Monterey Bay Aquarium?

[kjohn12]

Does anyone know if the Monterey Bay Aquarium is on the same level as SeaWorld? I've tried to google any controversies with it but haven't found much. I'd love to see it on our drive back from Big Sur but want to make sure I won't be supporting any type of inhumane practice. Thanks!

[emilyinchile]

It's not at all like SeaWorld. It's like the opposite of SeaWorld - it's completely focused on conservation, promoting sustainable seafood consumption and general education about and protection of our seas. It's kind of the best place in the world There are no shows or anything like that (unless you count otters playing with toys and getting fed, which are awesome). Go, go, go!

Also, if you want to have a nice lunch, make a reservation at the restaurant. The café is fine for grab and go kind of stuff, but the sit-down restaurant has good food and lets you look out over the bay while you eat.

[Mushe]

Totally the opposite! They are conservation experts, and even have a nifty handout you'll have to pick up when you're there that fits in your wallet, and helps you make sustainable choices for seafood when you're out to eat.

[Alyssa]

Like others have said....Nope, not at all. It's more like a museum with live fish and exhibits - no live acts. I live about 30 minutes away and we go there about once a year....it's a little on the boring side to be honest. The kids like to look at the fish but you get through it within an hour or so. The aquarium in SF is a lot better.

[Deleted]

There is a sea horse exhibit at MBA that is AWESOME! The jellyfish exhibit was amazing and my favorite until they brought in the sea horse exhibit. They are both amazing

And no, the SF aquarium is not better.

[Deleted]

May 21, 2014 15:46:18 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

May 21, 2014 15:00:51 GMT -5 @heyitsme said:

There is a sea horse exhibit at MBA that is AWESOME! The jellyfish exhibit was amazing and my favorite until they brought in the sea horse exhibit. They are both amazing

And no, the SF aquarium is not better.

I don't think the seahorse exhibit is there anymore, sadly.  When we went last summer it was shortly before they were about to break up the exhibit to send it to other aquariums across the country.  I agree that it was awesome though.  We spent a bunch of time there and I still had to circle back at the end of the day for a second look

Really!?!?!  That stinks.  I saw it a few times, I think that last time was last summer.  It might have been early summer...I can't totally remember.  I hope they haven't gotten rid of the jellyfish exhibit - I never knew jellyfish could be so beatiful!

[lolo]

I was just there on Saturday. The jellyfish exhibit is still there, but I did not see the seahorse exhibit. The deep sea and open sea exhibits are really stunning. It's almost like an art installation.

And, OP, they are all about sustainability, conservationism, etc. NOTHING like the disgusting spectacle that is Sea World.

[lolo]

Two jellyfish pics and another of my favorite exhibit this time:

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[kjohn12]

Thanks everyone for the confirmation! We'll definitely be making a visit then!

[stever]

Jumping on the bandwagon - it's nothing like Sea World!

[wise_rita]

I am dying to go there!

SeaWorld, no thanks.

[christy082]

It's wonderful! We went in 2012. They have observation decks outside and we saw whales in the distance! So cool.

[mdgirl]

That does it, this is DH's birthday trip next year!

[lolo]

May 23, 2014 11:59:31 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

May 23, 2014 10:21:49 GMT -5 mdgirl said:

That does it, this is DH's birthday trip next year!

If you're driving down from S.F., I always recommend a quick stop at The Mystery Spot too.  It's super fun if you're into that kind of thing (check out the website) and is on the way to Monterey.  The stop only takes about an hour so it's not adding some other big activity to the day.

Or take the long way (down 1 through Pacifica) and stop at some of the cool beaches, like Half Moon Bay, Ano Nuevo or Natural Bridges (Santa Cruz). It's a pretty amazing drive too. Not Big Sur, okay, but pretty darn nice!

[HamishHealys]

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is several notches above Seaworld. It’s an amazing place. Go, see it

[PinkSquirrel]

While I agree the Monterey Bay Aquarium is far better than Seaworld, they have a pretty disgusting track record when it comes to Great Whites and housing them in captivity. I believe they took a "break" starting last year, but they did not do an adequate job with the sharks when they were out on display.

[emilyinchile]

May 30, 2014 9:58:36 GMT -5 PinkSquirrel said:

While I agree the Monterey Bay Aquarium is far better than Seaworld, they have a pretty disgusting track record when it comes to Great Whites and housing them in captivity. I believe they took a "break" starting last year, but they did not do an adequate job with the sharks when they were out on display.

