18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JANUARY 8-14, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com limited, even in an environment as vast as the ocean, was simply not in the public consciousness at that time, Webster emphasizes. Understanding the consequences of overfishing—food insecurity, environmental degradation and economic loss—was even more out of reach, and a complex problem that required multi-pronged, long-term management reform. But Packard saw an opportunity to integrate that story and messaging into the aquarium. Fishing for Solutions was the exhibit to deliver that message, launched in 1997. In the tank were familiar fish swimming around that one would typically find on a dinner menu, paired with advocacy around overfishing, and a commitment to only sell seafood in their cafeteria that met specific environmental criteria. From there, Seafood Watch was born, one of the aquarium’s great success stories. “That was Julie who was the force behind that, and always has been,” Webster says. The full-scale program brought to life the stories of conservationists with hard data, fishing fleets and fish farmers, and brought that information directly to consumers. Using a pocket guide that ranked seafood choices as green, yellow or red, consumers were empowered to ask better questions about their purchases, while fishing enterprises could see what changes were needed to operate more sustainability. “It’s really an amazing program that’s having global impact,” Packard says. “We’re working on the ground to bring farmed shrimp in Vietnam up to a Seafood Watch green, and we’re working with salmon farmers in Chile to reduce antibiotic use.” The science-first approach connecting each of the aquarium’s projects from the start was a commitment to a very curated type of storytelling—one which showed a holistic picture in which all parts of the ecosystem are acknowledged, with the goal of building public understanding and generating momentum for policy change. Packard went on to become a member of the Pew Oceans Commission, which developed recommendations for sustainable fisheries and marine protected areas and would later shape national ocean policy reforms. One outcome was the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative, established in 2005 as a bipartisan collaboration between leaders from the Pew Oceans Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. The initiative focused on identifying steps Congress could take to create more structured governance through science-informed policy, regional approaches to ecosystem management, and funding strategies. On Sept. 17, 2009, Packard, then a member of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative and former Pew Oceans Commission member, spoke at an Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force West Coast regional public meeting at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco. Established by former President Barack Obama just three months earlier, the task force was charged with drafting proposals to advance national ocean policy. In her remarks, Packard emphasized that science and governance cannot exist in a vacuum, ocean education and literacy must also be prioritized: “I’ve dedicated myself to ocean education and conservation for 25 years now, and along with my aquarium colleagues, across the nation I’ve had the opportunity to reach literally tens of millions of people and expose them to ocean life,” she said to a room of about 500, members of the public, politicians, scientists and other stakeholders. “Sadly though, over the last 25 years, this last quarter-century, the health of our oceans has been on a slow and steady decline. “Why? Because the public does not see oceans as central to their lives—to their livelihoods, their national economy, their health, their very well-being.” Julie Packard announced she would be stepping down nearly one year ago, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, with plans to find her replacement in the near future. However, no exact date to appoint her successor has yet been released. From the sea otter surrogate program, to being the only accredited institution in North America featuring a Laysan albatross, to partaking in Global Plastic Treaty discussions, the aquarium continues to evolve as concern about the ocean continues to grow. And there is a lot to do. “The impacts of climate change are so real and demonstrated practically every day,” Packard says. “Those impacts, unfortunately, are going to continue to get worse before they get better. And so I believe that the science behind all of that—things will turn around. It’s just unfortunate that we’re losing time.” Her retirement is shaping up to be a busy and active one. Packard is still chair of the board for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, which has always existed as a separate institution from the aquarium but continues to contribute to exhibits. She will remain on the board of the Packard Foundation, which has expanded its work areas of interest to include women’s health and elective rights, and democracy alongside ocean science work. And she’ll still be on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s board to oversee and assist with fundraising efforts. “Julie morphed ocean conservation to be a major mission and topic at the aquarium, and of course, she has taken it nationally and internationally,” Webster says. “She isn’t as much focused as media appearances like a Jacques Cousteau, but she is nevertheless working quietly on ocean conservation, and has done a lot for ocean conservation, including having folks at the aquarium who are focused just on that.” “From day one, the aquarium was going to be about the habitats of Monterey Bay.” The Open Sea exhibit is the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s largest, holding over 1 million gallons of water. Tuna, sea turtles, a hammerhead shark and other schools of fish glide by a 90-foot-long, 35-foot-tall window. It was once temporarily home to the world’s only known great white shark in captivity. DANIEL DREIFUSS
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