The mission of the nonprofit Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the ocean.
Our diverse and dedicated team works in many ways to assure the future health of the ocean and the people who depend on a healthy ocean for their survival.
Our living exhibits and visit programs are considered among the best in the world. We offer free education programs for more than 100,000 schoolchildren and educators each year -- and our new Bechtel Family Center for Ocean Education and Leadership is taking that work to a new level.
Rigorous science underpins all of our work to advance policies that promote ocean health in the United States and internationally. Our respected Seafood Watch program is a global leader, giving businesses and consumers the tools to transform how fish are caught and farmed around the world.
Our award-winning exhibits feature the rich diversity of marine life along California’s central coast -- from sea otters and kelp forests to jellyfish and sharks. Our newest exhibition, "Into the Deep / En lo Profundo," features never-before-see animals from the deep ocean. We attract nearly 2 million visitors a year and engage 3 million followers through our social media channels.
Our education programs are shaping a new generation of science-literate ocean conservation leaders, and giving educators better tools for ecosystem-based learning.
We promote science-based action on behalf of key species like sea otters, sharks, and Pacific bluefin tuna. We've advocated successfully to create marine protected areas, eliminate ocean plastic pollution, and end to the shark fin trade, and we support policies to address climate change and ocean acidification, which threaten ocean health, and our own survival.
The Aquarium of the Pacific, a non-profit institution, celebrates our planet’s largest and most diverse body of water: the Pacific Ocean. Home to more than 11,000 animals, the Aquarium explores the waters of Southern California and Baja, the Northern Pacific, and the Tropical Pacific. The Aquarium features hands-on discovery labs staffed by knowledgeable volunteers; the Lorikeet Forest aviary; its interactive Shark Lagoon; and the kiosk exhibit Whales: Voices in the Sea. The Ocean on the Edge gallery explores the ocean issues that are most pressing. A world of discovery awaits people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests.
The Aquarium is open daily from 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. and is located at 100 Aquarium Way in Long Beach, California. General admission is $29.95 for adults (12+), $26.95 for seniors (60+), $17.95 for children (3-11), and free for children under 3 and Aquarium members. For advance tickets and information, please call (562) 590-3100.