Do you have more info on this? I have the impression that the've kept Great Whites basically as long as possible before they start "fading" (for lack of a better term) and then release them, with the idea of finding a balance between studying them/letting people learn about them and keeping the animals healthy. I don't know details though, clearly.

[PinkSquirrel]

May 30, 2014 11:01:40 GMT -5 emilyinchile said:

May 30, 2014 9:58:36 GMT -5 PinkSquirrel said:

While I agree the Monterey Bay Aquarium is far better than Seaworld, they have a pretty disgusting track record when it comes to Great Whites and housing them in captivity. I believe they took a "break" starting last year, but they did not do an adequate job with the sharks when they were out on display.

Do you have more info on this? I have the impression that the've kept Great Whites basically as long as possible before they start "fading" (for lack of a better term) and then release them, with the idea of finding a balance between studying them/letting people learn about them and keeping the animals healthy. I don't know details though, clearly.

I can try to dig some stuff up.  I was reading about it awhile ago, but it really boils down to if an animal starts "fading" in your care, you probably shouldn't have it in your care for funsies.   I do think they were truly motivated by wanting to do good conservation work, but Great Whites, like Orcas don't belong in captivity and I don't think they should get a free pass because they're generally really well respected.

[emilyinchile]

May 30, 2014 12:41:24 GMT -5 PinkSquirrel said:

I can try to dig some stuff up.  I was reading about it awhile ago, but it really boils down to if an animal starts "fading" in your care, you probably shouldn't have it in your care for funsies.   I do think they were truly motivated by wanting to do good conservation work, but Great Whites, like Orcas don't belong in captivity and I don't think they should get a free pass because they're generally really well respected.

Don't sweat it, I can also Google but didn't know if you had stuff off the top of your head.

I definitely agree with the bolded, but I do think that a certain amount of sacrifice by one animal can be worth it for a species overall in terms of keeping a few in captivity to hopefully help increase conservation of wild populations. I wouldn't agree with having a Great White or an Orca on display just because they look cool or to make money, but I don't know enough to make the call of where that line falls for me in terms of keeping one temporarily to study it and increase public awareness. I hope that makes sense, I'm a little loopy from hellish travel today

[PinkSquirrel]

There's a lot out there on the reasons Great Whites shouldn't be in captivity.  This nature.com article talks about the snouts of the white sharks getting damaged because they ram them into the tank walls.   One of the sharks also died right after being put back into the wild.    I do believe their intentions were good, but the aquarium made bank showing off those sharks 

Also, Guess who the other organization to successfully house a Great White is?   Sea World.  They released the shark after 16 days and didn't try again.    If you're doing stuff even Sea World won't do, it's going to give me serious pause.

[PinkSquirrel]

May 30, 2014 12:51:59 GMT -5 emilyinchile said:

May 30, 2014 12:41:24 GMT -5 PinkSquirrel said:

I can try to dig some stuff up.  I was reading about it awhile ago, but it really boils down to if an animal starts "fading" in your care, you probably shouldn't have it in your care for funsies.   I do think they were truly motivated by wanting to do good conservation work, but Great Whites, like Orcas don't belong in captivity and I don't think they should get a free pass because they're generally really well respected.

Don't sweat it, I can also Google but didn't know if you had stuff off the top of your head.

I definitely agree with the bolded, but I do think that a certain amount of sacrifice by one animal can be worth it for a species overall in terms of keeping a few in captivity to hopefully help increase conservation of wild populations. I wouldn't agree with having a Great White or an Orca on display just because they look cool or to make money, but I don't know enough to make the call of where that line falls for me in terms of keeping one temporarily to study it and increase public awareness. I hope that makes sense, I'm a little loopy from hellish travel today

From what I've read that's 100% how the aquarium framed it.      I frankly don't believe that this was necessary for public awareness.   I see how nuts my FB feed goes during Shark Week, people know about sharks and are pretty interested in them.   Putting a Great White in display isn't making anyone more aware of anything.   

I do think there's definitely something to be said for having the ability to study Great Whites, but how useful is it when they shark isn't behaving at all normally because you have him in a tank that is teeny tiny compared to the ocean the shark usually lives in.  Yes, there are of course some tests and research that can be done, but can't most of that be done in the ocean.  I mean maybe not.  I don't remember reading any amazing research that came out of it (it is certainly possible) but I believe there was something like a 30% hike in ticket sales at the Aquarium when they started displaying Great Whites.     Something about that makes me really uncomfortable