Two decades ago, a group of four marine biologists turned a
brainstorm into reality. Their idea: show the world the array of
marine life in the Monterey Bay, which they had become familiar
with through their studies at Stanford University and the Hopkins
Marine Station.
Two decades ago, a group of four marine biologists turned a brainstorm into reality. Their idea: show the world the array of marine life in the Monterey Bay, which they had become familiar with through their studies at Stanford University and the Hopkins Marine Station.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium was an expensive undertaking, but two of the biologists were the daughter and son-in-law of David and Lucile Packard – David Packard was one of the founders of Hewlett-Packard Company, and the couple was behind a namesake charitable foundation. The Packards liked the idea, had a feasibility study done, and agreed to pay all the costs for the aquarium up to opening day, after which it would have to be self-sufficient.
Opening day was Oct. 20, 1984, and on Oct. 23 and 24 of this year, the aquarium will celebrate 20 years of education, research and conservation work – all while self-sufficient.
The aquarium, located in an old cannery on Cannery Row, was different from others because it was devoted almost exclusively to one region, and its site on the edge of the ocean made it able to bring in seawater – having, in essence, an extension of the bay inside the aquarium.
Monterey Bay is unique in its variety of marine life and the geography, said Ken Peterson, spokesman for the aquarium.
“It has, within a very small area, everything from coastal wetlands through sand dune communities, sandy beach areas, kelp forests – you have, in the middle of this, a mile-deep submarine canyon,” he said. “There’s an incredible diversity of marine life – birds, fishes, mammals. And to have them all in a fairly small area with the bay at the heart of it helps people see how abundant the oceans can be, how beautiful it can be and to talk about the threats to it from human activity.”
Those threats range from oil from cars making its way down to the ocean to the impact of industrial-scale commercial fishing. And they have led the aquarium to expand its scope to encompass conservation. Peterson said while the aquarium isn’t solely responsible for the creation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in 1992, it certainly helped by letting people know what was out there, making more people interested in conserving those resources.
Originally, the aquarium focused on educating people about the life and ecosystems of the Monterey Bay, and education remains primary focus – from doing outreach within the community to research to having school groups come through the aquarium. The aquarium is a major force in working toward the recovery of the southern sea otter, and has done extensive work in kelp forest ecology.
It also does animal rescue and works closely with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, an independent organization that is a world leader in deep-sea research.
The aquarium’s focus is now expanding even more to include policy with the recent forming of the Center for the Future of the Oceans.
“We’ve become much more active in trying to engage people – by eating sustainable seafood, creating marine protected areas,” Peterson said.
“(The aquarium) has been a good way to connect the people in the region with the resources right here.”
Anniversary events
Shark Day: Sat. Oct. 23 from 10am to 6pm
“Jaws” author Peter Benchley and underwater photographer David Doubilet will discuss sharks of the world; the All Star Combo from the Monterey Jazz Festival and pianist Michael Martinez will perform; author and artist Ray Troll will talk about sharks and show children how to draw them; Dr. Steven Webster, retired aquarium senior marine biologist, and senior aquarist Manny Ezcurra will give a talks on sharks.
Big Birthday Bash: Sun. Oct. 24 from 10am to 6pm
There will be performances by children’s entertainer Linda Arnold, the All Star Combo from the Monterey Jazz Festival, pianist Michael Martinez, Candy Creations Enchanting puppetry and bilingual children’s entertainer Juan L. Sanchez; comedian George Lopez will lead the anniversary parade through the aquarium; birthday cake will be served to visitors; Amerith the mermaid will greet folks; Otters Mae, Maggie and Rosa will be presented with an anniversary ice sculpture.
