It's Official: TBI Has Acquired the Aquarium of the Bay!

At 11:30 AM on Thursday June 11 The Bay Institute confirmed it had successfully acquired the Aquarium of the Bay. TBI held a press event at the aquarium later that day to commemorate the deal's close. John Frawley from the Aquarium of the Bay, Christina Swanson and Steven Machtinger from The Bay Institute were all on hand for the celebration. Congratulations to all involved in this 4-year effort to acquire the aquarium. Now, our work has only begun. TBI must continue its aquarium capital campaign to fund improvements to the facility and to fund new programs. The official press release is below:

PRESS RELEASE: The Bay Institute Acquires Aquarium of the Bay, Completing Dramatic Turnaround

The Bay Institute’s Acquisition Transforms Financially Successful Aquarium of the Bay
Into a Nonprofit Center for Science, Education and Conservation for San Francisco Bay

San Francisco, CA, June 11, 2009 -- The Bay Institute today announced the successful culmination of its four-year effort to acquire Aquarium of the Bay, the first step towards transforming the financially successful Aquarium into a self-supporting, nonprofit center for education, science and conservation of the San Francisco Bay and its watershed. The acquisition continues the 13-year turnaround that has taken the Aquarium from its early years as a failing tourist attraction to its current status as a successful marine nature and education center dedicated to inspiring conservation of the San Francisco Bay and surrounding waters.

As part of its acquisition strategy, The Bay Institute formed The Bay Institute Aquarium Foundation, a 501(3)(c) nonprofit, to purchase the Aquarium from Darius Anderson and Kenwood Bay Aquarium, LLC. The Aquarium will be owned by The Bay Institute Aquarium Foundation, but continue to operate under the name Aquarium of the Bay.

“This acquisition creates a new model of social entrepreneurship that partners a leading science-based nonprofit with a successful, public aquarium,” stated Christina Swanson, Executive Director of The Bay Institute. “As a result of the acquisition, The Bay Institute’s work to protect the largest estuary on the west coast of the Americas will reach a larger audience, while Aquarium of the Bay will be able offer broader school programs, undertake more aggressive research and conservation projects, and become a crossroad for collaboration among the scientific, educational, interpretive and conservation communities.”
“Today’s acquisition was the final step in a very long, but fulfilling, journey to nonprofit status,” stated John Frawley, who was Aquarium of the Bay’s CEO during the turn-around and will serve as Executive Director of The Bay Institute Aquarium Foundation. “It was only through the hard work of the aquarium’s staff and through partnerships with the Bay Area’s leading environmental groups that we were able to turn Aquarium of the Bay into a fully accredited marine nature center focusing on the Bay’s rich and diverse marine life and ecosystems.”

Originally opened as Underwater World in 1996, the Aquarium declared bankruptcy in 1999, was acquired by BNP Paribas in 2000, and then underwent a massive renovation and repositioning led by Frawley in 2001. Over the next three years, the Aquarium was accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and reached profitability. In 2005, Frawley approached The Bay Institute to acquire the Aquarium and turn it into a nonprofit center for education, science and conservation.

When The Bay Institute was unable to complete a capital campaign in time to purchase Aquarium of the Bay in May 2006, Darius Anderson stepped in and acquired it with the intent of providing additional time for The Bay Institute to raise the necessary funds. Under Anderson’s ownership, Aquarium of the Bay achieved certification as a Green Business, began a landmark sevengill shark research project, provided free classes and tours to a record 15,000 K-12 students, and became San Francisco’s third largest gated attraction.

“As a fourth-generation San Franciscan, I wanted to ensure that the city had a waterfront aquarium where people would both have fun and leave with a sense of purpose to protect the San Francisco Bay,” Anderson commented. “I believe that restoring the health of the Bay is a critical environmental prerogative, and feel privileged to have been part of the aquarium’s evolution to a nonprofit marine nature center that inspires people to conserve one of the most ecologically rich places on earth.”

The Bay Institute’s acquisition of the Aquarium of the Bay is an impressive feat for the small nonprofit in trying economic times. The Bay Institute’s capital campaign to acquire the aquarium attracted contributions from many individual donors, donations from corporations and foundations, and major funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, the Marin Community Foundation and the Dean Witter Foundation. Notable individual donors included Ruth and Ben Hammett, and the entire board and many staff members of The Bay Institute. In addition, the campaign received support from colleague organizations, local and national political leaders, as well as pro bono services from Morrison & Foerster, Deloitte and Ogilvy Public Relations. The balance of the funding was raised through the issuance of tax-exempt revenue bonds backed by First National Bank of Central California, a unit of Pacific Capital Bank.

The Bay Institute and The Bay Institute Aquarium Foundation will continue fundraising efforts to secure additional support for expansion of their science, education and conservation programs, as well as new joint programs with other education and environmental organizations.

“Raising the capital to acquire Aquarium of the Bay through traditional fundraising during the most serious economic downturn in our country’s recent history was an uphill battle,” stated Steven N. Machtinger, President of the Board of The Bay Institute Foundation. “Thanks to the aquarium’s strong operating income, we were able to borrow the balance of funding. Moving forward, our growth strategy calls for an ongoing campaign to raise additional funding and grants in order to realize our vision of Aquarium of the Bay becoming a world class interpretive center that will shape the Bay for years to come.”

TBI In the News: NEW PROTECTIONS ISSUED FOR DELTA SALMON

As reported by CBS 5 News San Francisco:

The National Marine Fisheries Service today recommended changes to water pumping and dam operations in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and delta that it said jeopardize the survival of Chinook salmon and other species.

