Texas State Aquarium
The Texas State Aquarium (TSA) is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) wildlife conservation-focused institution. Established in 1990 and designated as the official Aquarium of Texas, the Texas State Aquarium is ranked among the top 5 best aquariums in the nation by USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. Each year, it attracts over 600,000 visitors, showcasing the sights, sounds, and vibrant wildlife of the Caribbean and South Texas Gulf Coast. As a non-profit, the Aquarium relies on support from admissions, donors, and members to further its mission of education and wildlife conservation. Operating since 1995, the Aquarium's Wildlife Rescue Program is the only one in Texas licensed to care for injured mammals, sea turtles, shorebirds, and raptors. It has successfully released 4,450 animals back into their natural habitats. In March 2023, with support from numerous donors, the Port Corpus Christi Center for Wildlife Rescue opened, featuring vital science and technology, including Texas's only wildlife CT scan machine and an emergency deployable field stabilization system. Dedicated to workforce development, the Aquarium reached 30,487 students in 2023, spanning primary to graduate education. The Flint Hills Resources Center for Excellence in STEM Education integrates best practices from education, research, and industry to advance STEM learning in South Texas and beyond. The Wildlife Response Operations Center (WROC) at the Texas State Aquarium is a formalized framework for emergency response along the Texas Gulf Coast. The first of its kind in the country, it leads disaster and wildlife response planning, training, and operations. WROC partners include Texas Parks & Wildlife, Texas General Land Office, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), National Park Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, Port of Corpus Christi, and the Texas State Aquarium.
