The aquarium has an active research program. We have groups working on sea otter conservation and tuna conservation biology. Our sister institution, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, conducts deep-sea research in the vast Monterey submarine canyon. At last count, we were home to almost 300,000 individual plants and animals. We exhibit approximately 550 species meet some of them on our Living Species List.
Divers catch some of our animals using hand nets or plastic bags.
For other species, we may use hook and line, special trawl nets or traps. Scientists at Moss Landing Marine Laboratory bring us many of our midwater fishes, which they catch in trawl nets from their research vessel Point Sur . And commercial fishermen bring us some of our fishes, octopuses and other animals. We were the first aquarium in the world to exhibit a living kelp forest. All of our tanks use filters of one kind or another to help keep the water clean.