Monterey Bay Aquarium — Aquarium in Monterey

AZA WAZA

Monterey Bay Aquarium and its collection

Monterey Bay Aquarium, opened in 1984, is an aquarium in Monterey, United States.

The aquarium shows 35,000 animals of over 550 species in 2.3 million gallons of water. Its staff pioneered jellyfish husbandry and were the first to keep and display a great white shark.

History

Scientists at the Hopkins Marine Station raised concerns in 1967 about the Cannery Row land holding the Hovden sardine cannery, which Stanford then bought. The aquarium opened in October 1984 and was the first anywhere to display a living kelp forest. It started with 83 tanks across 12 galleries, more than doubling to 200 live animal exhibits by 2014.

Exhibits

The Kelp Forest tank stands 28 feet high and 65 feet long, and is the centrepiece of the Ocean's Edge wing. A second wing opened in 1996, devoted to open-ocean habitats found 60 miles offshore.

Conservation and approach

Its research and conservation programmes concentrate on tunas, birds and sea otters, and in 1992 it campaigned for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to be established. A formal ocean policy division followed in 2004, its partners including the Pew Charitable Trusts as well as the US Commission on Ocean Policy.

What the venue says

**The Aquarium Cafe:** A cash-free dining option offering dine-in meals, with ordering available via mobile device, kiosks, or staff.
The aquarium does not offer on-site public parking lots.
The entire facility is fully ADA compliant, featuring wide pathways, elevators, and flat flooring to navigate between levels.
Complimentary wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Information Center.