South Carolina Aquarium

Guest program services include admissions and environmental services. Providing new and exciting exhibits and installations to enhance the visitor experience, the SCA both educates and entertains. From interactive daily programming with hands on experiences to upgraded technology throughout the Aquarium, we have developed an exciting interpretive journey to guide guests from the mountains to the sea. The Aquarium today is the Charleston region's most visited attraction, with an average annual attendance of 500,000 (including approximately 22,000 students).2024 was a productive year which emphasized our ongoing engagement of our mission and the diverse array of projects that make our institution so unique. We saw record numbers in revenue, including incredible success of our holiday lights experience within our walls, Aquarium Aglow.An expanded partnership with the local tri-county library system brought almost 8,000 additional community members into the Aquarium free of charge in 2024.The Aquarium continues to enjoy "best of class" scores among peer Aquariums in the categories of hospitality and cleanliness. In a 2022 study, it was estimated by the College of Charleston Office of Tourism Analysis that the Aquarium's presence in the community directly and indirectly generates more than $379 million to the local economy ($414 million statewide) each year.

Animal care (husbandry) program services are designed to continuously collect and maintain animals for the exhibits that are displayed in the Aquarium facilities. Currently the Aquarium cares for approximately 5,000 specimens of animals within 250 species.The professional biologists and aquarists at the South Carolina Aquarium deliver excellent care for every animal, maintaining a population that encompasses the diversity of wildlife in our state. The Aquarium's staff and volunteers demonstrate a passion for, and responsibility to, these animals, providing comfort, nourishment, and enrichment for each species in accordance with accrediting standards established by the association of zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

Education:Over the years, the education program has served more than one million students with educational programming and enriched the careers of more than five thousand teachers. The SCA serves as a complementary science education institution providing hands-on learning opportunities for students of all ages. Themed interpretive programs are presented daily by the staff, and are informative and fun for all visitors. The Aquarium has developed a standards-based structure school program that allows k-12 students to participate in hands-on activities to reinforce the standards-based concepts introduced in the classroom. Last school year, the Aquarium welcomed approximately 5,600 students through this program and trained 111 SC teachers.In addition, the Aquarium invested in our distance learning program, hosting virtual programs that have reached over 50,000 participants. A robot has allowed young patients in the MUSC and Prisma Children's hospitals to engage with our staff and exhibits from their hospital room. Meanwhile, our rovers outreach program continued to bring science to life for students throughout South Carolina, reaching 15,435 participants in schools, libraries and adult retirement homes across the state who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to visit the Aquarium in person.Throughout the year, our adult learning program engaged more than 520 participants in critical conversations related to conservation and research. Our paid High School Internship program continues to engage budding scientists exploring careers in environmental education and marine science.Conservation:The Aquarium is uniquely positioned to educate and inspire the public to conserve and protect South Carolina's rich and vast biodiversity, and its vulnerable species and their vanishing habitat. As the primary sea turtle hospital in the state of South Carolina, our Sea Turtle Care Center rehabilitates sick and injured sea turtles from across the state, educates the public about conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtles, and has released 441 rehabilitated sea turtles since its inception in 2000. During 2024, the Aquarium admitted 49 sea turtle patients and successfully released 43 sea turtles back into the ocean after they were rehabilitated in the Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery. This was a record-breaking year for the number of local patients admitted, as well as the number of patients released in a single year. The SCA is working to reduce the negative impact of plastics on our environment by collaborating with local partners and organizations to advocate for bans of single-use plastics and by providing the tools and support to empower volunteers across the state to organize, track and report on local litter sweeps and conservation initiatives. The Aquarium's resilience initiative for community engagement (rice) continued its work to inform communities of the risks associated with climate change and sea level rise, and to provide stakeholders with data and tools to plan for a more resilient future.The Aquarium continued its reef research in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. We studied the effects of removing invasive lionfish in artificial reefs located in marine protected areas of the coast. Once again, the Aquarium held its annual JuLionfish Derby and Festival, where divers competed to remove as many invasive lionfish as possible from reefs.The Aquarium's sustainable seafood program, Good Catch, encourages consumers and business to purchase local (harvested between NC and FL), sustainable seafood. The Good Catch Seafood Connection is a collaborative effort that provides free, local and sustainably harvested seafood to food insecure neighbors in the Lowcountry.Membership:Membership includes unlimited admission for nearly 11,000 member households. Members also receive additional benefits including access to exclusive member programs and events like Fish or Treat, early morning toddler programs, yoga for adults, and hands-on offsite experiences like seining and beachcombing. Members receive 20% off Aquarium Aglow tickets, discounted general admission tickets, discounts at local area attractions and businesses, and onsite discounts at the gift shop, snack bar, souvenir photos and VR experience. In 2024, members made up over 25% of Aquarium attendance.