​Public aquariums help turn visitors into ocean stewards that will increase our collective action to protect the blue planet, Likewise home aquariums benefit by teaching the scientific method to children, and to get them actively engaged in the world of water, Therefore, I believe that aquariums are key touch points that can lead by example to create oceans stewards that will improve the industry, and to create new users that value our precious ocean resources. 

These are my solutions:

AQUACULTURE - LARVAL FISH REARING

Creating high quality exhibits means happy fish, and happy fish will reproduce. To take advantage of this fish reproduction, we have created a program to train aquarists to collect eggs from fish spawning on exhibit and to grow these baby fish. more....

Fisheries - Project piaba

Many communities depend on healthy ecosystems from which they can harvest fish for the ornamental trade. Project Piaba works in the Rio Negro in Brazil to understand how to use this fishery to save the rainforest. Buy a fish, Save a tree!  more....

Fisheries - the wildlife trade And data

Many wild fisheries provide ecosystem benefits in that the economic value of the fishery provides incentive to protect intact habitats. But we don't have a good handle on the number of species or individual fish are collected. These data are vital to effective management more......

Invasive species

One significant downside to the aquarium industry is that people will release their pets to the wild, and these species can potentially become invasive species. This is a significant problem that can be managed in unique ways. more........

When to fish, when to farm

This flow chart answers two questions, should a fish be in the ornamental trade, and if so, should it be produced in aquaculture or wild caught. This chart was first published in the peer reviewed paper "Opportunities for Public Aquariums to Increase the Sustainability of the Aquatic Animal Trade".