Dauphin Island Sea Lab

What Dauphin Island Sea Lab does

Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) is a non-profit marine research and education institution founded in 1971 by the Alabama legislature and located on Dauphin Island, Alabama. It operates nearly 20 research laboratories studying topics ranging from deep-sea bacteria and hurricanes to manatee ecology, and maintains ARCOS (Alabama's Real-Time Coastal Observing System), a real-time environmental monitoring network with 13+ coastal stations that has continuously collected meteorological and hydrographic data since 2003. DISL also hosts public-facing assets including the Alabama Aquarium, the BayMobile traveling classroom (operating since 2002), and Discovery Hall Programs serving K-12 students and educators.

Its core revenue mechanics blend consumer ticket sales (excursions priced $10-$30 per person, aquarium admission with $2 excursion discount), venue rentals ($100-$1,900 per event depending on space), an online gift shop, tuition for university programs delivered through the 21-member Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium (MESC), and substantial government grant funding from NOAA, the RESTORE Act, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, and Deepwater Horizon restoration allocations. The Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation, established in 2004 with a 29-member governing board and a 28-member advisory board, provides supplemental philanthropic support and endowment growth.

DISL holds regulated operational authority as home to the only permitted marine mammal response network in Alabama (ALMMSN) and was designated by the U.S. Department of Treasury as the host of Alabama's Center of Excellence. Customer-facing distribution is regional — concentrated on Alabama K-12 schools, university students, aquarium visitors, and federal/state research partners across the northern Gulf Coast — with no disclosed commercial customers outside the public sector and educational segments.

Name

Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Legal name

Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Website

https://disl.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Dauphin Island Sea Lab is a non-profit marine research and education institution on Dauphin Island, Alabama, serving K-12 students, university students through a 21-member consortium, government researchers, and the public via its aquarium, traveling classroom, and coastal environmental monitoring network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Research and Education

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI), Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Marine science education
• Coastal environmental research
• Public aquarium admissions
• K-12 STEM programs
• Marine conservation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Dauphin Island

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Aquarium Admission & Excursions: Revenue from ticket sales to the Alabama Aquarium and paid educational excursions including research vessel trips, salt marsh tours, and guided lab tours. Tickets are sold through the Yapsody platform.
2. Event Venue Rental: The facility generates revenue by renting out venues including the Alabama Aquarium, Richard C. Shelby Atrium and Auditorium for weddings, corporate meetings, and private events.
3. Donations & Grants: The Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation accepts donations and the organization receives grants from government agencies including NOAA, Department of Treasury under RESTORE Act, and various conservation programs.
4. Gift Shop Sales: Online gift shop selling DISL apparel, adoptable animals, and marine-themed merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dauphin Island Sea Lab operates Alabama's only designated public marine research and education campus on Dauphin Island. The institution runs the Alabama Aquarium (public exhibits on Mobile Bay ecosystems), the ARCOS real-time coastal environmental monitoring platform, K-12 Discovery Hall Programs including the BayMobile traveling classroom, university-level marine science education in partnership with the 21-member MESC consortium, and dedicated research programs such as the Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network and the Manatee Sighting Network.

Product overview

Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) operates as a marine research and education institution offering a unified portfolio of programs anchored by the Alabama Aquarium (a public aquarium and education center), the ARCOS environmental monitoring platform, and multiple educational programs. The Alabama Aquarium serves as the primary public-facing attraction and educational hub, while ARCOS provides a real-time environmental data platform with coastal monitoring stations and a public API/data-download service. University Programs deliver graduate and undergraduate marine science education in partnership with the 21-member MESC consortium, and Discovery Hall Programs provide K-12 outreach including the BayMobile traveling classroom. Research programs including the Manatee Sighting Network conduct long-term ecological monitoring of marine mammals and fisheries. These programs collectively support DISL's mission of ocean literacy, coastal science, and stewardship of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Discovery Hall Programs: K-12 education programs including field classes, STEM programs, summer camps, and BayMobile outreach
• University Programs
• Alabama Aquarium

