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Sea star wasting disease occurs naturally but research has linked prolonged, severe outbreaks to #MarineHeatwaves and a #WarmingOcean. The ocean is changing. Our job is to observe carefully, ask better questions, share what we learn, and act before today's warning signs become tomorrow's losses.

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Close to home, our @montereybayaquarium.org research team has observed wasting in bat stars and Pisaster stars at Asilomar State Beach, along with gumboot chitons showing signs of degradation. Bat stars have been considered more resistant to wasting disease, so these observations are concerning.

An orange bat star sits atop a bed of dark-colored marine algae.

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A whale shark, estimated at 14 to 16 feet, was recently spotted between Malibu and Santa Barbara Island. These magnificent visitors aren't entirely unexpected in warmer waters, but their appearance is a reminder that ocean conditions shape who and what we encounter in our seas. bit.ly/4yJH3Fz

First a Hammerhead. Now a Whale Shark. What's Happening Off the Southern California Coast?

A rare whale shark sighting occured off Malibu, the latest in a growing list of tropical species turning up in state waters as El Niño strengthens.

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Jenny Gray @jenny-gray.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Our warming ocean is sending us signals, but are we paying attention? From whale sharks and manta rays off Southern California to sea stars showing signs of wasting here in Monterey Bay, this summer is offering both extraordinary encounters and worrying reminders of how much our ocean is changing.

Colorful orange and pink invertebrates cover a rock in the foreground as giant kelp towers in the background in blue ocean water.

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With California poised to implement #SB54, the most far-reaching law to reduce plastic packaging and pollution, it’s so encouraging to have the effort led by a talented individual like @calrecycle.bsky.social's Zoe Heller: bit.ly/4h4Re0g #CircularEconomy #PlasticPollution #EnvironmentalJustice

Leadership at a pivotal moment

Throughout her career, Zoe Heller, director of CalRecycle, has been focused on the human connection to environmental effects. That focus

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Reposted by Jenny Gray

Monterey Aquarium PR @montereyaqpr.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

From educators to life-support systems operators, from enterprise systems administrators to security officers, we need people of all talents on our @montereybayaquarium.org team! www.montereybayaquarium.org/about-us/abo... #careers #JobOpenings #hiring #JoinOurTeam #hiring

montereybayaquarium.org

Job opportunities

Interested in a career at the Monterey Bay Aquarium? Get information about our employment opportunities.

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Reposted by Jenny Gray

Monterey Bay Aquarium @montereybayaquarium.org · 11/09/2026

POV: Playing rock, paper, fins in the Kelp Forest! #MontereyBayAquarium #RockPaperFins #FincrediblyFun

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Jenny Gray @jenny-gray.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The ocean moves us. It makes us jump for joy, swim, run, wriggle, and sometimes just stop and stare in wonder. I’m delighted we're welcoming a raft of charismatic creatures to @montereybayaquarium.org, from seahorses to penguins. When the ocean moves us, we’re much more likely to move for the ocean.

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Jenny Gray @jenny-gray.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Even the deep ocean isn't immune to #PlasticPollution! And while a toy may appear innocent, the associated problems are not. That's why @montereybayaquarium.org supports legislation and international agreements that reduce unnecessary plastic at the source. bit.ly/3V4SNUu

Explore the impacts and solutions to plastic pollution in the ocean.

Plastic pollution

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Jenny Gray @jenny-gray.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I am so impressed by the work of the @montereybayaquarium.org Education team. They are truly having an impact on children's lives and advancing the Aquarium's mission: to inspire conservation of the ocean. Many thanks to them and to the generous donors who support their work, bit.ly/3UDnRL3

There are many ways to support our work—choose the ones that work best for you.

Ways to give

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Reposted by Jenny Gray

Amanda Arnold 🦈 @amandasodysseys.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Most shark and ray species have <1% of their range covered by no-take MPAs. New open access in @consletters.bsky.social: Sharks, Rays, & MPAs: a global assessment of MPA coverage in national waters across species ranges tinyurl.com/SharkRayMPA @nickdulvy.bsky.social @jaymatsushiba.bsky.social

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We're fortunate to work in a place where our daily efforts can contribute to the future of something as important as the ocean. On this #LaborDay2026, I celebrate all of our staff and volunteers who are part of this continuing story.

A woman with long, wavy blonde hair holds a flashlight to a tank of jellies that she is working to raise behind the scenes at Monterey Bay Aquarium.

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What I find especially meaningful is that all of this work comes together around something bigger than any individual job: our mission to inspire conservation of the ocean.

A father in a blue top holds his young daughter in a pink top in front of the Kelp Forest exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium while a leopard shark swims past among the kelp fronds.

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Some of our staff work directly with animals, guests, students, or scientists. Many keep the buildings running, manage finances, support our people, raise funds, tell our stories, develop technology, or make sure all the details come together. Every part of it matters.

A woman on the Education staff at Monterey Bay Aquarium with a black long-sleeved top and dark hair bends over to work with a seated young woman wearing a white hoodie in one of the Aquarium's teen programs.

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Now the Aquarium is part of that story. I think about that when I walk through the gallieries and see the extraordinary range of talents that bring this place alive.

Five people from the Life Support team at Monterey Bay Aquarium stand amid a tangle of seawater pipes in the Aquarium basement.

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In Monterey, for thousands of years, people have lived and worked along the shores of this extraordinary bay: indigenous peoples with deep knowledge of and relationship with the land and sea. Later came many others whose hard work shaped this community.

A commercial fishing boat motors from right to left on calm water against a backdrop of a fog bank and peach-colored sunset sky.

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