Among the aquariums numerous exhibits, two are of particular note. The centerpiece of the near shore wing is a 33-foot (10-m) high tank for viewing California coastal marine life. This tank was the first in the world to simulate tidal currents on a large scale, enabling the aquarium to keep live California Giant Kelp (water movement is a necessary precondition for keeping Giant Kelp, which absorbs nutrients from surrounding water and requires turbidity). The second exhibit of note is a one million gallon tank in the Outer Bay Wing which features the world's largest single paned window (crafted by a Japanese company, the window is actually 4 panes seamlessly glued together through a proprietary process).
Sealife on exhibit includes stingrays, jellyfish, sea otters, and numerous other native marine species, which can be viewed above and below the waterline. For displaying jellyfish, the MBA uses a circular aquarium called a Kreisel Tank. Visitors are able to inspect the creatures of the kelp forest at several levels in the building. Beginning in September 2004, the Outer Bay exhibit was the home to the first Great White Shark kept alive in captivity for more than 6 months (the previous record was 16 days). The shark was released on 31 March 2005 after she ate two other sharks in the exhibit, even though she was well fed.
The aquarium's original building was designed by the architectural firm EHDD (Esherick Homsey Dodge and Davis) and opened on 20 October 1984. The aquarium's mission is to "to inspire conservation of the oceans." The aquarium's initial financial backing was provided by the late David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard. Packard, an avid blacksmith, personally created several exhibits for the aquarium at his forge in Big Sur, including the gears and pulleys of a simulated tide machine. His daughter, the marine biologist Julie Packard, is currently CEO of the aquarium.
In January 1996, the aquarium opened the new Outer Bay wing to provide exhibits covering the open-water ecology of Monterey's Outer Bay. Besides the above-mentioned million-gallon tank, another of the new exhibits included a school of 3000 anchovies (a fish that was once the foundation of Monterey's economy), swimming against the endless current of a toroidal tank.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium maintains a close relationship with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). MBARI is located in Moss Landing, California, at the head of the submarine Monterey Canyon. It is renowned worldwide for its research on deep-sea marine life and other programs in marine biology.
Monterey Bay is located within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) a Federally-protected marine area (the equivalent of a saltwater national park) off California's central coast.
Many of the visitors to the aquarium are families who bring their children, particularly on the weekends. Many high school and college biology and oceanography classes in northern California also commonly visit the aquarium.
The aquarium is also home to Seafood Watch, which publishes consumer guides for responsible seafood purchasing.
Cultural references
The Aquarium appeared in the 1986 film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, where it appeared as the 'Cetacean Institute of Biology' in Sausalito. The main aquarium was overlaid with special effects to appear to be the tank home of two humpback whales.
Jim Carrey's character, Stephano, in the film Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, makes a reference to the aquarium when trying to convince Uncle Monty, a herpetologist, of his experience with snakes.
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