Monterey Bay Aquarium Monterey Bay Aquarium News

According to the Site, Umbrella Comb Jellies are now on Display in Into the Deep. Most likely with the Bloody Belly Comb Jellies as they were housed together BTS in the Jelly Lab Stream while the Exhibit was in development

 

The recently hatched african penguin chick Pfeiffer has a congenital heart defect that can’t be repaired which is a hole in the heart.

from the tumblr page
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We’re sad to share that recently hatched African penguin chick, Pfeiffer, has a congenital heart defect that can’t be repaired. Veterinary medical experts at UC Davis found a hole in Pfeiffer’s heart when our Veterinary team – who had been closely monitoring the chick and were concerned about Pfeiffer’s overall health – sent the bird there for an in-depth exam. We always hope that every animal at the Aquarium will live a long and healthy life. For animals like Pfeiffer that face challenges, we ensure that their lives – however long – are the best they can be.

Because penguins are social birds that do best in the company of others of their species, you’ll see Pfeiffer splish-splashing with the rest of the colony in our penguin exhibit. Aviculturist Dominique Blair says that Pfeiffer seems to really enjoy the water and spends a lot of time there. Right now the young bird is wearing a wing band that’s black with white letters, which usually identifies females, though we don’t yet know their sex. A strong-willed and independent juvenile penguin, Pfeiffer lets our aviculturists know that they are big enough to take care of themselves! Dominique observes, “Pfeiffer often gives me a very obvious side-eye judgment when I’m doing silly human things like singing/dancing during cleaning or trying to play with their enrichment items.”

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Because of Pfeiffer’s heart condition, our aviculture and veterinary teams will be extra attentive to the bird’s overall health. They’ll be watching for subtle signs that something is amiss so they can intervene with treatment to help Pfeiffer remain active and comfortable for as long as possible. That’s our number one priority for every animal under our care.

 

There is a new resident sea otter named Ruby from aquarium of the americas! https://twitter.com/MontereyAq/status/1546913587804913664

 

News as of 8/3/22 (Thanks to Runkle the Zoo Man)
New
Tentacles: Big Fin Reef Squid Tank is closed for refurbishment

Into the Deep:

-Mauve Stingers are now back on display, they're by the big video screens at the beginning of the exhibit (aka the same tank they were in at the beginning)

-Umbrella Comb Jellies have been moved from that tank, to the Bloody Belly Comb Jelly Tank

-Bloody Belly Comb Jellies and Umbrella Comb Jellies aren't on exhibit at the moment as that tank is going under refurbishment

-The Umbrella Comb Jellies have seemingly replaced the Bloody Bellies at the moment as there is no mention of them in the Midwater Section



My theory and what I'm hoping for is that they're working on co-housing the Bloody Bellies and Umbrellas. They were housed together behind the scenes back in 2020 and it looked like it was going well. Seeing them both on display in the same tank would be really awesome.

 

Tentacles will be coming to a close on September 5th, 2022

After an 8 year long run, MBA has officially announced that Tentacles will be coming to an end on September 5th, 2022

"When Tentacles opened in 2014, it was the largest and most diverse living exhibit of cephalopods ever created. Now, after an amazing eight-year run, we’re preparing to say goodbye to this memorable exhibit after Labor Day weekend. Plan your visits now through September 5 for your last chance to see animals like pajama squid, flamboyant cuttlefish, and caribbean reef octopus.

To keep these wonderfully mysterious — but relatively short-lived — animals on display, required our aquarists to culture most of the animals in Tentacles behind the scenes. Now, our aquarists are winding down their culture to prepare to say goodbye."

 

A tufted puffin chick has hatched on August 3rd.

 

Lots of work being done on the kelp forest tank. About half of the mock rock on the left side is gone and lots of kelp no longer there. There were many signs saying they are improving the tank.

The tentacles exhibit has been covered up with black curtains.

