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Aquarium of the Pacific adds 3 new creatures to its Marine Species Report Card

May 1, 2026

The Aquarium of the Pacific has officially expanded its Marine Species Report Card, a free public resource that aims to help educate people about the health of myriad ocean creatures that live in California’s coastal waters.

The organization originally unveiled the Marine Species Report Card in February 2025. The project had been in the works for two years at that point, and initially included information about population trends and more for 30 marine species.

Now, the Long Beach aquarium has updated the report card to include three more species: the cabezon fish, the horn shark and the sheep crab.

“People are an integral part of conservation, and with greater awareness comes more possibility for stewardship,” the aquarium’s president and CEO, Jeff Flocken, said in a recent news release. “The Report Card is one of many tools the Aquarium is using to activate stewardship in our community, benefiting the conservation of our marine species.”

The report card was developed with input from experts across the state, including scientists, researchers, government agencies and leaders from more than a dozen different institutions, according to the aquarium.

A horn shark at the Aquarium of the Pacific. (Photo courtesy of Ken Kurtis/Aquarium of the Pacific).

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A horn shark at the Aquarium of the Pacific. (Photo courtesy of Ken Kurtis/Aquarium of the Pacific).

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And for the three newly added species, the report card includes information about the threats they face in the wild, their current population trends and conservation actions being taken to help each creature.

The cabezon fish, for example, can be found from Alaska all the way to Baja California, according to the report card, and they prefer areas near the seashore with rocky bottoms, like kelp forests and tide pools.

From the 1960s to the mid-1990s, the main threat facing cabezon fish was fishing, the report card said. But since then, cabezon fishing has been regulated — and its populations have remained relatively stable, with some fluctuations.

The report card also said the horn shark, which is listed as being of “least concern” under the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, also have relatively stable population numbers, largely because they are less impacted by fishing as a result of their tendency to stay near rocky bottom areas and their nocturnal nature.

Horn sharks, though, could face problems in the future as the ocean temperatures continue to rise because of climate change, according to the report. Some studies have found that the species — and especially juveniles — can be sensitive to temperature changes.

“This temperature sensitivity implies that warming oceans may negatively impact horn sharks in the future,” the report card said. “Further studies to understand these dynamics and impacts (are) warranted.”

As for sheep crabs, the final of the new additions to the report card, their populations have also been relatively stable over the last 25 years, according to the aquarium. Though recreational sheep crab fishing is permitted year-round with a license, the creatures aren’t facing major threats from extraction because commercial fishing of them has ended, the aquarium said.

“There is not much published literature specific to threats sheep crabs face,” the report card added, “including on the effects of warming and acidification.”

All three of those creatures, meanwhile, can be found at the Aquarium of the Pacific in the Blue Cavern and Southern California Gallery.

Besides the Marine Species Report Card, the aquarium does plenty of other conservation work for numerous species, including preserving bull kelp, monitoring and rehabilitating green sea turtles, and participating in the Sea Otter Surrogacy Program, among other efforts.

“The Report Card provides an entry point for our community to learn more about their ocean neighbors,” said Jennie Dean, the aquarium’s vice president of education and conservation. “We enhance connection to the species we have on site at key exhibits with signage and distribution of limited-edition trading cards.”

And there are plenty of ways everyday people can get involved, such as by volunteering at beach clean-ups or habitat restoration initiatives.

The Marine Species Report Card and information about how to help is online at pacific.to/msrc.

Aquarium of the Pacific adds 3 new creatures to its Marine Species Report Card Orange County Register

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Aquarium of the Pacific adds 3 new creatures to its Marine Species Report Card

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