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Our mission is to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its life, and ecosystems. We strive to create the first aquarium in the world dedicated to conserving and building Natural Capital (Nature and Nature's services) by building Social Capital (the interactions between and among peoples).
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The Aquarium of the Pacific’s Seafood for the Future (SFF) program has partnered with Huntington Beach, California restaurant SlapFish, which opened to the public April 20. SlapFish will be donating proceeds from its Pounder Melt sandwich to SFF. The dish is made with wild Pacific albacore tuna from SFF partner distributor American Tuna.
“We want to change the way people think about and choose their seafood,” said Executive Chef Andrew Gruel, who, with Jethro Naude, owns SlapFish. “The idea is to get people to eat more seafood, but the right types of seafood, because sustainable tastes better.”
SFF has worked closely with SlapFish to ensure that the restaurant’s seafood menu is sourced responsibly. These restaurateurs are working to offer a new perspective on “boat-to-plate” dining, sourcing local and seasonal fare from such SFF partners as Carlsbad Aquafarm and the Newport Dory Fleet.
“We are thrilled to promote restaurant partners, like SlapFish, who truly want to build awareness about responsible seafood while providing great tasting dishes at a fair price. They have been completely transparent and solidified their commitment to improving the health of our fisheries and oceans by donating proceeds to the Seafood for the Future program to further enable our efforts to promote healthy and responsible seafood,” said Kim Thompson, Aquarium of the Pacific’s Seafood for the Future program manager.
Other menu items at SlapFish include a variety of daily and seasonally changing menu features such as The Lobsticle™, Shrimp Pops, Major Crunchy Fish Sandwich, Creamy Clam Chowder, Carlsbad Oysters, and the East Coast Style Maine Lobster Roll. SlapFish is located at 19696 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach CA 92648. For more information visit slapfishsocal.com.
SFF promotes transparency in the seafood system by providing a platform for discussion among members of the seafood industry. The program serves as a conduit of fact-based information on aquaculture and wild capture fisheries to purchasers, restaurants, and consumers. SFF also forms partnerships with concerned industry players to have the greatest impact on the seafood supply chain. Consumers can find responsibly sourced seafood at SFF’s partner restaurants and retailers. For a list, visit seafoodforthefuture.org.
With the opening of the new June Keyes Penguin Habitat, the Aquarium of the Pacific will be celebrating all things penguin with new shows, programs, and experiences.
A new multimedia show on penguins is now playing daily in the Great Hall. It features sound, lights, and video projected on eight screens. This new show surrounds Aquarium guests in an immersive experience that transports them into the world of penguins.
A new film about penguins is showing daily in the Ocean Theater. Viewers travel across the Southern Hemisphere to see where penguins live in the wild. See penguins in action as they raise their chicks, swim in the ocean in search of food, and cross great distances on foot and “tobogganing” on their bellies.
The Aquarium has also added a penguin encounter to its offerings, allowing guests to get an up-close look at a Magellanic Penguin for an additional charge.
More than a dozen Magellanic Penguins are now on view in the June Keyes Penguin Habitat at the Aquarium. These are the first penguins in the Aquarium’s collection, and these temperate species birds have already made themselves comfortable in their new home. A penguin chick hatched at the Aquarium on May 6 and the parents are raising the new baby behind the scenes at the new exhibit.
The June Keyes Penguin Habitat is a new permanent exhibit at the Aquarium. For more information about its features and the penguins that live there, click here. To hear about the latest antics of our penguins, follow our very own Avery the penguin on Twitter. To watch them 24/7, visit our live webcams. Click here for the view above the water and here for the view below the water in the exhibit.
A Magellanic Penguin chick was hatched at the Aquarium of the Pacific on May 6. The parents are Patsy and Noodles, who will remain off exhibit while they are caring for their chick. The rest of the Aquarium’s Magellanic Penguins will be making their public debut on Thursday, May 17 in the newly unveiled June Keyes Penguin Habitat.
It takes between thirty-eight and forty-three days of incubation before a Magellanic Penguin egg will hatch. The chicks are hatched with their eyes closed, and the eyes open about a week later. The penguin parents are raising the chick in their nest, which is out of view at the new exhibit. Magellanic Penguin couples take turns incubating the eggs on the nest and feeding and raising the chicks after they hatch. The Aquarium’s chick will fledge, or replace its downy newborn feathers with water-tight adult feathers, in about ninety days. At that point, Aquarium visitors may be able to spot the new arrival on exhibit.
Magellanic Penguins are a temperate species native to the coasts of Argentina and Chile in South America.
The Aquarium provided care for a green sea turtle that was found last month inside Shoreline Marina in Long Beach, California. As an institution permitted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to rehabilitate these animals, the Aquarium was selected to provide veterinary care and housing for the turtle.
“It is extremely rewarding to be able to help this amazing animal. All sea turtles are either threatened or endangered so it is very important that we do everything we can to help them,” said Dr. Lance Adams, veterinarian at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
The sea turtle arrived at the Aquarium on April 19. As part of its assessment, the turtle received a physical exam, blood test, and radiographs. Aquarium veterinary staff members also monitored its feeding and behavior. “We are happy to report that the sea turtle is eating well, swimming normally, and appears to be thriving,” Dr. Adams said. With the NMFS, the Aquarium determined that the sea turtle was ready to be released back into the wild on May 11.
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is endangered because of the major threats of habitat loss and degradation, harvesting of turtle eggs and turtles for food, and accidental mortality as bycatch from commercial and recreational fishing.
Additionally, sea turtles sometimes mistake plastic bags drifting in the ocean for sea jellies and eat them, which can be fatal. People can help sea turtles by picking up trash in the streets and on beaches and by choosing sustainable seafood.
When I first started as a marine mammal volunteer at the Aquarium a few weeks before its grand opening in 1998, a young female harbor seal named Shelby was one of the first animals I was introduced to. I had the joy of spending the next fourteen years watching her grow up to become a beautiful adult seal. A couple of weeks ago, just a few days after her sweet sixteen birthday, Shelby the harbor seal gave birth to a bouncing baby seal!
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