Monterey Bay Aquarium

Marine life exhibition and care expenses of $55,513,859 include the cost of operating and maintaining the Aquarium's living exhibit galleries. Completing important infrastructure improvements: As the Aquarium nears its 40th anniversary, we've continued to address our aging buildings and infrastructure to ensure they're sturdy and secure for many years to come. We upgraded our gas-powered HVAC chillers to more efficient ones that run on electricity. We also increased the capacity of our exotics treatment system that treats seawater leaving exhibits with fine filtration and high doses of UV light, preventing potentially invasive species from entering Monterey Bay. And we reconfigured two of the exhibits in Into the Deep/En lo Profundo to allow for greater temperature flexibility, so we can accommodate animals from various depths and locations. We also continued work on a massive project to update the original supports for our 40-year-old seawater intake pipelines, which is scheduled to be completed in 2024. The new structures will allow us to continue to pump life-sustaining seawater into our exhibits for decades to come. We reopened our Water Science Lab after a much-needed update, which allows our staff to maintain the water quality throughout our exhibits. Finally, we broke ground on a new behind-the-scenes holding facility for our Sea Otter Program. When completed in late 2024, the facility will be critical in managing the wild sea otters we care for each year. Bring the deep sea to light: Our Animal Care and Water Science teams continue to perfect advanced techniques in the care, culturing, and life support for the deep-sea species featured in our newest exhibit: Into the Deep/En lo Profundo. Many of the animals in this exhibit are being displayed to the public for the very first time anywhere. Our teams' ingenuity has led to breakthroughs in raising and displaying such mesmerizing species as chandelier jellies and snowglobe jellies. These delicate animals require very specific water chemistry and temperature to survive. Our Jelly and Water Science teams have learned to create the ideal water chemistry for different jellies to thrive. This means we were able to introduce never-before-seen species like purple-lipped jellies and tower jellies, plus gelatinous midwater species such as common siphonophores, barrel amphipods, and sea angels. A new companion auditorium program to Into the Deep went live in 2023. Living Light: Bioluminescence showcases the mysteriously beautiful ability of some deep-sea organisms to create their own light. Guests who were awed by the bioluminescence room in the exhibit can now glow on and experience more of the brilliant displays on the big screen. The program was filmed and produced by our Film & Video team, which worked with the Dive Safety team to capture underwater footage in locations from Bocas Del Toro, Panama, to Kona, Hawaii, as well as here in Monterey Bay. We're proud that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums honored Into the Deep with its Exhibit Innovation Award for 2023, which recognizes excellence in live animal display and exhibit design Welcoming a new veterinarian: We expanded our veterinary care staff in July when we welcomed Dr. Ri Chang as our second staff veterinarian. They were previously a veterinary extern here in 2021 and made a strong impression with their experience in aquatic animal medicine. Dr. Ri is our first scuba-certified vet and brings to us their cutting-edge knowledge of next-generation diagnostic technologies, especially advanced imaging techniques such as ultrasound, computed tomography, and molecular sequencing.

