Monterey Bay Aquarium

While were so close to Monterey on our California coast trip, we decided to take a day and go to Monterey to see the fabulous Monterey Bay Aquarium.  We have been to many aquariums (aquaria?) but none is better than this one.
​
The aquarium is on the site of an old sardine canning factory.  The street where it is located is called Cannery Row because it used to be a string of canneries that were here when the Monterey Bay was loaded with sardines.  But we fished them out and the population crashed.  

---

It has slowly been recovering.  We did see some sardines in one of the fish tanks along with a bunch of other fish.  The little guys were swimming together in a school and quickly to stay out of the way of other much larger fish which they seemed to do rather well.  Of course, all the fish in the tank are fed so maybe they weren't just that hungry.

The star for us of the aquarium were the sea otters.  I didn't get a photo as there were crowds that kept me from getting close enough to the tank glass to get them.  Our lesson: Don't go on a weekend.

There is quite a variety of sea creatures at the aquarium and you can get pretty close to some of them and get some nice photos, and of course, enjoy seeing them and learning about them.
It was fun to see my photos from 4 years ago during our last visit to see some creatures we missed this time, and vice versa, so it is worth multiple visits. 

One feature of the aquarium is their Seafood Watch list.  It tells you what fish you can eat without endangering that species, and what fish, or seafood, should be avoided or at least minimally consumed.  You can get a pocket list there, or download one for your state from their web site, or use their app.

There was such a variety of interesting creatures that it was hard to select a set of photos to share.  Do try to get to this aquarium and to visit Monterey which is pleasant city to visit.