Monterey Bay Aquarium

??? Our newest exhibit otter needs a name, and we want you to decide! Will it be Hazel, Opal, or Quinn? Cast your vote now! ?? Poll link: https://mbayaq.co/4hJHh6N #MontereyBayAquarium #SeaOtter

Monterey Bay Aquarium, along with 23 colleagues in the Aquarium Conservation Partnership, are calling on leaders in Congress to support the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) – the latest important federal agency to face elimination. The independent IMLS supports museums, libraries, and related institutions – including aquariums and zoos – and their many contributions to American society and learning. In addition to financial support, IMLS programs support partnerships between institutions and schools, help in disaster preparedness and emergency planning, build digital, financial, and health literacy vital to people in the 21st century, and connect communities small and large with their cultural and natural heritage. IMLS enables cultural institutions to serve as vital community hubs across all 50 states. Through grants, research, and policy ideas, the IMLS supports the development and expansion of programs that educate, entertain, connect, and engage visitors. The agency’s Office of Museum Services is the largest dedicated source of investment in our nation’s museums, and the only federal agency dedicated to this work. It costs about 0.0046% of the annual federal budget, making it an incredibly well-leveraged use of taxpayer dollars. The agency has always received strong bipartisan support, yet now the Trump Administration is seeking to eliminate the IMLS and drastically reduce the functions it provides for each of us. We are more than an aquarium, we are a museum. And we proudly join museums and libraries across this country in calling on members of Congress to intervene and sustain the IMLS so it can accomplish its important mission and support beloved and trusted American institutions that bring people together. Join us and take action with our colleagues at the American Alliance of Museums: https://lnkd.in/gANN_Mrn #museums #libraries #literacy #community #BipartisanSupport #CallCongress #UseYourVoice

We’re excited to announce that, in the coming weeks, we’ll welcome a brand new resident sea otter to the Aquarium’s raft! Our newest otter was found stranded as a pup near San Luis Obispo, 100 miles south of Monterey. After being deemed unreleasable by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), she’s spent the past year behind the scenes getting used to her new home at Monterey Bay Aquarium. Our team is busy preparing for her to join Ruby, Ivy, and Selka on exhibit. But there’s just one thing missing—she still needs a name! Teaching a resident otter to recognize her own name is an important part of her training, so we narrowed it down to three unique choices: ??Hazel ??Opal ??Quinn Starting this Wednesday, March 26 at 12 p.m. PST, check out our socials for a link to the poll. You’ll have 24 hours to vote and help name our new exhibit otter. We can’t wait for you to meet her! #MontereyBayAquarium #SeaOtter #MarineMammals

Meet three incredible women who are making waves as ocean advocates, leading the charge in conservation and science! ?? 1: Emma, a Santa Cruz native, studied Marine Biology at UCSC and began her career in theater costume design. She later followed her passion for animals, spending over a decade as? a zookeeper and aviculturist. Since joining the Aquarium in 2023, she has cared for seabirds and now focuses on our African penguins, building bonds, training, and sharing their stories to inspire ocean conservation. ?? 2: Dr. Kakani Katija is a bioengineer at MBARI, our research partner, exploring the deep sea with advanced imaging and AI. She leads their Bioinspiration Lab, creating tools to study marine life more efficiently. Her work with underwater robots is helping us understand and protect the ocean.? ?? 3: Alivia Stemen, an aviculturist at the Aquarium, takes care of all birds from least sandpipers to Laysan albatrosses. Working closely with species like the endangered African penguin, she inspires both staff and visitors to protect ocean wildlife. #MontereyBayAquarium #WomensHistoryMonth #WomenInSTEM #Aviculturist #AquariumJobs

Last week, we lost a real champion for the ocean and for wild places on land with the passing of Representative Raúl Grijalva of Arizona. Rep. Grijalva had served on the House Natural Resources Committee since 2003, when he was first elected to Congress. He served as both Ranking Member and Chair of the Committee for 10 years where he used his position to advance a range of natural resources and environmental justice priorities, including ocean climate action. Though he represented a landlocked district in Arizona, he recognized that that #OceanClimateAction benefits everyone. As he put it so clearly, “Whether you live on the coasts or not, we all benefit from what our oceans provide, from the air we breathe to the food we eat to the goods and services we use every day.” Rep. Grijalva used his voice and leadership position to protect our ocean and frontline communities from fossil fuel development and offshore drilling. He tirelessly championed environmental protections and defended against attacks on bedrock environmental laws. His life, legacy, and commitment to public service are an inspiration for us all as we work to build a just and equitable world where people and nature thrive together. #leadership #OceanChampion GreenLatinos Endangered Species Coalition

