UNTAPPING THE RESOURCE: THE USE OF A MIXED SPECIES EXHIBIT AS A VIABLE SOURCE OF EGGS FOR MARINE ORNAMENTAL AQUACULTURE

The focus of this project was on marine ornamental reef species of importance to Hawaii. Eggs

were collected from a partnering institution's 166,000-gallon public exhibit. Eggs were collected

and transported back to the Oceanic Institute (OI), where rearing attempts were conducted and

documented. The goal was to culture new species and establish successful rearing protocols

which could then be applied to other ornamental species that have not yet been aquacultured.

The use of a mixed species exhibit for ornamental egg collection, and mixed-species larval

rearing are relatively new approaches in marine ornamental aquaculture. Over the course of

the project, a total of 794,760 eggs were collected across 28 collections with representative

larvae from three different families of fishes. This led to the successful rearing of six different

species, four of which had never previously been reared successfully in captivity. The successful

collection, transport, and rearing of eggs from public aquaria gives merit to the mission of

Rising Tide Conservation to preserve and protect coral reefs by means of sustainable

aquaculture.