Julie Packard

I'm incredibly proud of this work! It's making a real difference in people's lives. You can read more here: mbayaq.co/4d5w2Xp

A bicyclist at lower right rides on a paved coastal bikepath in Pacific Grove against a backdrop of a split-rail fence, offshore rocks, blue ocean water, and green grass and trees.

Thanks also to the Monterey County Hospitality Association, Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust, Monterey County Business Council, and Big Sur Chamber of Commerce for spelling out what offshore leasing could mean for the health of our economy.

Local industry leaders raise economic concerns posed by Trump's offshore oil drilling proposal. Monterey leaders and industry experts met to oppose Trump's offshore oil drilling plan, citing major threats to tourism, coastal economy, and marine life. Le...

Oil and gas leasing off the California coast threatens the health not just of the environment but also of our economy. Many thanks to @usrepjimmypanetta.bsky.social
for convening business leaders to underscore the risk. bit.ly/4kWXvwz #OffshoreOil #CleanEnergyFuture #CoastalEconomy #tourism

When she was a student, the Monterey Bay Aquarium blew her away. Now she'll run it Your morning catch-up: A new boss at Monterey's aquarium, the Trump tourism bust and more big stories

With gratitude for an extraordinary legacy and excitement for what’s ahead, we’re thrilled to share that, following a global search, Dr. Jenny Gray has been appointed the Aquarium’s Chief Executive Officer.

Learn more about Dr. Jenny in her interview with the LA Times
mbayaq.co/46Mi6h7

Two people stand in silhouette with the Kelp Forest exhibit in the background. The black lines of bridge railings and mullions on the exhibit windows cross the image vertically and horizontally.

Jenny is passionate about @montereybayaquarium.org's conservation mission, a leader in the zoological community, and committed to advancing our vision of a future where the ocean flourishes and people thrive in a just and equitable world. With her at the helm, the Aquarium is in great hands.

Dr. Jenny Gray, a white woman with blonde hair and a dark dress, stands with her hands clasped against a background of green trees and other plants.

I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Dr. Jenny Gray as the new CEO of @montereybayaquarium.org. I’ve gotten to know Jenny over the years through her work with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the IUCN. She is a fantastic person. bit.ly/4kEsDRe

'50 States in 50 Weeks' visits California ABC News' Becky Worley, who is in Eureka's Sequoia Park, takes "GMA" viewers on a journey through the state's 840-mile coastline along the Pacific Coast Highway.

So cool to have Good Morning America feature @montereybayaquarium.org Sea Otter Program in its "50 States in 50 Weeks." Informative and LOTS of sea otters! bit.ly/461OxIi #MarineMammals #SeaOtters #OceanConservation

Silver and blue-grey fishes swim over rocks covered with multi-colored invertebrates as giant kelp fronds rise in a background of green-blue ocean water. Photo by Patrick Webster.

Congratulations to Meghan Hertel, the new director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife! Many thanks to @governor.ca.gov for choosing an exceptionally qualified individual to fill this important role. Our @montereybayaquarium.org team looks forward to working with her. mbayaq.co/46ism0l

A mother sea otter with a pale muzzle holds a fluffy dark-brown pup on her belly as both animals float in blue water.

With donor support, we completed a new Sea Otter Conservation Center in 2025 so we can return even more rescued otter pups to the wild. Thank you, @katharinehayhoe.com for highlighting the important role wildlife plays in climate solutions. bit.ly/4c34NfD

The team at @montereybayaquarium.org knows the critical role sea otters play in solving the #ClimateCrisis. We've spent 40+ years documenting their contributions and working to rescue, rehabilitate, and return stranded sea otters -- including rescued pups -- to the wild. bit.ly/4qcPrc6

A white woman with white hair, off-white scarf, and tan coat stands next to a white man with gray hair, weariing a gray windbreaker and blue shirt. The ocean is in the background.

A group of people stands outside on a concrete deck above the Sea Otter Exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium. One level below them, visitors are visible through the exhibit windows, looking at sea otters swimming in the water.

We had a lot of fun showing @schiff.senate.gov around @montereybayaquarium.org last week. Our sea otter exhibit and our work to rescue, rehabilitate, and return stranded animals to the wild captured his heart. We're grateful for all the Senator is doing so people and the ocean can thrive together.

Fall in love with the Cupid Cohort! 💌🏹❤️ YouTube video by Monterey Bay Aquarium

Fall in love with the Cupid Cohort! 💌🏹❤️

Our nearly two-year-old sunflower stars–spawned on Valentine’s Day in 2023, earning them their lovey-dovey nickname. 
www.youtube.com/shorts/SrUVi...

🌊 Last call to all ocean champions!

It’s not too late to stand up against offshore drilling by making a public comment and contacting your representatives: mbayaq.co/4qGUORY

#MontereyBayAquarium #NoDrilling #SaveOurCoast #StandUpToOffshoreDrilling

"… global leaders must ensure that scientific findings, rather than politics, continue to play the leading role." Kirsten Grorud-Colvert and Jenna Sullivan-Stack

"The High Seas Treaty was enabled by science. Now, science must be used to successfully implement the agreement and the protected areas it creates," write Kirsten Grorud-Colvert and Jenna Sullivan-Stack in a new #ScienceEditorial. https://scim.ag/3YERGtu

Historic High Seas Treaty enters into force, launching a new era of global ocean governance - High Seas Alliance The Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), has officially entered into force, marking a historic milestone for g...

It's so encouraging that international law now recognizes the critical role a healthy ocean plays in sustaining life on our planet. Kudos to the @highseasalliance.bsky.social and all the individuals and organizations who made this a reality! highseasalliance.org/2026/01/16/h...

