Nancy Burnett, David Packard’s daughter, along with a group of four visionaries was the first to propose the idea of building an Aquarium after discussing the project with several Monterey Bay-area scientists. Nancy and her sister, Julie Packard, both studied marine biology in graduate school and believed strongly in the importance of broadening public awareness of Monterey Bay and the global ocean.  

After six years of planning and a $57 million gift from David and Lucile Packard, their vision became reality on October 20, 1984. Julie Packard still serves as the executive director of the Aquarium, a position she has held since its opening. 

“I grew up exploring California’s amazing natural places, and I’m just one of many who have drawn inspiration from this very special piece of ocean,” said Julie Packard. “It’s my privilege and great fun to lead our team here at the Aquarium, where in the past 38 years we’ve introduced more than 70 million people to the incredible ocean life just off our coast and in the vast ocean beyond. “ 

The Aquarium opened its doors in a state-of-the-art building on the ocean’s edge, on Monterey’s historic Cannery Row. The building itself was constructed on the site of a former sardine and squid cannery, the largest on Cannery Row and, in 1973, the last to close following years of decline of the local industry. 

Monterey Bay itself is one of the most biologically diverse and ecologically important marine environments in the world, with a unique underwater canyon and a rich variety of marine life. Its location on the bay afforded the perfect opportunity to create an aquarium focused on marine conservation and education, allowing visitors to connect with the extraordinary ecosystem right at its doorstep. 

This was the first major public aquarium in the world with permanent exhibits devoted to the marine life of its local waters: Monterey Bay and California’s Central Coast. Exhibits that were designed to expand public interest ultimately led to designation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in 1992— the largest in the continental United States. 

It was also the first aquarium with a living kelp forest; the first to create large-scale jellyfish exhibits; the first to successfully exhibit young great white sharks and return them successfully to the wild; the only aquarium outside Japan to exhibit ocean sunfish, and yellowfin and bluefin tuna; and a pioneer in the creation of changing exhibitions that are now common in the aquarium world. 

Soon after the aquarium opened, David Packard established the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) as a center for research in ocean science. Institute scientists team up with engineers and a marine operations team, developing and deploying underwater robots that travel to remote, hard to access areas, resulting in a dramatic increase in seafloor maps and the discovery of hundreds of new species. MBARI is the Aquarium’s research and technology partner, and the Aquarium is MBARI’s education and conservation partner. Together, they work to educate the public about the ocean and share the knowledge and technology innovations gained from MBARI’s work with the global science and conservation community. Recently, MBARI and the Aquarium worked closely together on Into the Deep: Exploring Our Undiscovered Ocean—an exhibition featuring deep-sea animals from Monterey Bay and beyond.