From record-breaking milestones to groundbreaking conservation efforts, 2025 has been a truly landmark year for Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. It has been a year of growth, discovery and celebration, laying the foundation for even more exciting adventures in the years ahead.
In May, the aquarium proudly unveiled the Adam R. Scripps Living Seas Gallery — the largest renovation in its history — transforming a bold, immersive vision into reality and redefining how guests connect with the ocean. With a ceremonial “kelp cutting,” Birch Aquarium officially opened this groundbreaking exhibition, inviting guests on an unforgettable journey through the vibrant ecosystems of the Pacific.
“This renovation was a tremendous lift that challenged our entire team,” said Harry Helling, Executive Director. “The impact has exceeded even our highest expectations. Living Seas has enhanced both the guest experience and the facilities that support the health and wellbeing of our animals — and our community has truly taken notice.”
The excitement doesn’t stop there. Record attendance, growing membership, outstanding gift shop performance and exceptional guest experience scores highlight the profound impact of these achievements. Beyond these milestones, our animals are thriving like never before. From the first-ever species reintroduction in aquarium history and groundbreaking coral propagation, to the hatching of baby octopuses, Little Blue Penguin chicks and more, these successes are setting new benchmarks in the aquarium’s conservation and care.
“These wins reflect our collective success and are just a few examples of the vitality within our doors,” said Helling.
Conservation Celebrations
Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs
More than 350 Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs were reintroduced into the wild in Southern California’s San Bernardino Mountains — one of the largest releases to date and a major milestone for the recovery of this endangered species. The effort also marked Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s first-ever species reintroduction, highlighting a historic step forward in its growing conservation mission. Read the full story here.
Little Blue Penguins
This year marked the aquarium’s second successful hatch season, welcoming three new Little Blue Penguin chicks! One egg faced a challenge early on when the team discovered a small crack in its shell — a potentially fatal flaw. Acting fast, the penguin care team patched it with glue and a paper towel, then monitored it in an incubator until the chick safely hatched. As the year draws to a close, we’ve been highlighting the nesting season, using it as an opportunity to explain just how vital this stage is in a penguin’s life.
Coral Conservation
The new Tropical Pacific Coral habitat in Living Seas is nearly six times larger than the previous coral display, immersing guests in a vibrant world of corals, Giant Clams and tropical fish. With energy-efficient pumps and programmable lighting, it’s not only stunning but also advancing our sustainability goals — and the reef is already thriving! Learn more about our coral conservation efforts here.
Exciting Exhibitions and Experiences
Meditation Ocean: Aquarius Reef Base
In addition to the opening of Living Seas, the aquarium also opened Meditation Ocean: Aquarius Reef Base. This multi-sensory art and science installation reimagines the historic Aquarius Reef Base — the world’s only undersea research habitat — as a meditation space inspired by life beneath the ocean. Explore Meditation Ocean: Aquarius Reef Base.
Lectures
From spotlighting the art-science collaborations behind Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen to showcasing Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s impactful marine research, the Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series continued to explore exciting new topics. The aquarium also celebrated the 50th anniversary of JAWS with a special evening featuring ocean advocate Wendy Benchley, wife of the late author Peter Benchley.
Activations
The aquarium celebrated its annual Shark Summer bringing guests into the dynamic world of our local shark species while spotlighting our partnership with AZA SAFE Shark and Ray. From shark-themed trivia nights to hosting contestants from Netflix’s All the Sharks, including Scripps Oceanography’s own Brendan Talwar, the event offered a fun and engaging way to connect our community with these fascinating creatures.
The aquarium’s annual Halloween Aglow continued to delight guests of all ages during the Halloween season. A highlight of the season was a giant 12-foot skeleton that transformed the Giant Kelp Forest into a spooky spectacle, quickly becoming a viral sensation.
Sports Collaborations
This year, we teamed up with some of San Diego’s favorite sports teams — the San Diego Wave, San Diego Mojo, and San Diego Strikeforce. We helped San Diego Wave launch their ocean-inspired “Azul” (Altamar) secondary jersey for 2025 with a photoshoot at the aquarium. San Diego Mojo visited for a fun day that included a sharks and rays feeding and San Diego Strikeforce stopped by for guest meet-and-greets with players and their mascot, Junior the Shark.
