Monterey Bay Aquarium, Public aquarium in Monterey, United States
Monterey Bay Aquarium is a public aquarium in California that displays over 35,000 marine animals representing more than 550 species in tanks designed to mirror the ecosystems along the coast. Visitors walk past floor-to-ceiling windows showing sea otters, penguins, jellyfish, rays, and schools of fish, while a towering kelp forest tank recreates the dense underwater growth native to these waters.
The aquarium opened in 1984 inside a former sardine cannery on the edge of Cannery Row, made possible by funding from David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard. The site reflects the fishing industry that once dominated the bay through the mid-20th century before giving way to ocean conservation and marine science.
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The aquarium pumps filtered seawater directly from the bay into its tanks, so temperature and salinity match ocean conditions throughout the year. Visitors move through several levels of galleries with touch pools where they can feel sea stars and other creatures under supervision.
This was the first place anywhere to maintain a living kelp forest inside a closed system for years at a time, recreating the growth conditions of the California coast. It also became the first aquarium to temporarily house a great white shark in human care, a milestone in marine biology.
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