Monterey Bay Aquarium Wins Tastemaker Award from Bon Appetit Magazine for Its influential Seafood Watch Program

MONTEREY, Calif., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bon Appetit
Magazine has named Monterey Bay Aquarium as its "Tastemaker of the Year"
for 2008, recognizing the aquarium's Seafood Watch program
(http://www.seafoodwatch.org) for its influential role in transforming seafood
buying habits across the United States.

Bon Appetit Magazine will honor the aquarium and other recipients at
the 11th annual Bon Appetit Awards ceremony in New York City on September
15.

Bon Appetit Magazine selected the aquarium for its work in
communicating the message of sustainable seafood at a time when many
commercial fisheries are collapsing or in decline around the world.

The October issue of Bon Appetit Magazine, (http://www.bonappetit.com)
features more details about the Monterey Bay Aquarium's accomplishments in
promoting sustainable seafood.

"We're deeply honored to receive this award from Bon Appetit Magazine,"
said aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard. "We know that, through
their seafood choices, consumers and businesses can have a tremendous
impact on the health of the oceans. That's why we started Seafood Watch.
It's so gratifying to have our work recognized by a publication with the
stature of Bon Appetit."

Since 1999, the Monterey Bay Aquarium (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org) has
distributed more than 24 million consumer pocket guides nationwide to help
individuals make seafood choices that protect the long-term health of ocean
ecosystems. It has partnered with the two largest food service companies in
North America -- Compass Group and ARAMARK -- which have made commitments
to shift their purchases of millions of pounds of seafood annually to
sustainable sources.

From its beginnings in 1997 as an informal set of recommendations
intended for use in the aquarium's own food service and animal food room
operations, Seafood Watch has grown to encompass a robust research team
that produces and updates six regional pocket guides highlighting seafood
items available in different parts of the United States, a national pocket
guide, three Spanish-language pocket guides and a mobile version available
instantly on Internet-enabled phones and PDAs.

Monterey Bay Aquarium is now working with two other conservation
organizations -- the Blue Ocean Institute and Environmental Defense Fund --
to release new consumer guides to sustainable sushi. The sushi pocket
guides and new online content will be available in mid-October.

The work of the Seafood Watch research team is the basis for other
consumer pocket guides produced by institutions including the Shedd
Aquarium in Chicago and Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. The aquarium's
outreach and major buyers teams have developed partnerships with leading
food service companies and restaurants, as well as more than 175 aquariums,
zoos and other organizations that follow Seafood Watch guidelines and
distribute pocket guides in their regions.

Nationwide, more than 2,500 people have signed up as Seafood Watch
Advocates, promoting sustainable seafood activities in their communities.

"The commitments that businesses and individuals are making are having
a real impact in the marketplace," Packard said. "They're creating more
demand for seafood from sources that protect the health of ocean
ecosystems. And that puts us on a path toward improving fishing practices
and fish-farming practices around the world."

"The future of seafood, and the fate of ocean wildlife, is an urgent
environmental issue," Packard added said. "Globally, the United Nations
Food and Agricultural Organization reports that the majority of all
commercial fisheries are being fished at or beyond their limits. And
scientists recently projected that unless we change our fishing patterns,
virtually all commercial fisheries will be gone within 40 years. Through
our Seafood Watch program, we're addressing these threats and moving closer
to a solution."

The mission of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of
the oceans.