Monterey Bay Aquarium is excited to partner with the FAO to transform small-scale crab fisheries in Tunisia by advancing environmental practices and social protection for #fishers. This week, Wendy Norden, our director of global programs, and Manuel Barange, UNFAO Assistant Director General and Director Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, joined a signing ceremony to make it official. As we tackle the intertwined #environmental, #social, and #economic challenges that must be addressed to improve the #sustainability of #seafood production, strong #partnerships are critical to our success. This new partnership with Daniela Kalikoski and UNFAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI) will support policies and programs in Tunisia that promote sustainable #bluefoodsystems while providing #smallscale producers with #equitable access to both economic and natural #resources. Together, we will gather small-scale fishers, government officials, the seafood industry, and academia to explore how best to deliver healthy stocks while securing livelihoods and upgrading value chains, ensuring the social, economic, and environmental viability of Tunisia’s blue swimming crab food systems. The Aquarium collaborates with players at every level of the supply chain to pursue opportunities to meet the growing global demand for seafood while protecting ocean health. Other partnerships are driving solutions in the Philippines, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Chile. While centered in Tunisia, this project draws on lessons from our work and partnerships focused on blue swimming crabs in the Philippines and will offer valuable insights that can be replicated in other regions and fisheries.? #sustainable #development #fisheries #bluetransfomation #oceanhealth

For over 40 years, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter Program has helped southern sea otters bounce back—turning the tide for these critters! ???? ?? Our pioneering surrogacy program pairs stranded pups with otter moms who teach them survival skills before they return to the wild. ?? Our scientists study otters’ lives, populations, behaviors, and health to support their recovery. ?? We partner with zoos and aquariums like Aquarium of the Pacific and more to find homes for non-releasable otters and share our expertise to boost the species’ survival. ?? More recently, our team has been monitoring the potential environmental effects of the Moss Landing battery fires on Elkhorn Slough, home to over 100 sea otters. By teaming up with conservation groups and agencies, we're collecting vital data to protect sea otters, their invertebrate prey, and the entire ecosystem.? Together, we’re working for a future where sea otters thrive! ???? #MontereyBayAquarium #SeaOtter #EndangeredSpecies

Wonderful to hear about these examples of effective, grassroots climate action. You can learn more about our climate initiatives -- including our Climate Action Projects Summit for classroom teachers -- at the link. Your support of the Aquarium's Children's Education Endowment Fund makes it possible for us to continue offering programs like this at no cost to participants. https://lnkd.in/gScKi-2

California may be home to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but our initiatives span across the globe. Over 7,500 miles away from the Aquarium, you can find a remarkable woman named Thuy. Thuy is one of our valued global fellows based in Vietnam, and she’s making big waves in the world of aquaculture and conservation as a senior research associate creating a more sustainable future for small-scale shrimp farmers and the environment. Thuy's work is at the heart of a critical issue — balancing the growing global demand for shrimp with the need for responsible and environmentally sound farming practices. She bridges the gap between small-scale shrimp farmers, who often face economic and technical challenges, and industry leaders, fostering collaboration and driving positive change within the sector. Thuy’s dedication and innovation exemplify the spirit of Women's History Month, highlighting the vital role women play in science, conservation, and sustainable development. #WomensHistoryMonth #SustainableSeafood #FintasticWomen

The Aquarium's white shark research program -- which led us to exhibit and then release young white sharks for several years in the early 2000s -- involved tagging and tracking white sharks with a number of partners, including Hopkins Marine Station of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability with Dr. Barbara Block, CICESE in Baja California with Dr. Oscar Sosa Nishizaki, and the CSULB Shark Lab headed by Dr. Christopher G. Lowe. Decades of tagging adult and juvenile white sharks led to new insights into their lives and behaviors, work that continues today. It's so great to read how the Shark Lab's tagging in southern California has revealed that surfers, swimmers, and beachgoers can coexist peacefully with young white sharks -- and that the young sharks may be making the waters safer for people. Great story by reporter Jack Dolan of the Los Angeles Times! https://lnkd.in/gveEDKwU #WhiteSharks #science #FieldResearch #collaboration #elasmobranchs