Sea Life

Sea Life is a chain of commercial sea life-themed aquarium attractions. As of April 2017 there are 53 Sea Life attractions (including standalone Sea Life centres, mini Sea Life features within resort theme parks, and Legoland submarine rides) around the world. The chain is owned by the British company, Merlin Entertainments.

Sea Life logo, Helsinki

Attractions
Paul the Octopus

Sea Life centres aim to combine modern display technology, biological expertise, and entertainment to provide themed journeys through European and tropical waters. This often provides close encounters with sealife, from shrimps and starfish, to seahorses, sharks and stingrays.

Sea Life centres also claim to champion the cause of marine conservation through education, awareness and, wherever possible, direct action.

Sanctuaries

Sea Life Sanctuaries and Seal Sanctuaries operate from two centres in the United Kingdom as well as one location in Australia. The United Kingdom locations include the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Gweek, Cornwall and the Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary in Norfolk. A Scottish seal sanctuary in Oban, named the Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary, closed in October 2018.[1] Manly Sea Life Sanctuary (formerly Oceanworld Manly) operates in Australia.[2] The Hunstanton facility operates otter and penguin sanctuaries as well as a seal hospital.[3]

Since 2001 all Sea Life centre conservation, rescue, and campaigning work has come under the SOS scheme, an acronym for "Save Our Seas." SOS supports the work of wildlife charities and campaign groups including Greenpeace, the Worldwide Fund for Nature, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue. Each centre also has a headline campaign which changes periodically. Past campaigns have advocated increased protection for loggerhead sea turtles, and restrictions on the practice of shark finning.

Locations

Asia

Centres are located at Sea Life Bangkok,[4] Sea Life Busan[4] and Sea Life Shanghai.[4]

In November 2015, Merlin Entertainments announced that over the next 10 years it would invest £50 million in India, some of which will be used to open Sea Life centres.[5] In January 2017, Merlin Entertainments Indian subsidiary stated that it was in discussion with real estate firms to open Sea Life centres in multiple cities in India.[6]

Germany
Sea Life centre in Königswinter, Germany

Centres are located in Germany at Berlin, Cuxhaven, Königswinter, Konstanz, Munich, Nuremberg, Speyer, Timmendorfer Strand, and Hanover. The largest Sea Life Centre of Germany is at the CentrO park in Oberhausen. This was the home of Paul, the psychic octopus who correctly predicted the German national football team's results at the world cup of 2010,[7] until his death in October 2010.

United Kingdom
Blackpool
Great Yarmouth
Hunstanton
Loch Lamond
Manchester
Scarborough
Weymouth
Locations of Sea Life centres in the United Kingdom (exluding those at resort theme parks)
National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham
Scarborough Sea Life centre

Sea Life Centres at resort theme parks:

Former sites:

Others

Other European Sea Life centres are at Bray, Ireland; Helsinki, Finland; Val d'Europe, Paris, France; Porto, Portugal; and The Hague, Netherlands.

Related 'theme-park' resorts are at Billund, Denmark; Legoland Atlantis by Sea Life, Germany; Gardaland Sea Life, Italy and Jesolo Sea Life.

United States

American centres are located at:

There is also a related "theme park" at Carlsbad, California, at Legoland California Resort.

Oceania

Centres are located in Australia at Sea Life Melbourne,[4] Sea Life Mooloolaba[4] and Sea Life Sydney Aquarium.[11]

New Zealand has Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium, Auckland.[12]

Controversies

Sea Life centres have been criticized over animal welfare, with the Marine Conservation Society calling a 30% mortality rate "disturbing."[13] The charity Freedom for Animals has criticized Sea Life over their conservation claims, and also for the presence of Beluga whales at attractions.[14][15]

References
  1. "Seal Sanctuaries". visitsealife.com. Merlin Entertainments (Sea Life) Limited. Archived from the original on 16 August 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  2. Eriksson, Boel (28 August 2012). "Junior oceanologists start at Manly Sea Life Sanctuary". The Manly Daily. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  3. "Welcome to Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary". visitsealife.com. Merlin Entertainments (Sea Life) Limited. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  4. "Locations". Merlin Entertainments. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  5. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/world-famous-wax-museum-madame-tussauds-to-open-in-delhi/article7872428.ece
  6. Agarwal, Sapna (17 January 2017). "After Madame Tussauds, Merlin set to bring Legoland, Sea Life to India". www.livemint.com/. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  7. "German 'psychic' octopus predicts victory for Spain". BBC News. 7 July 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  8. "Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary to close at the end of October". BBC News. 6 September 2018.
  9. NJ.com, Allison Pries | NJ Advance Media for (19 February 2020). "Aquarium at American Dream mega-mall sets opening date". nj. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  10. NJ.com, Allison Pries | NJ Advance Media for (29 September 2020). "2 major American Dream mall attractions won't open until Spring 2021". nj. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  11. "Merlin Entertainments Group Announces $10 Million Sydney Aquarium Refurbishment". ausleisure.com.au. Australian Leisure Management. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  12. Tasman-Jones, Jessica (17 March 2012). "Kelly Tarlton's set for $5.5m upgrade". stuff.co.nz. Fairfax New Zealand Limited. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  13. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43242081
  14. https://www.freedomforanimals.org.uk/News/conservation-claims-of-sea-life-centres-dont-stand-up-to-scrutiny
  15. https://www.freedomforanimals.org.uk/News/jun-jun-the-beluga-whale-dies-under-the-care-of-merlin-entertainments
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