 

Pfeiffer the juvenile african penguin, has passed away after a decline in their health from a congenital heart defect they hatched with.

https://twitter.com/MontereyAq/status/1575578888524079104

 

Following the recent controversy over lobster fishing gear entangling right whales, Maine congressmen have put forth a bill that would halt federal funding from going to the Aquarium and MBRI. This comes after the aquarium's seafood watch program has uplisted Maine Lobster to red (do not buy/eat) status. The lobster fishermen who rely on lobsters for their income are understandably angry, however I expect the bill will die in committee and never make it to vote.

Monterey Bay Aquarium could lose millions in federal dollars from new bill

 

I'm confused, so is the Monterey Bay Aquarium sponsoring right whale deaths?

 

No, the aquarium is telling people to not buy lobsters or eat at places that serve lobsters as lobster traps have killed Right Whales in the past, lobster fishermen are angry over it saying that their traps do not cause deaths of Right Whales and want the government to remove funding from Monterey Bay Aquarium, which will not happen as the aquarium has done nothing wrong

 

Short Answer, No

Long Answer, also No but I think it'll be good for people to hear: So Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program put the Maine Red Lobster on it's Red List (Do not Buy / Eat status) prompting some businesses to stop carrying Red Lobster. This happened because many experts expressed that Maine Lobster Fishing Equipment the Fisherman use can cause serious damage to the Right Whales that can lead to Death. Northern Right Whales are one of the most endangered large whale species in the world, being there are estimated to be less than 350 individuals left in the wild. Due to Climate Change, the Whales have been pushed out of their protected territory and pushed into waters that are heavily fished by Lobster Fisherman.

Well the Lobster Fisherman are saying that they don't harm the whales, and that this is a dumb move. So a few of the Maine Governors that represent the Northern District where a lot of Lobster Fishers live came together and endorsed a Bill made by Jared Goldman of Maine that will make it so if passed, Monterey Bay Aquarium and MBARI won't be able to receive Federal Funding. His reasoning is because "“Institutions like Monterey Bay Aquarium that claim to be scientific, but openly flout available evidence and data, should not receive taxpayer funds. It’s that simple,”
He also said the Aquarium's move will harm Lobster Fisherman income.

This bill probably won't make it past the house or go into effect since many senators are agreeing that this bill is dumb, and a Federal Judge also said that there should be more restriction to protect the Right Whales.

 

I was there earlier this week. There was a diver in the kelp forest exhibit doing some kind of work on the rocks.

 

Is the fishermans’ claim that their lobster traps do not harm right whales a blatant lie? Or do they have any supporting evidence?

 

Just curious, did you see any Pacific Hagfish in Into the Deep? I saw earlier this week they got taken off the Exhibit species list on the site but nothing has replaced them yet to my knowledge

 

From the Articles and newsclips I've seen, there's nothing they've mentioned to back up their claims. They just mention that it'll hurt their income, which while true, doesn't back up any of their claims that the equipment doesn't harm the whales

 

The claim by the lobster industry in Maine is that most of the entanglements and resulting deaths of NARW don't come from Maine lobster traps. The industry is claiming that by red-listing Maine lobster, the aquarium is punishing the Maine lobster industry over something that the industry claims is not their fault.

From my understanding, however, is that MBA/SeaFood Watch aren't placing blame on Maine-specific traps alone, but are red-listing the entire practice altogether across the US and Canada. So the aquarium is not specifically targeting Maine fishermen/lobster pots. They aren't saying that "all the whales are dying from Maine's lobster industry."

Lobster is extremely political in the Northeast - heck, even one of Maine's senators, Angus King passed a resolution to support the creation of a lobster emoji. The listing would impact Maine, it wasn't Maine-specific.

 

ETA: the listing isn't legislation - it's just a private facility (that receives some public funds) saying, this is what is going on and here is what can be done about it. It's not any kind of legally binding thing. There is legislation out there to protect the species, but this is a private company urging its patrons to be conscientious consumers and for lawmakers to try to censor that makes me lol

 

The sandy shores aviary is closed due to fears of bird flu.

 

The Barrel Amphipod was seemingly on display in Into the Deep a little over a week ago, but it seems like they may have been replaced with these juvenile lobsters.