MBA release/newsletter

Sea Notes
October 2006

1. AQUARIUM NEWS: PENGUINS, SEA OTTERS FROM NEW ORLEANS FIND
REFUGE IN MONTEREY
Last Friday we began caring for two sea otters and 19 penguins
rescued from the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans,
which asked us to accept the animals temporarily while it
recovers and rebuilds from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
Unfortunately, damage to the aquarium’s life support system meant
that much of its aquatic collection was lost. The health and
welfare of the animals is our immediate concern. We hope to put
the penguins on exhibit in the near future.

The penguins now in our Splash Zone exhibit are from the Aquarium
of the Americas. Some of the 16 blackfooted penguins from New
Orleans are related to those in Splash Zone and shared a penguin
colony with them at the Audubon Aquarium. The new arrivals also
include three rockhopper penguins collected in the wilds in
Chile.

Buck and Emma, the adult male and female southern sea otters,
were both stranded as pups, rescued through our Sea Otter
Research and Conservation program, and sent to New Orleans.

We extend our sincere thanks to the extremely generous donors
whose support has made this animal rescue possible.

2. EXHIBIT NEWS: SCALLOPED HAMMERHEAD SHARK, SCHOOLS OF SARDINES, SALEMA
We introduced a young scalloped hammerhead shark to the large
exhibit in the Australia gallery in “Sharks: Myth and Mystery.”
Scalloped hammerheads are born between 17 and 22 inches in
length. This juvenile is only 23 inches long, so we’re sure it’s
only a few months old. Adults grow to about 10 feet and can weigh
up to 350 pounds. You can also see the new shark via our live
Shark Cam.
http://montereybayaquarium.org/efc/efc_smm/smm_cam.asp

We also introduced a school of sardines to the Kelp Forest
exhibit. Estimates vary from 500 to 1,000 fishes, and there may
be a few anchovies mixed in. The school came from a collector in
Morro Bay, and they spent the usual time in quarantine before
being added to the exhibit. You can watch the school via our live
Kelp Cam.
http://montereybayaquarium.org/efc/efc_kelp/kelp_cam.asp

There’s another school of about 3,000 Pacific sardines in the
Outer Bay Exhibit that augments the school that has been in there
for the last year. Since the arrival of juvenile Pacific bonitos
several months ago, the sardines have been spending most of their
time in the lower right corner of the exhibit, balled together in
the tightest school possible!

A school of thirteen salema was added to the Water Column exhibit
on the second floor. These are small silvery fish that look a
little like perch. They range in the wild from Monterey to Peru,
but they’re primarily warm-water fish and are rare north of Point
Conception.

Visit What’s New on our web site to learn about these and other
new arrivals in our exhibits.
http://www.mbayaq.org/news/

3. PROMOTIONS & EVENTS: CHEF DINNER SERIES, "FIESTA DEL MAR"

Chef Dinner Series, October 16 and November 6
Make your reservations now for special sustainable dinner events
in our ocean-view Portola Restaurant with Executive Chef Dory
Ford on October 16 and November 6. The October event will feature
Jordan Winery (Healdsburg), and the November 6 event will
celebrate “NapaStyle” with “Tra Vigne” chef Michael Chiarello.
Prices vary per event. Limited seating is available and
reservations are required; call 831-648-7963.

"Fiesta del Mar," October 15 and 16
Join us as we put the focus on ocean conservation through a
weekend cultural celebration as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.
The inaugural event will feature noted speakers, free admission
for all children ages 12 and younger, bilingual presentations, a
craft room and live musical performances by Martin Espino, Juan
Sanchez, William Faulkner and the “Mixcoatl Anahuac” traditional
Aztec dancers. We’ll also present the inaugural Heroe del Medino
Ambiente Award to the rock group “Maná” and to actor Esai
Morales.

Visit Special Promotions and Events for more information.
http://www.mbayaq.org /vi/vi_aquarium/vi_aq_promotions.asp

Check our online calendar for details and more events.
http://www.mbayaq.org/vi/vi_aquarium/vi_aq_calendar.asp

4. CONSERVATION IN ACTION: DEEP SEA OCEAN OBSERVATORY
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is almost
done installing the world’s first deep-sea ocean observatory in
Monterey Bay. After three years and several million dollars in
development, the MARS (Monterey Accelerated Research System)
project is nearing completion. The observatory will be located on
the seafloor about 3,300 feet below the surface and about 20
miles offshore.

Like the Hubble space telescope, MARS will be an unmanned
observatory. Its cameras, remote-control robots and instruments
will get power and send data through an inch-thick cable linking
them to the shore. These instruments will allow scientists in
Moss Landing (or in Seattle, or Munich) to study in real time
what’s happening on the seafloor or in the water column. Like
MBARI’s oceanographic monitoring buoys, the MARS observatory will
help scientists understand long-term cycles and changes in the
deep ocean.

For more information and photos about the MARS project, visit the
MBARI web site.
http://www.mbari.org/news/homepage/mars-update-scinode.html

5. FREE OFFERS: SHARK POSTER, COLORFUL CORAL REEF WALLPAPER
This month's Sea Notes specials include a free shark poster and
wallpaper of a colorful coral reef.
http://www.mbayaq.org/vi/vi_seanotes/vi_seanotes_specials.asp

*******

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a non-profit institution. Our
mission is to inspire conservation of the oceans. You can support
our many education programs and marine research projects by:

- Becoming a member or making an online donation.
http://www.mbayaq.org/md/

- Sending a conservation-oriented electronic postcard to friends.
http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/efc_se/se_vwl_help.asp

We welcome your thoughts and comments.
(equarist@mbayaq.org)

Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940