Person of Interest: Jenny Montague

When the New England Aquarium unveils its $10 million marine mammal center this month, top trainer Jenny Montague will be slinging a lot of squid—a preferred snack for the five northern fur seals poised to become the aquarium's newest stars. She'll also brush their teeth, feed them vitamin-stuffed fish, and put them through aquatic "workouts."

Built with support from sportswear giant New Balance, the center is themed around health and fitness for critters and kids alike. Yet there's another message implicit in this glossy addition: that the aquarium itself can thrive. Rocked by budget cuts, layoffs, and a temporary loss of accreditation six years ago, the 40-year-old Boston landmark is also coming off nearly two decades of flat attendance. The marine mammal center is its biggest push yet to change all that, followed by a planned overhaul of its signature 225,000-gallon ocean tank. "It's going to look very different around here," says Montague, shown here with harbor seal Reggae (whose furrier compatriots were still en route to Boston when this photo was taken).