As Jerry Schubel strolled through the newest exhibit at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, which turned 10 years old Friday, a swarm of giggling children gathered in front of a massive tank where a dozen silver Mexican lookdown fish as big as dinner plates circled a hedge of coral.
Schubel, president and chief executive of the aquarium, smiled as the kids pressed closer to ponder the colorful spectacle designed to highlight sea life in the Gulf of Mexico.
"It's our first attempt to theme a display from top to bottom," he said. "The carpet here is made of recycled materials. The color scheme of tans, reds and yellows evokes a feeling of being in a desert region. The interpretive signs are in both English and Spanish."
The earthy colors and environmentally sensitive design underlined renewed efforts to expand exhibit space and boost attendance at the regional attraction, which a decade ago was awash in complaints of overcrowded rooms, lousy food and boring exhibits.
Not anymore. The aquarium ranks among the most popular in the nation in attendance, pulling in 1.4 million people a year from throughout Southern California. Aquarium revenues in 2007 were about $39 million, a 26% increase over 2006. Overall, its economic impact in Los Angeles and Orange counties has been about $1 billion, city officials said.
"This aquarium is on the younger side," said Steve Feldman, spokesman for the Assn. of Zoos and Aquariums, "but they are definitely among the biggest and the best."
In partnership with a growing number of corporations and organizations including Honda, the BP Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund and the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, the aquarium now aims to become a center for teaching the virtues of watershed preservation and offshore aquaculture.
"I'm impressed with all the public outreach they do," said Gary Griggs, director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz. "To have such a resource at the edge of one of the nation's largest metropolitan areas is wonderful."
More than 12 million people have visited the facility, which was built during a nationwide boom in aquarium construction in the 1990s. It was conceived as a cornerstone of a waterfront retail and amusement complex that would lure visitors to downtown Long Beach. At the time, the city was struggling to cope with the closure of a naval shipyard and the loss of about 50,000 jobs.