Conservation and Science costs of $11,760,995 represent expenses for marine policy and advocacy efforts, the global Seafood Watch program, and field research. In California, we're continuing our leading role in the research, rescue, and recovery of southern sea otters. At the state and federal levels, we're advancing policies to protect vulnerable coastal habitats, reduce plastic pollution, and promote ocean-based climate solutions. Around the world, we're transforming the seafood industry by engaging seafood producers, businesses, and governments, informing seafood purchasing standards, and rating the sustainability of fishing and aquaculture practices. Rescuing and rehabilitating southern sea otters: In 2001, our Sea Otter Program pioneered the use of surrogacy - pairing a stranded otter pup with an adult female otter in our long-term care - to help young otters acquire the skills needed to thrive in the wild. This year, we published a paper describing and evaluating our surrogacy methods, including everything from rescue response, pairing stranded sea otter pups with our resident female sea otters, and the release of the rescued otters. This publication emphasizes the pivotal role our unique surrogacy program plays in the successful return of young sea otters to the wild and demonstrates how robustly the program addresses the variety of challenges every rescued sea otter face. Sharing our findings is an important way to inform colleagues about our successful methods and an exciting milestone as we work toward the recovery of this threatened species. In June, we returned three surrogate-raised otters to the wild, marking the highest number of surrogate-raised otters we've released at the same time in the history of our program. Our team spent two weeks tracking the otters by land, sea, and air to ensure each sea otter successfully used the skills they learned from their surrogate mother to reacclimate to the kelp forests of Monterey Bay. And we continued to develop partnerships with other accredited aquariums so that in the future they can employ the surrogacy method we pioneered to expand our collective capacity to raise and release rescued sea otter pups. Exploring all the benefits sea otters provide: Sea otters have long been recognized for playing a key role in maintaining the health of productive kelp forests. Otters eat sea urchins and other animals that graze on giant kelp, keeping the urchin population under control and enabling a thriving kelp ecosystem. A new paper, published by researchers at the Aquarium and Middlebury Institute of International Studies' Center for the Blue Economy, found that otters have a role to play in building local economies as well. As recreational visitors came to enjoy Elkhorn Slough, an estuary in Monterey Bay that is home to nearly 100 sea otters, they highly valued the ability to view sea otters in the wild. These visitors contribute an estimated $3 million in annual revenue to local coastal communities. Growing our program's capacity: In order to grow our Sea Otter Program, we've begun construction of our own Sea Otter Rehabilitation and Surrogacy Facility, which will provide both on-site holding pools and isolated ICU troughs for rescued otters - allowing our team to work toward expanding our capacity to rescue, rehabilitate, and release more otters. As sea otters continue to expand into their historical range, either through natural means or reintroduction efforts, our 2023 work highlights the benefits of their recovery for ecosystems and economies alike. Speaking out globally about plastic pollution policy: The Monterey Bay Aquarium continues to be a prominent and respected voice in the fight against plastic pollution both internationally and here at home. Chief Conservation and Science Officer Margaret Spring co-authored the 2023 report of the Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health and its chapter on social and environmental justice. She briefed global negotiators and the Biden-Harris Administration on its findings and recommendations regarding the harmful impacts of plastic on human health throughout its lifecycle, from production to disposal. She especially focused on the impact on vulnerable groups. The briefing included a call for a stronger U.S. plastic strategy domestically and in negotiations for an ambitious Global Plastic Treaty. A voice for the ocean in Washington, D.C.: In November, Executive Director Julie Packard brought the ocean to Washington, D.C. in a series of events that engaged legislators and staff on Capitol Hill, a full-house audience at the National Portrait Gallery, and key national and international journalists. Her appearances underscored the influence the Aquarium brings as a thought leader on crucial ocean issues. Julie partnered with the Benioff Ocean Institute, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Earthjustice to introduce an expert panel that briefed Congressional staff on the threats posed by seabed mining. Later, Julie spoke at the State Department Foreign Press Center ahead of the COP28 climate negotiations, emphasizing the ocean's role as our primary defense against climate change. At the National Portrait Gallery, she joined environmental leaders Dolores Huerta, Dr. Dorceta Taylor, and Wawa Gatheru in a conversation moderated by NPR journalist Emily Kwong addressing the importance of environmental justice and climate action in shaping the future of the environmental movement. Consumer tools for sustainable seafood: Our consumer-facing sustainability ratings and outreach work over the past 25 years have helped build strong awareness and demand for sustainable seafood. When consumers ask for sustainable seafood, they prompt businesses to seek out sustainable options from suppliers and drive significant changes in how seafood is caught and farmed. That's why we continue to improve our consumer tools, to make our recommendations easier to understand and more accessible to use. Over the last year, we've developed digital versions of our popular National and West Coast pocket guides in both English and Spanish. In response to the demand for easy-to-use, species-centered information, we've created species guides to provide in-depth information about how and where to find sustainable options for some of the most popular seafood items served in the U.S. We've created guides for salmon, shrimp, tuna, shellfish, catfish, cod, crab, and mahi mahi.

