Behind the Glass – Kim McIntyre and the Aquarium Conservation Partnership

Protecting Oceans, One Aquarium at a Time: A Conversation with Kim McIntyre of the Aquarium Conservation Partnership.

In the latest episode of Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast, hosts David Helvarg and Natasha Benjamin sit down with Kim McIntyre, Executive Director of the Aquarium Conservation Partnership—a coalition of 35 aquariums working together to expand their collective impact. In addition to helping revive the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards, recently held at the National Aquarium, the 9-year-old coalition engages more than 40 million annual visitors in issues ranging from sustainable seafood and climate change to plastic pollution and ocean health.

McIntyre discusses the evolving role of aquariums as conservation hubs, centers for marine animal rehabilitation and release, and powerful spaces for public education—especially in shaping the perspectives of children during their first encounters with marine life.

The episode also features the podcast's signature segment, Blue News You Can Use, highlighting the renewed push for deep-sea mining recently embraced by the Trump administration. A timely and inspiring dive into the future of aquariums and ocean advocacy.