CHECK OUT THE CURRENT WHITE SHARK ON EXHIBIT!

John O'Sullivan is the aquarium's curator of field operations. That means he's in charge of collecting the most exotic, elusive and enigmatic animals he can for the aquarium's collection—and the public's fancy.

Over the years, John and his colleagues have brought to the public bizarre ocean sunfish, sleek blue sharks, torpedo-like tuna, an ocean of fish and the coolest animal ever seen at the Monterey Bay Aquarium—a white shark.

For the second time, there's a healthy young white shark in our Outer Bay exhibit. He arrived on August 31 2006 and is making himself right at home in the million-gallon exhibit. See if you can spot him on the live web cam.

Want to know how our white shark was caught? Hear all about it here.

"We bring in the 'wows' that hopefully attract visitors," he says. "But the 'wow' now is different than it was 10 years ago, so we're also thinking ahead to what will be the 'wow' 10 years from now."

John is quick to credit others beyond himself for helping to make the aquarium a special place.

"We can't do it alone," he says. "The support comes from three areas—funds, staff and equipment. And above that is the support of the aquarium's board of directors and senior staff."

John says the coolest part of being an employee at the aquarium is working with fascinating live animals and sharing them with the public.

"And we do that in a way for the public to develop an appreciation for what they're seeing, and to become aware of ocean conservation issues," he says. "That's really cool."


As elusive as a white shark, John O'Sullivan is rarely seen at the aquarium. He's usually out "in the field" looking for exotic species. He is featured in our "Project White Shark" auditorium program, which he also occasionally narrates during special events.

Meet Scott Reid: marine biologist, aquarist and master gardener. But to do the yard work Scott does, you have to don a SCUBA tank and wet suit. Did you know there are underwater gardeners?

Scott's in charge of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's magnificent Kelp Forest exhibit. This recreation of a living kelp forest community is so realistic that the kelp grows up to 6 inches a day and requires trimming or it would completely cover the surface of the exhibit, blocking sunlight critical to the community of plants and animals below.

"I love picturing a family from Kansas or another land-locked state seeing the kelp canopy out in the bay," Scott says. "Then they come to the aquarium and see the Kelp Forest exhibit. Twenty minutes earlier they had no clue what a kelp forest is and we get to show them! I like knowing that I play a role in helping them discover that."

Scott thinks it's pretty cool to get to SCUBA dive in a kelp forest that he plays a key role in creating. "I'm one of the world's only underwater gardeners!" he says. And that gardening is what helps him meet the greatest Kelp Forest exhibit challenge: Making and keeping the exhibit as natural as possible. "We have to make it look real," Scott says. "We give visitors to the aquarium a very realistic look at what's under the surface of Monterey Bay."

Check out the Kelp Forest for yourself on the aquarium's live kelp cam. You might even spot Scott doing some underwater gardening!

Be sure to check the aquarium's calendar of events regularly. You could meet Scott Reid and some of the aquarium's other underwater gardeners in person at a special event!

Meet Senior Aquarist Chad Widmer, who's a "jelly wrangler" at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The most challenging aspect of his job is assuring that he and his team culture enough jellies—or jellyfish—to keep them on display.

"Jellyfish can be hard to find in nature, and they aren't always present in Monterey Bay when the aquarium needs them for display," Chad says. "So we run a jellyfish culturing laboratory that allows us to grow our own jellies rather than relying on wild collections."

Cultured jellies (and ones in captivity) have life spans that range from a few months to a few years long. The Drifters Gallery has 15 exhibits that need to have jellies in them for the public all the time—that's a lot to keep up with sometimes.

The best thing Chad like about his job is seeing happy kids as they scream "JELLYFISH" and then run to the displays for a closer look.

"I like seeing people get out their cameras and take pictures of the work that my team and I have done," he says. "When I drove an M-1 tank in the US Army nobody every came to take happy pictures of the work I did."

Most people think of jellyfish as a nuisance because generally, they only interact with them when they get in the way of human activities (like swimming at the beach or fishing with a big net). But in reality, jellies play important roles in their ecosystems. They are food for sea turtles and ocean sunfish, or a benthic army of crabs and such that eat them when they die and sink to the bottom. Many animals hitchhike on jellyfish, and there are lots of juvenile fish that hide in and amongst the tentacles of jellyfish in order to avoid predators.

Chad says he doesn't have a favorite species.
"I like them all. Jellyfish have been really good to me. They have given me many research and publication opportunities and I've been able to do quite a bit of traveling in support of my jelly work. Oh yeah...and on occasion I get to play a marine biologist on TV."

Find out more about being a jelly wrangler.

You may spot Chad during a behind-the-scenes tour.

The Real-Cost Cafe is an interactive exhibit designed to show aquarium visitors how their individual buying decisions impact fishery populations. Diners sit at the counter in the 1950's-inspired exhibit and "order" seafood from an interactive touch-screen menu. Each selection prompts responses from restaurant "staff" who tell you whether or not the seafood you want is sustainable—a "good" choice—or not, as rated on aquarium's Seafood Watch consumer guide.

Meet Jennifer Dianto, senior program manager and the driving force behind Seafood Watch. From science teacher, avid diver, commercial fisherman to ocean advocate, Jenn's love of the oceans has inspired her to take Seafood Watch to a national level, helping change the way that consumers and even big businesses select seafood. On any given day, Jenn can be found updating the pocket guide, working with local as well as nationally known chefs, meeting with large scale retail buyers and consulting with popular food magazines, radio and television programs.

"The coolest thing about Seafood Watch is that you can make a difference by avoiding just one of the items from the 'Avoid' list," she says. "The level of involvement is up to you—avoid one item or become a Seafood Watch advocate and make a choice to not eat any item on the avoid list."

"It's difficult to know where seafood is coming from when faced with many options at your local supermarket or local restaurant," she adds. "Our seafood guide makes it easy for you to make the right choice for your personal health as well as the health of the oceans. Don't be afraid to ask questions and remember to carry your Seafood Watch guide wherever you go."

Get involved by spreading the word about sustainable seafood choices—visit www.seafoodwatch.org.

Jennifer Dianto travels frequently around the country, keeping tabs on the ever changing seafood movement. You can meet Jenn at the Monterey Bay Aquarium's "Cooking for Solutions" celebrity chef's sustainable food and wine event May 18 & 19 of 2007

Meet Chefs Who Support Our Seafood Watch Program


John Ash, Sauvignon Republic
Celebrity chef, teacher, author
John has handed out hundreds of Seafood Watch cards to his students.
Great guy, wonderful speaker and lots of fun!
www.chefjohnash.com


Rick Bayless, Frontera Grill/Topolobampo, Chicago
Celebrity chef, restaurant owner, author, teacher
Passionate and devoted supporter of the sustainable foods movement!
www.fronterakitchens.com


Jesse Cool, Cool Eatz - Restaurants and Catering, Menlo Park
Celebrity chef, restaurant owner, teacher, author
A classy lady who has been dedicated to sustainable agriculture and cuisine for more than 30 years.
www.cooleatz.com