Monterey Bay Aquarium

About

The Monterey Bay Aquarium sits at the ocean's edge on historic Cannery Row in Monterey, California, opening in 1984 in a converted sardine cannery. Today it is one of the most respected aquariums in the world — both as a visitor destination and as a center for marine science, conservation, and policy. The aquarium's iconic exhibits include the living kelp forest — one of the tallest aquarium displays in the world — where leopard sharks and rockfish glide past visitors through floor-to-ceiling windows. The Open Sea exhibit brings visitors face-to-face with bluefin tuna, green sea turtles, and yellowfin tuna in a million-gallon tank. The sea otter exhibit is consistently among the most popular stops, housing rescued otters that cannot survive in the wild. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is also a global conservation force. Its Seafood Watch program produces the world's most widely recognized sustainable seafood recommendations. Its sea otter recovery program has pioneered surrogate-mother fostering for orphaned pups. The aquarium partners with MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) on deep-sea exploration, with findings displayed in the Into the Deep exhibit. For learners, the aquarium offers free field trips for K-12 schools on weekdays during the school year, teen STEM programs, educator development workshops, and free online lesson plans and courses. The Museums for All program provides discounted admission for qualifying EBT cardholders.

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