The Alabama legislature on Tuesday night approved final approval for Bill 136, which is sponsored by State Representative Chip Brown, R-Mobile, and designates the Alabama Aquarium and Marine Research Center at Dauphin Island Sea Lab as “Alabama’s Official Aquarium”.

“The Dauphin Island Sea Lab and its aquarium are among the state’s greatest tourist treasures and have certainly been recognized as ‘the official aquarium of Alabama’,” said Brown. “I hope the title will be used to market the Sea Lab, attract more tourists and visitors, and generate additional dollars for the facility’s important research, curatorial programs and educational efforts.”

“The official designation also opens the door for Sea Lab to receive new research grants and other funding from various available sources,” he added.

The Dauphin Island Sea Lab was founded by the Alabama Legislature in 1971 to provide marine science programs to many colleges and universities across the state. Today, 23 member institutions partner with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab to provide education to undergraduate and graduate students.

Its mission has since expanded to include K-12 education, professional development and a public aquarium, which opened in 1998 and has attracted over a million visitors.

The facility includes 31 aquariums containing more than 30,000 gallons of water and showcasing approximately 100 species that showcase Alabama’s four key habitats: the Mobile Tensaw River Delta, Mobile Bay, Barrier Islands and the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Trip Advisor, a website that attracts 390 million monthly visitors looking for information on tourist sites and destinations, awarded the Dauphin Island Sea Lab its prestigious “Travelers’ Choice Award” for receiving consistent ratings and reviews high.

Brown’s legislation has been forwarded to Gov. Kay Ivey’s office for review and signature.