Monterey Bay Aquarium celebrates 38th birthday
MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV): One of the crown jewel attractions of the Central Coast is celebrating a birthday on Thursday.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium opened its doors on Oct. 20, 1984. The aquarium was founded by David and Lucile Packard after their foundation helped cover construction costs.
The Aquarium was originally Hovden Cannery that started in 1916. The cannery was the largest on Cannery Row.
"Our founders came up with the idea for the what? It's now the aquarium in the seventies. I wasn't even alive then. And what they wanted to do was show people the amazing marine life beneath the waves here in Monterey," said Director of Communications for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, David Connor.
However, the sardine fishery industry collapsed in the 1950s, and the Hovden Cannery would end up closing their doors in 1973.
There are many other reasons to celebrate this fall, as the Aquarium marks its 38th anniversary just a month after we toast the 30th anniversary of the creation of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. It’s fair to say that the opening of the Aquarium highlighted the remarkable diversity of life in the bay, and contributed in no small measure to its designation as the largest national marine sanctuary in the continental United States. With your support, we’ve continued to tell the story of the bay, from the shoreline to the depths of the Monterey submarine canyon. Through our collaboration with our partners at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, we’re doing more than ever before to reveal the undiscovered ocean out our back door.
Julie Packer