The recommendations will limit the amount of water diverted to farmers in the Central Valley and residents in Southern California.

The Fisheries Service estimated its recommendations would lessen the amount of water moved by federal and state pumps by 5 to 7 percent, or about 330,000 acre-feet, annually. Exceptions would be made for drought, and health and safety issues.

The agency said today the projects threaten winter- and spring-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, North American green sturgeon and resident killer whales that feed on the salmon.

"What is at stake here is not just the survival of species but the health of entire ecosystems and the economies that depend on them," said Rod Mcinnis, the southwest regional director for the Fisheries Service, in a prepared statement.

"We are ready to work with our federal and state partners, farmers and residents to find solutions that benefit the economy, environment and Central Valley families," Mcinnis said.
Both the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which runs the Central Valley Project and the California Department of Water Resources, which runs the California State Water Project, said today they have provisionally accepted the recommendations.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger later issued a statement condemning the decision, saying it "puts fish above the needs of millions of Californians and the health and security of the world's eighth largest economy."

Before the decision, salmon industry representatives and environmental advocates, spoke in San Francisco in support of the changes. Larry Collins, president of the San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association, said the loss of salmon has been catastrophic for local fishermen. Collins said two or three fisherman on every boat are now out of work.

"We've got a lot of families that are hurting," he said.

The salmon fishing season has been cancelled each of the past two years because of extremely low numbers of the fish.

According to conservation biologist Jon Rosenfield of the Novato-based environmental advocacy group the Bay Institute, as young fish are trying to migrate downstream to the San Francisco Bay and into the ocean, high levels of water pumping often confuse their sense of direction.

In addition, Rosenfield said, "Thousands of them get sucked into the pumps." Those that are not carried away are delayed getting to ocean waters and also exposed to predators and poor water quality, he added.

Accompanying the pumping restrictions, which should go into effect by the end of this year, the Fisheries Service recommended increased upstream storage of cold water and changes in flow rates of that water.

According to Rosenfield, the cold water helps the eggs of Chinook salmon incubate properly.
Another recommendation is for the construction of a pumping plant at the Sacramento River's Red Bluff Diversion Dam in Tehama County to allow salmon and green sturgeon to move through the dam unimpeded.

Rosenfield said that dam has been a barrier to both adult fish returning upstream and juvenile fish migrating downstream.

The Fisheries Service produced the new report after a federal judge in Fresno last April invalidated the agency's previous 2004 study that concluded the water pumping would not jeopardize the fish.

"The piling on of one federal court decision after another in a species-by-species approach is killing our economy and undermining the integrity of the Endangered Species Act," said Schwarzenegger. He added that he plans to bring his case directly to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, and that his administration "will be pursuing every possible avenue to reconcile the harmful effects of these decisions."

Rosenfield said today he expected the agricultural industry would challenge the recommendations in court.

SalmonAid 2009 Festival - June 20 & 21

When – June 20 & 21, Noon–7pm

Where – Jack London Square, Oakland, CA

Come join The Bay Institute at the SalmonAid 2009 Festival in Oakland's Jack London Square June 20 & 21 for a festival of food, music, and culture. SalmonAid 2009 features an impressive line-up of musicians, sustainable seafoods, educational forums, demonstrations from First Nation’s tribes, children’s activities, films, speakers, and more.

TBI and a coalition of commercial, recreational and tribal fishermen, conservation organizations, slow food chefs, and scientists are coming together to honor wild Pacific salmon. This year's theme will be “Restore Rivers, Recover Salmon, Rebuild Jobs.”

SalmonAID 2009 responds to the continuing wild salmon disaster along the Pacific Coast and the closure of the salmon fishing season along the Pacific Coast throughout California and most of Oregon.

Currently about 1500 commercial salmon fishermen fish ocean waters for salmon off Washington, Oregon and California. They supply one of our Nation’s healthiest foods to Americans coast to coast. But salmon populations in California, Oregon, Washington State, and Idaho have declined dramatically in recent years, primarily due to mismanagement of the freshwater river and stream habitat that salmon depend upon for reproduction and rearing.

Recent problems for the California and Oregon salmon fishery trace back to the massive 2002 Klamath River fish kill, which occurred when federal officials diverted river flows to upstream farms. The juvenile fish kills during subsequent years caused by the Klamath dams have also had a devastating impact. Many state and federal agencies say these dams should be removed to help restore the Klamath’s severely depressed salmon runs.

In the last few years, Sacramento River salmon have been beset by record high water withdrawals from the San Francisco Bay-Delta and over allocation of water supplies from dams in the Central Valley. The Sacramento River hosts two endangered populations of Chinook salmon and an endangered population of steelhead (a migratory form of rainbow trout).

Dr. Jon Rosenfield, Conservation Biologist for the Bay Institute, said “Commercial fishermen and sport boat operators willingly missed their season entirely last year in order to support wild populations spawning in the rivers – but their sacrifice may have been in vain. The federal and state water projects failed to manage water resources to protect the salmon and steelhead populations that are precariously close to extinction. They ignored the crisis entirely.”

Similarly, wild salmon populations on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, once home to the world’s greatest runs, have been devastated primarily by the construction of dams and other forms of habitat destruction. Since 1991, the federal government has failed to produce a plan (required under the Endangered Species Act) to protect and restore endangered stocks throughout the basin. Pressure is intensifying to remove four costly and out-dated dams in the lower Snake River, which block access for salmon to thousands of miles of high quality habitat.

SalmonAid’s nearly three dozen member organizations are calling for progress towards removing outdated dams on several rivers, and enforcement of existing environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act.