The mission of the nonprofit Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the ocean. We work in many ways to assure th ... e future health of the ocean. Our living exhibits and programs for visitors are among the best in the world. We offer free education programs for more than 100,000 schoolchildren and teachers each year -- and we'll open a new Center for Ocean Education and Leadership in 2019. Rigorous scientific research 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 business and consumers the tools to transform how fish are caught and farmed around the world. Our award-winning permanent exhibits were the first to feature the marine life of a single region: the rich diversity along California’s central coast -- from sea otters and kelp forests to jellyfish and white sharks. Special exhibitions highlight marine life from around the world. We attract nearly 2 million visitors a year. Our education programs are shaping a new generation of science-literate ocean conservation leaders, and giving teachers 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 advocate for creation of marine protected areas, elimination of ocean plastic pollution and an end to the shark fin trade, and we support of policies to address climate change and ocean acidification, which threaten ocean health, and our own survival. read more