Sea Notes
April 17, 2008



1. LIFE OF THE LUMPSUCKER

Forget the penguins and the seahorses. The stars of Splash Zone are
tiny Pacific spiny lumpsuckers, perched on kelp fronds in the
Enchanted Kelp Forest gallery.

They have legions of admirers here and in the wild for their endearing
way of anchoring themselves to the kelp with suction-like pectoral fins. For boldly taking food from divers. (And for those big eyes.)

From Puget Sound to Japan, lumpsuckers are common in kelp forests and
eelgrass beds. And that's the point of the story. Like all marine
life, they need clean water and healthy habitats to survive. It's a
good reminder as Earth Day 2008 approaches.

We're doing our part, through programs like Seafood Watch, through
our daily business practices and, with your help through our Ocean
Action Team.

There are many ways to make a difference, on Earth Day and every day.
It's good for us, good for the planet--and good for the lumpsucker.

Visit our Ocean Action Team web page:
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/oa/

Visit the Seafood Watch Website:
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

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2. NEW! BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOURS

What do you feed an octopus? How do you mix a krill shake--and why?
See how aquarists take care of our animals and exhibits on our newest
Aquarium Adventure: Behind-the-Scenes Tours. Book online starting May 1.

Learn more about Behind-the-Scenes Tours:
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/efc/efc_programs/tours.asp

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3. DIA DEL NIŅO CELEBRATION

On Sunday, April 27, celebrate children and the oceans with a Latin
flair at Dia del Niņo. We'll have dancing, music, prizes, crafts and
bilingual programs. Children 12 and under admitted free!

Learn more about Dia del Niņo:
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/vi/vi_events/vi_events_diadelnino.asp


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4. HAPPY HOLLOW ZOO--FREE!

Looking for a wild adventure? Visit Happy Hollow Park & Zoo in San
Jose for a fun-filled day of rides, puppet shows and wildlife
including lemurs, wallabies and Sophia the Jaguar. Click here for your
free admission coupon:
http://hhpz.org/mbay-coupon.pdf

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5. HELP US WIN A WEBBY

Our Seafood Watch Mobile pocket guides at mobile.seafoodwatch.org,
have been nominated for a Webby Award (the OscarŪ of the online
world) in the Listings and Updates category. We're up against some
real heavyweights, so we'll need your help to take home the People's
Voice award!

Cast your vote for Seafood Watch:
http://pv.webbyawards.com/account/pv_login

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6. AQUARIUM WALLPAPER

Pacific spiny lumpsucker wallpaper
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/seanotes/wallpaper.asp

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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.montereybayaquarium.org/md/

- Joining forces with the aquarium to take action on critical ocean
issues.
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/oa/

- Sending a conservation-oriented electronic postcard to friends.
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/epostcards/


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

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