POULSBO, Wash. — The free aquarium in Poulsbo has eels and anemones. But they want an octopus.
"One of the first questions we get asked when people come to Sea Discovery Center is, 'Where's the octopus?' And we point to our big sculpture outside and say, 'That's the only one we have right now,'” said Bridget Anderson, director of operations and outreach at SEA Discovery Center.
Their octopus tank sprang a leak during the pandemic and needs to be replaced. So visitors make-do with a mural painted on the outside of the tank instead of the real deal. For now. They hope to rebuild the octopus tank and put an octopus in it with the community's help.
“SEA Discovery Center is trying to bring an octopus back to Poulsbo, to the aquarium here. So, we are fundraising $100,000 with community support to bring an octopus back to our aquarium,” Anderson said.
So, Poulsbo is obsessed with octopi. Sluys Bakery is making and selling octopus cookies to raise funds. Blue Heron Jewelry Company will donate part of the proceeds from the sale of an opal octopus necklace to the effort. And you can even wrap your tentacles around a pint of special beer to support the octo-cause.
“Western Red brewing has brewed a beer specifically for the octopus. We call it Leggy Lager,” said owner Marianna Smyth. “You can get it in a six-pack, you can get it on a shirt. You can get it by the pint."
For Western Red owners Denver and Marianna Smyth, the octomania is personal.
“We both grew up here, and we got to go to all the SEA Discovery Center and see all the cool things when we were in school,” Denver Smyth said.
Today their daughters Reagan and Remy do the same.
"Oh, it's gonna be so exciting, my kids are so excited to go down there and see the new octopus enclosure. They can't stop talking about it," Denver said.
“Yeah, it seems cool to look at a new octopus,” said Reagan.
They've been studying up...
"Well, octopuses can really change colors,” said Remy.
Remy even has some ideas for a name: “Octoey. Or Big Head."
Whatever the name, when Poulsbo finally gets its octopus, it'll have eight important shoes to fill.
"I think an octopus is really a key for people to be inspired to take care of our Salish Sea and that's what we do here at the Sea Discovery Center,” Anderson said.
To find out more about and support Poulsbo’s octopus fundraising effort, visit the SEA Discovery Center's website.
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