Our History
Celebrating a legacy marked by tireless dedication, passion and thoughtful evolution.
The Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles (MMCC) has a rich history marked by tireless dedication, passion and thoughtful evolution, resulting in the vibrant, vital nonprofit community partner it is today.
Before MMCC existed, marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation in Los Angeles was done by staff at Marineland of the Pacific, an aquatic-themed amusement park located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
In late 1986, Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich (HBJ), primarily a school textbook publisher, purchased Marineland’s real and animal properties. After the sale, they quickly closed Marineland and sent most of its animals to SeaWorld in San Diego.
As part of the sale agreement, HBJ would continue to support marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation in Los Angeles, but now a new facility was needed.
As luck would have it, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) had acquired land at Fort MacArthur, a former military installation, from the federal government. Their goal was to establish a satellite campus for San Pedro High School to alleviate overcrowding and serve other educational and community needs.
Representatives from HBJ met with officials at LAUSD and partnered to create a marine mammal rehabilitation facility that also served as a center for marine sciences serving LAUSD students.
Funded by HBJ, the Marine Mammal Care Center opened in 1992 and began caring for its first marine mammal patient and offering classes to its first cohort of students.
For the next 23 years, MMCC was managed by a foundation created and funded by HBJ.
In 2016, MMCC was granted 501(c)(3) status and became an independent nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire ocean conservation through marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, education and research.
- 1978
Marineland of the Pacific established its marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation program, Organization for the Respect and Care of Animals of the Sea (ORCAS). - 1986
Marineland was purchased by Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich (HBJ), a U.S. based publishing company, and quickly shut down operations, transferring animals to SeaWorld in San Diego. - 1992
Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur (MMCC) officially opened on October 1, 1992, and was managed by the Foundation for Marine Animal Husbandry, a Florida-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. - 2015
MMCC responded to a record number of stranded juvenile marine mammals due to a mass starvation event caused by unusually warm waters in the Pacific Ocean. - 2016
MMCC officially became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. - 2020
MMCC successfully launched and met its first $1 million fundraising campaign goal. - 2022
MMCC created and launched a marine mammal rescue and response program after the unexpected dissolution of Marine Animal Rescue Specialists, a partner of more than 30 years. - 2023
MMCC responded to the worst mass stranding event in its history due to a toxic algae bloom. Later that year, MMCC treated its 10,000th patient since opening the rehabilitation facility. - 2024
MMCC joined the West Coast Large Whale Entanglement Response Network at the invitation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). - 2025
MMCC responded to another mass stranding event caused by toxic algae, this one far worse than 2023, with hundreds of sea lions and dolphins stranding over the course of three months. During that time, MMCC responders successfully disentangled their first whale, an adult gray whale, since joining the Large Whale Entanglement Response Network a year earlier.
See where the future takes us by following the Marine Mammal Care Center on social media! We post updates on our work as well as educational content across multiple channels to help our community learn about marine mammals, conservation and our ocean. Our videos, photos and live streams include conservation discussions, tours, guest speakers, releases and more.
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