Octopus Floods Santa Monica Pier Aquarium For A Second Time

By Randi Parent

Santa Monica, CA - The second flood in as many days at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium began as soon as the news hit that its two-spotted octopus tampered with a valve in its tank, depositing at least 200 gallons of water around the Aquarium gallery and in staff offices.

The Aquarium fielded dozens of phones calls and emails Friday inquiring how the public might help with the cleanup and with questions about the precocious cephalopod that caused the chaos.

The most effective way to help the Aquarium is to participate in the Aquadoption program, sponsoring one of seven of the local species on display at the Aquarium – including the octopus. A yearlong “aquadoption” helps pay for the care of the animals - and, in the case of the two-spot octopus, will help offset the associated cleanup costs from the Thursday seawater spill. More information is available at the Aquarium’s website: www.healthebay.org/smpa.

Visiting the Aquarium at 1600 Ocean Front Walk, beach level at the Santa Monica Pier, is another important way show support. The Aquarium’s emphasis is on teaching visitors about the marine life of the Santa Monica Bay.  All the local species on display – from the cephalopods to the crustaceans, the sharks and the sand dollars – inspire conservation and stewardship. (The Aquarium is owned and operated by Heal the Bay, the Santa Monica-based environmental group.)

Visitors can learn about the care of the animals as well; a public presentation and feeding at the open shark tank takes place at 3:30 p.m. every Sunday. Improptu discussions with staff as they care for the marine life provide a wealth of information and motivate tens of thousands of students, tourists, and local residents to become involved in the preservation of the marine environment an experience that wouldn’t be possible without the animals housed and exhibited at the Aquarium, explained Jose Bacallao, the senior aquarist who cares for the animals and maintains the center’s life support system.

Bacallao and his staff log daily observations of all the organisms, and make adjustments to their diet, water chemistry, and in the case of the gregarious octopus – introduce various toys and natural, live prey, including shore crabs and sand crabs.

Visit the Aquarium during public hours: Tuesday through Friday, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., and weekends, 12:30 to 5:00 p.m.