Seventy-five years ago, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium established an early, advantageous foothold on the San Pedro shoreline. What began as a place to display an array of local seashells is now a world-renowned education institution and a first-rate destination for school groups and families. The aquarium sits on a spit of land that separates the oceanside A-rated beach (as rated by Heal the Bay, based on bacteria analysis) from the F-rated harborside beach, which is adjacent to a mammoth working port, the Port of Los Angeles. This unique location—with natural tidepools, salt-water marshes, kelp beds, and fossil-embedded cliffs—allows the aquarium to teach not only marine biology but also real-world lessons in conservation, pollution, and damage mitigation.
The aquarium, a facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks partially supported by a nonprofit “friends of” group, welcomes more than 300,000 visitors a year, which includes at least 150,000 schoolchildren. It encompasses the Susanne Lawrenz-Miller Exhibit Hall, which houses the largest collection of Southern California marine life on display in the world; the Aquatic Nursery, a fascinating working laboratory; the Exploration Center, where visitors can use scientists’ tools to learn about local ocean habitats, and the Virginia Reid Moore Marine Research Library, a unique learning resource. The aquarium is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), from which it also has won several awards. In 2009, Norris Foundation funds were earmarked for the general support of the aquarium.