The 9-year-old seal, named Isaac, is the first male resident of the Aquarium's New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center. He will join Cordova, Ursula and JD, all females, who opened the new center earlier this month.

Isaac actually arrived at the Aquarium in late June from the Seattle Aquarium via FedEx and has been undergoing the obligatory 30-day quarantine period behind the scenes. Isaac will check out his new marine mammal home overlooking Boston Harbor for the first time on Thursday.

Only two other zoos or aquariums in the United States exhibit fur seals. There are only 15 individuals, and the New England Aquarium will have five of them by the autumn. Aquarium staff hopes to establish a breeding program.

Isaac will eventually grow to more than 500 pounds. Depending on the season, he can eat from 15 to 25 pounds of fish per day. Isaac was named after the musician Chris Isaak, as he was performing nearby on the night that Isaac the fur seal was born at the Seattle Aquarium.

Northern fur seals can be found in the Bering Sea off of Alaska. They have the second-thickest fur in the world and were nearly hunted into extinction in the 1800s for their pelts. Their population recovered with protection during the 1900s, but their populations have seen a significant decline over the past decade due to problems with food availability that might be influenced by climate change.