Building A Better Future
The Aquarium of the Pacific is deeply committed to protecting our ocean’s most vulnerable species, both behind the scenes and out in the field.
This year, our conservation team advanced critical efforts, from outplanting endangered white abalone and caring for rescued sea turtles, to expanding our sea otter surrogacy program and spawning endangered sunflower sea stars.
Each effort reflects our unwavering dedication to restoring marine ecosystems and ensuring a thriving ocean for generations to come.
Over 2,000 endangered White Abalone
were outplanted in 2024, adding to the Over
16,000 outplanted since Inception
Sea Otter Surrogacy
The Aquarium welcomed the first orphaned sea otter pup paired with a surrogate mother as part of a partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Sea Otter Surrogacy Program in 2024.
In total, five releasable pups were received through the program last year.
The Sea Otter Surrogacy Program pairs orphaned pups with an adult female otter at the Aquarium of the Pacific to learn the necessary survival skills needed to thrive in the wild.
By joining the program the Aquarium of the Pacific has roughly doubled the program’s capacity to pair and rehabilitate orphaned sea otter pups.
Learn More About Our Sea Otter Surrogacy Program142 Mountain Yellow-Legged Frogs
Were released back to the San Gabriel mountains and Over 75 were transferred to partner institutions
Helping repopulation efforts
The Aquarium collaborated
With The Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego (and three other partner institutions) to successfully spawn
endangered Sunflower Sea Stars
175 staff hours
spent training on
oil spill response drills
Over 154 dive hours
spent on
conservation projects
3 injured sea turtles
were successfully
rescued, rehabilitated, and released