The High Seas Treaty spells hope for the ocean, but only if it is powered by science - Nature Reviews Biodiversity The new High Seas Treaty presents an unprecedented opportunity to protect and sustainably use the biodiversity in an area that covers nearly half the planet. Jane Lubchenco calls on scientists to help...

There's a lot of work ahead. As Jane Lubchenco writes in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com, we must invest in science to ensure that steps to safeguard life on the high seas is grounded in a solid framework of objective information. www.nature.com/articles/s44...

A Landmark 'High Seas Treaty' Has Arrived. Here's Why It's a Big Deal. The United Nations Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJA) – nicknamed the 'High Seas Treaty' – comes into force on January 17, a massive milestone in efforts to conserve marine li...

The first international High Seas Treaty takes effect this weekend. It's a significant step toward protecting Earth's largest living space: the deep ocean beyond all national borders. bit.ly/3NmqsoZ #HighSeasTreaty #MarineBiodiversity #MarineProtectedAreas #InternationalLaw #OceanConservation

Sunshine on ocean waves. Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

Marine heatwaves quietly rewire ocean food webs: the bursts of extreme ocean heat are reshaping the entire structure and function of #marine #foodwebs, with consequences that can last years after the water cools. oceans.ubc.ca/2025/11/26/m... @ubccoru.bsky.social @egu.eu

A yellow and whitle anemone dominates the foreground, with an orange sea star and pinkish encrusting algae on rocks. In the background, giant kelp towers against light blue water. Photo by Patrick Webster.

When we stand together and use our voices, we can stop this leasing plan and create the future we want for our children: one where the ocean flourishes and people thrive, here in California and beyond. Many thanks to ocean champion Leon Panetta, my co-author on this commentary. bit.ly/3Lo2hWp

A humpback whale breaches in Monterey Bay. Its white flippers extend to the left and right of its dark-gray belly. Ocean water is dark blue and mountains and pale blue sky are visible in the background.

Once more, it’s time for us to act. Between now and Jan. 23, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is taking public comments on this deeply flawed proposal. The administration needs to hear — in no uncertain terms — that its leasing plan is dead on arrival. bit.ly/49FRhNq

Trump’s plan to open California’s coastline to oil drilling threatens more than ocean life OPINION: The Trump administration plans to open the length of California’s coast to offshore oil and gas development, regardless of the law and the consequences.

Forty years ago, Californians stopped an ill-conceived federal plan to open our coast to offshore oil and gas drilling. In the decades since, we’ve taken remarkable steps to safeguard our coastal waters. Now the Trump administration is pushing to undo all we’ve accomplished. bit.ly/3Lo2hWp

Recovery of Paleodictyon patterns after simulated mining activity on Pacific nodule fields - Marine Biodiversity Since the late 1980s, various experiments have been conducted in polymetallic nodule fields of the Pacific Ocean to assess the potential environmental impacts of future mining, specifically in two are...

This is one of the wildest deep-sea mining stories to me.

Paleodictyon is a 500-million-year-old trace fossil from an unknown organism. In the last 50 years, we've found their honeycomb traces on the seafloor. There is a living organism that has been doing its thing for half a billion years.

Petition against deep sea mining near Mariana Trench gaining support The appeal has been signed by 3000 people from US territories.

Petition against deep sea mining near Mariana Trench gaining support

The science is clear. At a time when we face life-threatening impacts from climate change, this ill-conceived effort to open massive parts of our ocean to offshore oil and gas leasing is a major step backward in the nation’s urgently needed transition away from fossil fuels.

Yes, we need to meet a growing demand for the technology we've come to depend on. But we can do so without the damaging extraction of raw minerals from the seafloor. Innovations are reducing the need for this environmentally risky and economically suspect approach.

Silvery gray bluefin tuna swim in a school from right to left in dark blue-green ocean water.

The new research concludes that sediment plumes extending far from the site of seabed mining could affect plankton abundance. Plankton support myriad other species and commercially important fisheries in the Pacific Ocean for tunas and mahi mahi. #CommercialFisheries #tuna #MahiMahi #FoodWeb

Scientists urge caution, further assessment of ecological impacts above deep-sea mining • MBARI A new study argues that deep-sea mining poses significant risks not only to seafloor ecosystems, but also to animals in the vast midwater realm.

Their findings, published in @natureportfolio.nature.com, reaffirm earlier work by researchers including Steven Haddock of @mbarinews.bsky.social, who have urged the global community to move cautiously in the face of all the uncertainties. mbayaq.co/44cVKEa

Deep-sea mining risks disrupting the marine food web, study warns Drilling for minerals deep in the ocean could have immense consequences on the tiny animals at the core of the vast ocean food web — and ultimately affect fisheries and the food we find on our plates.

The environmental risks posed by deep-sea mining extend far beyond destruction of seabed habitats. New research from the University of Hawaii at Manoa affirms that plumes of sediment from mining operations pose a real threat to life in the ocean water column. bit.ly/47ZsxOi #DSM #SeabedMining

Energy retailers to be directed to offer free power three hours a day Saying there is enough solar power for everyone in the daytime, Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen will direct retailers to provide three hours of free power every day to consumers.

Absolutely amazing: they've got so much solar in Australia that they need more people to use more of it, so the gov't has instructed energy retailers to offer *at least three hours of free power* during the middle of the day.

Meanwhile fossil-addled US struggles with an energy-price crisis ...

A team led by Stanford University researcher Richard Grewelle identified risk factors to sea otters from parasitic worms in their prey. Dr. Ri Chang and the veterinary team at the Aquarium then developed an effective treatment regimen. #VeterinaryMedicine #parasites #disease #foraging #MarineMammals