Products and services

• Alabama Aquarium Public aquarium on Dauphin Island showcasing Mobile Bay marine ecosystems through visual and interactive exhibits, boardwalk talks, and ticketed excursions including salt marsh walks, beach/dune/forest tours, research vessel trips, and guided lab tours. Open to the general public with tickets sold via Yapsody.
• ARCOS (Alabama's Real-Time Coastal Observing System) Real-time environmental monitoring platform operating 13+ coastal stations across Mobile Bay and the Alabama Gulf Coast, collecting and distributing air/water temperature, wind, salinity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and other parameters. Data is publicly accessible via downloadable CSV datasets, mobile applications (iOS/Android), and a data-management center.
• University Programs Graduate and undergraduate marine science education delivered in partnership with the 21-member Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium (MESC). Includes semester courses, summer programs, NSF-REU research experiences, NSF-RaMP BOATS, internships, and seminars. Open to students from MESC and non-MESC schools.
• Discovery Hall Programs (DHP) Hands-on marine science classes, field trips, and summer programs for K-12 students and educators featuring field classes, STEM programs, summer camps (BIO Blitz, Oceans Alive!, Marine DeTECHtives), overnight camps, and the BayMobile traveling classroom.
• BayMobile Outreach Traveling classroom program that brings marine science education to Alabama schools and community events year-round, serving students in schools that lack the means to travel to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab campus.
• Manatee Sighting Network The first network dedicated to manatee monitoring in the northern Gulf of Mexico outside Florida, encompassing photo-identification studies, aerial and ground surveys, satellite tagging and tracking, habitat characterization via stable isotope techniques, and public reporting through an online form and toll-free hotline.

Quantifiable outcome

• DISL has mapped 490+ square miles of seafloor and identified over 10,000 individual reef locations in Alabama's Artificial Reef Permit Zones
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network (ALMMSN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026ALMMSN is a cooperative regional stranding network working with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service to respond to dolphin and whale strandings in Alabama. It is the only permitted marine mammal response network in Alabama.
• Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium (MESC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwenty-two member institutions comprise MESC, which provides graduate and undergraduate education in partnership with DISL. Students do not need to attend an MESC school to enroll in courses.
• Alabama's Center of Excellence (ALCoE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarded to DISL by U.S. Department of Treasury in cooperation with Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council and ADCNR. Builds on network of experts from MESC, MBNEP, and MASGC.
• Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEP for all of Coastal Alabama, working to restore and protect coastal waters since 1995. Works collaboratively with stakeholders to protect Alabama's bays and estuaries.
• Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Sea Grant consortium providing funding and support for marine science research and education in the Mississippi-Alabama coastal region.
• Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner supporting ARCOS monitoring and Alabama's Center of Excellence. Manages Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
• Gulf of America Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS)coreTechnology or IntegrationGCOOS supports DISL's Sofar Spotter buoy operation approximately 10 miles offshore from Dauphin Island for real-time ocean monitoring.
• NOAA National Marine Fisheries ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency that approves marine mammal response actions and provides the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program oversight for ALMMSN.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal partner for manatee conservation and management. All Manatee Sighting Network reports are automatically forwarded to USFWS in Daphne, AL.
• University of South AlabamacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor research partner for fisheries ecology and marine science studies. Students and faculty collaborate on research projects at DISL facilities.
• USS Alabama Battleship Memorial ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner host for ARCOS monitoring station at Battleship Park location, collecting environmental data for the Mobile Bay area.
• Alabama Marine Resources DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency managing marine resources and fishing. Partner for Gulf State Park Pier station and fisheries research initiatives.
• SeaWorld OrlandominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on manatee research and conservation efforts in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
• Save the Manatee ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner supporting manatee education and outreach. Partnership allows adoption of Alabama manatee Bama.
• Alabama Historical CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency undertaking restoration of Middle Bay Lighthouse, with DISL working to reinstall monitoring equipment upon completion.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium: Independent marine research and aquarium institution in Sarasota, Florida, combining ocean science research with a public aquarium and education programs—the closest structural analog to DISL on the Gulf Coast.
• Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (University of Southern Mississippi): Marine research and graduate education institution on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with similar coastal location, consortium-style university partnerships, and applied fisheries/ecosystem research scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/disealab
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCphmeb5XTCoBhzk2b937_Rw
• Facebookfacebook.com/disealab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dauphin-island-sea-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/disealab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dauphin Island Sea Lab