Perched on the edge of California’s world-famous coastline, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is focused on science-based action to protect California's unique and important ocean wildlife and ecosystems.
Our exhibits invite visitors to dive into Monterey Bay’s unique ocean Ecosystems, from rocky tide pools to a deep-sea submarine canyon.
Each year, around 2 million Aquarium visitors come face-to-face with frisky sea otters, speedy tuna, elegant leopard sharks, and graceful jellies — just a few of the wonderful residents of California’s blue backyard.
Our field trips and teacher programs connect thousands of students each year to their local ocean. And through social media, we bring the wonders of Monterey Bay to life every day for nearly 4 million followers worldwide.
Protecting California’s ocean wildlife requires strong policies based on science. We bring critical research findings to state and federal leaders, urging them to prioritize ocean health on behalf of current and future generations.
We’ve helped enact laws to protect and restore California’s ocean and coastal ecosystems — including policies that reject offshore oil and gas development; designate and enforce California’s first-in-the-nation statewide network of marine protected areas; and protect endangered and threatened species, including the southern sea otter.
Each year we recognize state leaders who are advancing strong, forward-thinking policies to protect the health of California’s ocean. Because of their efforts, California continues to show the world that a healthy environment and a thriving economy go hand in hand.
What can sea otters tell us about the health of California’s kelp forests? Can tracking white sharks teach us about climate change? What can we learn from steelhead and salmon venturing out into the ocean? Our scientists study key species like otters, sharks, fish, and seabirds to better understand the health of California’s ocean ecosystems.
Sea otters. Our research reveals that sea otter health is intricately linked with the health of kelp forests and estuaries. In areas where kelp is sparse, sea otters are more at risk of shark bites. We are studying the role sea otters play in the recovery of kelp forests impacted by changing ocean conditions caused by climate change. By monitoring the sea otter population, we can better understand what threats are limiting their recovery and impacting the health of their kelp forest and estuary homes.
White sharks. Thanks to decades of tagging and tracking white sharks along California’s coast, we’ve made new discoveries about the vital role these apex predators play in ocean ecosystems. Aquarium scientists are studying how a changing ocean will influence white shark populations and their connections with other species such as orcas, sea otters, and even kelp. These studies help us better understand how ocean changes ripple outward, with profound impacts on individual species and the greater ocean ecosystem.
Steelhead trout. Every year, threatened steelhead migrate out to sea before returning to California rivers to spawn. And while experts know a good deal about the in-river ecology of steelhead, they know precious little about their ocean lives. The Aquarium is working to learn more about this resilient species and find solutions for their conservation.
Seabirds. By studying our collection of preserved feathers, our researchers discovered that seabird diets have shifted over the last 125 years. Overfishing and climate change have made their preferred prey, fish, less available, so seabirds have had to find other things to eat, like squid.
Algae. Aquarium researchers used technology and data science to help establish the metrics of a healthy ocean. We collected and curated a database of specimens — including feathers, bones, teeth, bits of marine algae and other tissues from ocean plants and animals — to paint a picture of ocean conditions dating back a century or more. By reconstructing historical ocean conditions, we gained insights into how to restore the thriving ecosystems we all depend on.
Sea otters play a key role in keeping California’s kelp forests and estuaries healthy. But by the early 1900s, southern sea otters had nearly disappeared from California’s coast. Over-hunted for their fur, they were on the brink of extinction.
For 35 years, the Aquarium has been integral in helping recover California’s threatened sea otters through research of the wild population, advancing veterinary care, and providing rehabilitation care of stranded sea otters.
Our pioneering surrogacy program — which employs non-releasable female sea otters as “foster moms” for stranded pups until they can be released — is helping support the local wild population. Early on, the successful release of rehabilitated juvenile sea otters helped transform a virtually all-male, non-breeding population of local otters in Elkhorn Slough into a robust and thriving community of otters replete with mothers and pups.
In fact, Aquarium scientists estimate that those surrogate-raised otters and their wild offspring accounted for more than half of Elkhorn Slough’s otter population growth over a 15-year timespan. And because sea otters are a keystone species, this bump in the otter population also helped to restore the local estuary ecosystem.
Decades of monitoring sea otters in the wild shows that many habitats already support as many sea otters as they can sustain. Otters face formidable challenges, including white shark bites, that make it hard for them to expand their range on their own. . Now we are exploring ways to reintroduce sea otters to areas where they once lived beyond the Central Coast. The goal is to accelerate the recovery of southern sea otters and bring ecosystem benefits to more areas of the California coast.
Help us reduce the sources of ocean plastic pollution and protect the ocean — not just today, but for generations to come.
Read about California's remarkable ocean wildlife and habitats — and the efforts to protect and restore its iconic coast and ocean.
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The newly designated Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will safeguard incredible marine habitats and wildlife, and important cultural resources along California’s Central Coast.
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Come along on an expedition to Elkhorn Slough, a flourishing California estuary teeming with wildlife, thanks in part to the presence of our beloved otter companions.
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Kelp forests, eelgrass meadows, and oyster beds are crucial coastal habitats. They support an abundance of wildlife and have qualities that enrich and strengthen surrounding systems in the sea.
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In the deep ocean — a place that seems a world apart from human society — our plastic trash is building up.