Education and Outreach expenses of $21,742,877 include the cost of education programs for teachers, students, and emerging teen leaders. Our commitment to offering free educational programs, which dates back to our founding, is stronger than ever. Throughout 2023 our education team worked to restore in a post-pandemic world our many programs for teens, teachers, and schoolchildren so we can fulfill the full potential of our Bechtel Family Center for Ocean Education and Leadership. From preschool through high school and beyond, our programs build empathy, teach about the wonders of the ocean, and build participants' confidence to act. Restarting our Splash Zone Head Start Program: Each year, about 1,000 preschool children, along with their families and teachers, visit the Aquarium for a bilingual (Spanish and English) education program in partnership with 50 Head Start Centers across Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Students learn the names of ocean animals through interactive games, touch hermit crabs in our Touch Pools, and wave at swimming penguins in our African Penguin exhibit. For two decades, the Splash Zone Head Start collaboration has taught students to respect and care for the natural world, building empathy from an early age. Though we were able to adapt the program to a virtual format during the pandemic, it was wonderful to welcome these young students back to the Aquarium for in-person sessions in 2023. Welcoming back Underwater Explorers: The Underwater Explorers program was back for the first time since before the pandemic - 2,686 kids ages eight to thirteen years old took part in surface scuba diving in our Great Tide Pool. Through Days of Discovery, an additional 1,500 young people with special needs were offered the opportunity to participate at no charge. Expanding our field trips: After restarting our in-person education programs in 2022, we've been building back toward our pre-pandemic field trip numbers. In the 2022-23 school year, 26,567 school children participated in field trips and hands-on programs in our Learning Labs. We're excited to continue to welcome more students to the Aquarium in the coming months. Teen Conservation Leaders are making a difference: In 2023, we offered our time-tested service-learning program for high school students, Teen Conservation Leaders. For the first time since the pandemic, we were able to enroll new students as well as serve continuing participants. Throughout summer and during the school year, students volunteer at the Aquarium, interacting with guests on the floor and contributing to behind-the-scenes efforts - making it an exciting summer for us and for Teen Conservation Leaders. Supporting our future ocean stewards: In 2023, we welcomed 23 paid interns across many Aquarium departments, from applied water science and sea otter care and research, to marketing, husbandry, campus management, education, film and video production, and guest experience. Our interns supported our teams as they completed projects of their own - from an investigation into the changing composition of sea otter diets to a deep dive into new ways to make the Aquarium more inclusive for LGBTQ+ folk. Our four Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion veterinary externs worked with Dr. Mike Murray and his Animal Care team as they progressed toward veterinary careers. First Shultz Scholarships awarded: In May, we launched the George P. Shultz Future Leaders Scholarship Fund. This donor-endowed program supports students from nearby communities that are historically underrepresented in the science and conservation fields. The scholarship honors the memory of George P. Shultz, who chaired the Aquarium's Leadership Council, served on our Board of Trustees, and enjoyed a long career in public service. Each Shultz Scholarship provides not only full tuition but also room and board and all other expenses, to attend California State University, Monterey Bay. The recipients participated in paid internships at the Aquarium during the summer of 2023 before beginning their academic journey in the fall. With donor support, we plan to offer the scholarship annually. Launching a new youth program: Ocean Learning Adventures: During the summer we offered a brand-new education program for middle-school students, Ocean Learning Adventures. The weeklong camp encourages girls, boys, and gender-fluid youth to connect to the natural world around them through adventures and activities. Teens kayak in Elkhorn Slough and learn about the watershed; they spend time at our Kelp Forest exhibit learning about the interconnected web of life inside a kelp forest; they surface scuba dive in our Great Tide Pool, exploring an intertidal environment full of hermit crabs, urchins, and anemones. Teens also participate in engineering challenges in our Bechtel Family Center for Ocean Education and Leadership. Students learn basic engineering skills and concepts while incorporating ocean conservation learning into their projects. Ocean Learning Adventures is presented bilingually, in English and in Spanish. To make it more accessible, we offer free transportation for participants from Watsonville, Marina, and Seaside.