CLEARWATER — The Clearwater Marine Aquarium was hit hard during the 2024 hurricane season, but this summer there is reason to celebrate.
CMA just welcomed its two newest residents, two sea lions named Tuna and Wahoo. It’s the first time in the aquarium’s history that they’ve been home to sea lions.
“We are so excited to open Pinniped Pier and to share the conservation stories of these incredible and charismatic species with all of our guests,” said Senior Animal Care Specialist Kelsey Fisher.
WATCH: Clearwater Marina Aquarium welcomes Sea Lions for the first time
Fisher said the 15- and 16-year-old female California Sea Lions have been in captivity their entire lives, most recently in Miami, which means they can never be released into the wild.
“Our whole goal here is to build those relationships,” said Fisher. “We want to make sure they have that trusting relationship with us; we are learning about things that they find reinforcing, where they are successful, and so far, they are meeting every challenge head-on, they are adapting to every new area of their habitat.”
That 250,000-gallon habitat includes stadium seating, where hundreds of visitors can watch, learn, and maybe even get splashed. These girls love putting on a show.
“We are going to be doing presentations with Tuna and Wahoo so people can really get that up close experience and really make that connection with them,” said Fisher, who already has the sea lions doing tricks.
These animal care specialists tell me the best part is the looks on the children's faces; for many of them, it’s their first encounter with a sea lion.
“I like their whiskers,” said a child named Alana.
“I really like that they have the big eyes because they are really cute,” said a child named Nico.
“And sometimes they do something really funny,” said a teenager named Chase.
Fisher said Tuna and Wahoo even make the staff feel like kids again.
“I didn’t expect to work with sea lions, and I ended up falling in love with them, and it is so amazing,” said Fisher.
The last few years have been challenging for CMA. During 2024, the nonprofit was forced to close exhibits due to extensive hurricane damage, so they say it’s nice to finally be opening new ones.
“Pinepped Pier was made possible by the $6 million TDC tourism grant we got from Pinellas County, so we are very grateful for that, it’s allowed us to put a lot of money into these animals,” said Fisher.
This weekend, CMA will hold a special welcome celebration for its newest residents.
“So, this Saturday coming up we’ll have a Sips and Sea Lions event, where people can come after hours, we will have a dueling piano, a dolphin presentation, so one of the first opportunities for guests to come see the whole new aquarium and all the working pieces we have going on, so we are very excited,” said Fisher.
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