The Florida Aquarium

Conservation

Conservation and Research

"Inspiring conservation through greater understanding and involvement with our aquatic habitats"

The Florida Aquarium's Center for Conservation combines research and rehabilitation programs to support aquatic animal health, preserve ecosystems and build scientific knowledge.

Project Goals

Take a leadership role on the challenges facing Florida aquatic ecosystems, utilizing the expertise of The Florida Aquarium's staff.
Focus on husbandry practices and improving the health of captive populations.
Contribute to field studies that assess and advance the health of Florida cosystems.
Educate the public on Florida's critical conservation issues and on the Center's work through exhibits and programming at The Aquarium.
Facilitate cooperative efforts with local research and educational facilities as well as national and foreign organizations.
Through these partnerships, address environmental concerns at the local, regional and international level.

The Florida Aquarium Center for Convervation
has three divisions

Division of
Aquatic Health

Division of
Aquatic Ecosystems

Division of
Scientific Diving

GLOBAL CORAL REEF INSTITUTE
at The Florida Aquarium

Committed to Conservation and Restoration of the World’s Coral Reefs

Coral reefs throughout the globe are under destructive pressures from human activities, including dredging, ship groundings, pollution, harvest for building materials, and climate change.

The Global Coral Reef Institute (GCRI) was established at
The Florida Aquarium to develop and focus programs in
conservation, preservation, and restoration
of these unique ecosystems.

Conservation and preservation of all aquatic systems are core values of The Florida Aquarium, as evidenced by the strong educational and interpretive programs. Restoration of damaged coral sites is primarily limited by the availability of coral colonies, a problem which has been the focus of recent efforts of the GCRI. Aquaculture has emerged as a viable method of large-scale production of coral colonies (especially Indo-Pacific) using fragmentation, but production is primarily for the aquarium trade.

Recent efforts have shown that many species of Atlantic/Caribbean Scleractinia (hard corals) can be fragmented and grown successfully in tanks and on underwater, open-ocean sites.

Can these aquacultured fragments be utilized in reef restoration? The research being conducted by The Global Coral Reef Institute at The Florida Aquarium and partners is helping to answer these questions and improve coral restoration efforts. The quantity of coral colonies necessary to have a significant impact on restoration efforts will require large scale, economically efficient production.

The GCRI has partnered with private aquaculturalists and the Land Grant program working with ornamental aquaculture to determine the best methods for producing coral colonies, and is also evaluating their success when placed on a restoration site. In response to concerns over aquacultured corals' ability to "introduce" disease when used for restoration, scientists at GCRI have also developed the first health certificate for aquacultured corals, which has successfully been used for the first time to place fragments back into the wild. Studies continue to focus on growth and survival of these introduced corals, comparison of land-based versus open-water culture practices, evaluating the microbial communities of healthy, stressed, and diseased corals, and identifying the genetic makeup of coral communities. The GCRI is unique in assembling a group of dedicated scientists, comprising such a wide expertise, and focused on a common goal – to help coral reefs survive worldwide.

The Florida Aquarium has also built a demonstration "coral farm" on the exhibit pathway to educate visitors on coral reef issues, and show how colonies can be generated in completely artificial conditions. In addition, the coral farm serves as a repository site for damaged fragments obtained from the field.

This is part of the "Reef Medic" program developed by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Fragments are made available to other Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited institutions, researchers and restoration projects to help conserve wild populations.

The GCRI and its partners comprise a group of scientists and staff with broad experience and expertise in marine science, aquatic veterinary medicine, international development, and principles of commercial aquaculture. Their expertise has been sought on every continent but Antartica, promising a future for the GCRI at The Florida Aquarium that will make a significant change in the survival of coral reefs.