Education and Campus Connections
School and Youth Group Programs and Summer Camp Highlights
In 2025, Birch Aquarium connected thousands of young minds to the ocean! The aquarium’s Education Team facilitated 439 Discovery Labs, 211 Aquarium Express Outreaches and 430 Self-Guided Visits, while also welcoming over 566 summer campers. The aquarium also hosted its annual Teacher Appreciation Night and welcomed 117 educators.
Public Programs
The aquarium also engaged more than 1,400 guests in unique, memorable experiences through Sunset Scripps Pier Walks, Tidepooling Adventures and Behind-the-Scenes Tours.
Celebrating Indigenous Ocean Knowledge
In November, Birch Aquarium hosted the second annual Indigenous Ocean Day, centering and celebrating Indigenous people and Indigenous ocean knowledge with the original peoples of Southern California, Baja CA and from across Turtle Island. The event was attended by more than 1,200 people including representatives from Indigenous cultural and educational organizations and tribal communities from all over Southern California. The aquarium also partnered with Lanise Luna, an intern from California State University San Marcos, who helped shape and plan the event.
UC San Diego Student Highlight (FY 24-25)
Birch Aquarium serves as an important campus connection for Scripps Oceanography and UC San Diego students through coursework, presentations, jobs, volunteering opportunities and more. The aquarium plays a vital role in student life, while students, in turn, infuse the aquarium with fresh energy and ideas. Read the full story here.
Triton Weeks of Welcome
During Triton Weeks of Welcome (TWOW) 2025, Birch Aquarium welcomed 4,190 UC San Diego students and added 741 UC San Diego student memberships during the university-wide orientation.
Membership Highlights
Birch Aquarium kicked off the year with a reciprocity partnership program with the Fleet Science Center in January. Over 2,600 Birch Aquarium members participated in The Big Exchange in May, receiving free admission to over 50 other local museums and cultural partners. Over two thousand members attended the Living Seas Member Preview event, getting a special first-look at the new exhibition. And 35 members volunteered for Coastal Clean Up Day, cleaning 10 pounds of trash off La Jolla Shores.
This year Birch Aquarium also launched Monthly Member Perks including a Wave Water Park partnership for July and August, a whale watching cruise raffle for Clean Up volunteers in September, a Bring-a-Guest promotion in October, free admission to our Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series and an Extra Member Discount in December.
Expanding Access
KultureCity Certified
Birch Aquarium is proud to be recognized as a KultureCity Certified Sensory Inclusive Venue! This new certification enhances our ability to provide a welcoming and comfortable experience for all guests, including those with sensory sensitivities, ensuring every visit to the aquarium is enjoyable and accommodating. Learn more here.
Bloomberg Connects
The aquarium launched a 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. Explore more with Bloomberg Connects.
Celebrating Staff and Volunteers
In April, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships Nan Renner won the 2024 Staff Inclusive Excellence Award. We also highlighted our more than 60 student employees for their contributions to Birch Aquarium.
In October, Executive Director Harry Helling, was named one of the 50 most influential individuals among the zoo and aquarium community. The 2025 blooloop 50 Zoo & Aquarium Influencer List celebrates leaders who are shaping the future of zoos and aquariums — driving innovation, inspiring conservation and making a lasting difference for wildlife and people alike.
Several members of our staff also celebrated big milestone anniversaries in 2025. Harry Helling and Executive Assistant Laura Nuño both completed ten years of service. Director of Special Events Ioana Vladescu celebrated 20 years and Manager of Exhibit Development Tina Mao celebrated 25 years.
We were thrilled to have 384 volunteers at the aquarium, who collectively contributed about 21,435 hours of their time. To celebrate National Volunteer Week, we spotlighted four amazing volunteers, each showcasing a different role: Tide Pool Interpreter, Volunteer Diver, Greeter and Aquarist Assistant.
About Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Birch Aquarium at Scripps is the public exploration center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Birch Aquarium features the groundbreaking work of Scripps Oceanography and UC San Diego scientists as well as conservation breeding programs and interactive exhibits. Birch Aquarium’s mission is to connect understanding to protecting our ocean planet, which it achieves through engaging hands-on learning opportunities for more than 500,000 guests and 40,000-plus pre-K-12 students each year. Visit aquarium.ucsd.edu for more information.