"It was a pretty radical idea to decide to do a whole aquarium just about this bay, because aquariums and zoos both were historically created as menageries. They were collections of animals from around the world," said Aquarium co-founder Julie Packard. "And we were told by various colleagues at the time, how can you have interesting exhibits if you don't have any colorful tropical fish, or a lot of aquariums of dolphins, for example."
Packard explained the invertebrates, algae and the 'small, squishy thing' typically don't get a lot of focus in aquariums but thanks to its location, the Monterey Bay Aquarium was able to highlight these stories. "We are able to pump very rich, unfiltered seawater into our building, unlike inland aquariums that use synthetic seawater. While the rock walls may be artificial, the things growing on it have come through the seawater system organically. That's why it looks very natural."
"Founded by biologists not interested in marketing," said Hank Armstrong, the Aquarium's first public relations director. Creating new exhibits, in new ways has been a hallmark of the aquarium and continues to set it apart from others.
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