Monterey Bay Aquarium is a nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey, California. Known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay , it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October Its biologists have pioneered the animal husbandry of jellyfish and it was the first to successfully care for and display a great white shark.
The organization's research and conservation efforts also focus on sea otters , various birds, and tunas. Seafood Watch , a sustainable seafood advisory list published by the aquarium beginning in , has influenced the discussion surrounding sustainable seafood. The aquarium was home to Otter prior to her release into the wild as well as Rosa , the oldest living sea otter at the time of her death. Early proposals to build a public aquarium in Monterey County were not successful until a group of four marine biologists affiliated with Stanford University revisited the concept in the late s.
Monterey Bay Aquarium was built at the site of a defunct sardine cannery and has been recognized for its architectural achievements by the American Institute of Architects. Along with its architecture, the aquarium has won numerous awards for its exhibition of marine life, ocean conservation efforts, and educational programs. Monterey Bay Aquarium receives around two million visitors each year. It led to the revitalization of Cannery Row , and produces hundreds of millions of dollars for the economy of Monterey County.
In addition to being featured in two PBS Nature documentaries, the aquarium has appeared in film and television productions. The station succeeded in convincing the university of their concerns in , and Stanford University purchased the property on Cannery Row that housed the Hovden Cannery , a sardine cannery on the border of Monterey and Pacific Grove. Hovden Cannery closed in when its parent company moved the plant, and Hopkins used the facility as a warehouse.
Around this time, Julie Packard —also a daughter of David and Lucile—joined the planning group. General contracting firm Rudolph and Sletten predicted the building would take 31 months two and a half years to construct, but project manager Linda Rhodes and architectural firm Esherick, Homsey, Dodge, and Davis EHDD [ e ] first had to design the facility to fit Cannery Row.
