Open 9 am - 5 pm
Become a Member Get Tickets
Two royal blue and yellow French Angelfish swim together.

Vision and Mission

Shedd Aquarium's Vision

A world thriving with aquatic life, sustained by people who love, understand and protect it.

Here, there and everywhere, Shedd Aquarium connects nature lovers and animal enthusiasts with the aquatic animal world. Beluga encounters, beach clean-ups and 360 virtual dives with Caribbean reef sharks are all tools that deepen connections with wildlife and work toward this vision.

  • Three teens helping at a beach cleanup hold buckets and hand each other items to throw away.
  • Shedd's Traveling Aquarium, a large trailer filled with water and native fishes, attracts many interested visitors at one of its inner-city stops.
  • Nickel the Green Sea Turtle swims towards lettuce to eat.
  • Three people lean over the side of the boat to look at sharks.
  • Shedd’s Animal Response Team assists SANCCOB to release rescued penguin chicks.

Shedd Aquarium's Mission

Sparking compassion, curiosity and conservation for the aquatic animal world.

What does that mean?

Compassion for animals evokes empathy for all of nature, which is marvelous, robust and equally fragile.

Curiosity highlights how the Shedd experience brings people closer to animals and their ecosystems. We believe that everyone who connects with Shedd has an inner marine biologist, a scientist who wants to learn more, ask questions and simply be amazed.

Conservation underscores the importance of protecting wild species and wild spaces in an urbanizing world. We have research scientists both on site and around the globe advancing our understanding and protecting the natural world.

“It’s a vision Shedd Aquarium is thrilled to embrace. It’s a vision of hope and action. We hope you join us on the journey.”

Bridget Coughlin, Ph.D., President and CEO