The Sea Life London Aquarium is located on the ground floor of County Hall

County Hall, London

County Hall is a building in Lambeth, London, which was the headquarters of London County Council and later the Greater London Council . The building is on the bank of the River Thames, just north of Westminster Bridge, facing west toward the City of Westminster, and close to the Palace of...

 on the South Bank

South Bank

South Bank is an area of London, England located immediately adjacent to the south side of the River Thames. It forms a long and narrow section of riverside development that is within the London Borough of Lambeth to the border with the London Borough of Southwark and was formerly simply known as...

 of the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 in central London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, near the EDF Energy London Eye

London Eye

The London Eye is a tall giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames, in London, England.It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually...

. It first opened in March 1997 as the London Aquarium and remains the capital's largest collection of aquatic species and hosts about one million visitors each year.

History

In 2005, the aquarium displayed three robotic fish created by the computer science department at the University of Essex

University of Essex

The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...

. The fish were designed to be autonomous, swimming around and avoiding obstacles like real fish. Their creator claimed that he was trying to combine "the speed of tuna, acceleration of a pike, and the navigating skills of an eel."

In April 2008, the aquarium was purchased by the world's second-largest attractions operator, Merlin Entertainments

Merlin Entertainments

Merlin Entertainments Group Ltd is a British operator of amusement parks and other attractions. It is the largest such company in Europe, and globally the second largest after Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....

 for an undisclosed sum. The facility was closed for major refurbishments at a cost of £5 million, which were completed in April 2009. Among the additions included a new underwater tunnel, Shark Walk, revamped Pacific Ocean tank and a complete rerouting of the exhibit, all of which were carried out under the supervision of architects Kay Elliott. The attraction officially became a Sea Life Centre when it reopened in April 2009.

In May 2011, the aquarium opened a new penguin exhibit, with 8 gentoo penguin

Gentoo penguin

The Gentoo Penguin , Pygoscelis papua, is easily recognized by the wide white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head and its bright orange-red bill. The gentoo penguin has pale whitish-pink webbed feet and a fairly long tail - the most prominent tail of all penguins. Chicks have...

s that were transferred from the Edinburgh Zoo

Edinburgh Zoo

Edinburgh Zoo, formally the Scottish National Zoological Park, is a non-profit zoological park located in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland...

.

Conservation and education

The aquarium includes two classrooms which themed around the conservation campaigns which the zoo supports, which host up to 40,000 school children each year, and are open to the public when not in use by the education program. It is involved in several breeding programs including the Cuban crocodile

Cuban crocodile

The Cuban crocodile is a small species of crocodile found only in Cuba's Zapata Swamp and the Isle of Youth, and highly endangered, though it formerly ranged elsewhere in the Caribbean...

, seahorse

Seahorse

Seahorses compose the fish genus Hippocampus within the family Syngnathidae, in order Syngnathiformes. Syngnathidae also includes the pipefishes. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek hippos meaning "horse" and kampos meaning “sea monster”.There are nearly 50 species of seahorse...

s, butterfly goodeids

Ameca splendens

Ameca splendens, a bony fish from the monotypic genus Amecaof the splitfin family , is commonly known as the Butterfly Goodeid or Butterfly Splitfin. It was formerly found throughout the Ameca River drainage in Mexico; the type locality is Rio Teuchitlán in the vicinity of Teuchitlán, Jalisco...

, and jellyfish

Jellyfish

Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...

, and works with many conservation organizations including Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society is a wildlife charity that is dedicated solely to the worldwide conservation and welfare of all whales, dolphins and porpoises...

, Save Our Seas

Save Our Seas

The Save Our Seas Foundation is an international non-profit charitable organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, which aims to "support diverse programmes of education, protection and conservation all around the world."...

, Shark Trust

Shark Trust

Shark Trust is a charitable organization founded in the UK in 1997"dedicated to promoting the study, management, and conservation of sharks,skates and rays in the UK and internationally."....

, Rainforest Concern, Earth Sea Sky, and South Pacific Projects.