With Birch Aquarium

King Tides offer opportunities to learn about sea levels and intertidal habitats