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.