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Monday 8:30am - 5pm Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm Thursday 8:30am - 5pm Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute

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Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute

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Thriving Oceans for a Healthier World

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https://hswri.org/

Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI) is a non-profit scientific research organization committed to conserving and renewing marine life to ensure a healthier planet. Our team of experts provide innovative and objective scientific solutions to challenges threatening ocean health and marine life in our rapidly changing world.

11/03/2026

🌱 What happens when restoration doesn't go as planned? You learn, adapt, and try again!

After most of our newly planted seagrass disappeared from Florida's Indian River Lagoon within weeks, our scientists saw an opportunity to investigate. Using specially designed cages, we're studying which animals are grazing on young seagrass and how we can better protect it as it grows. 🔬

And there's more to learn! Our team is also tracking natural seagrass recovery, testing new cage designs, and studying how young hard clams grow and filter the water. 🐚

💙 Want to help support this work? Learn more here: https://discoverfloridasoceans.com/purchaseaplate/
Florida's specialty license plate helps fund HSWRI conservation research, including our efforts to restore seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon!
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Florida Sea Grant
Seaworld Busch Gardens Conservation Fund

11/02/2026

What an amazing week at the Society for Marine Mammalogy's 26th biennial conference in beautiful San Juan Puerto Rico!🌴🐬

In a wonderful bi-coastal effort, HSWRI scientists from both our Florida and California teams came together to share their research, connect with fellow marine mammal scientists, and learn from colleagues around the world.

Our Florida team had a fantastic week sharing their work and promoting conservation of Indian River Lagoon dolphins! Stay tuned for a look at highlights from our California team later this week! 💙🌊

10/30/2026

Creatures, curious kiddos, and a whole lot of marine mammal love! 🐬👻🎃

We had a spook-tacular time at Creatures Fest, connecting with our community and sharing the important work we do in dolphin research and rescue.

Thank you to everyone who visited with us, asked questions, and shared their enthusiasm for marine life! And a special shoutout to Barrier Island Center for bringing our community together for such a fang-tastic event!

Until next time, keep it spooky and save the dolphins!
Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Program
Sea Turtle Conservancy at the Archie Carr Refuge

10/29/2026

Thank you to our Coastal Conservation Association of California growout site volunteers! 🐟

Last week we welcomed our growout site volunteer leaders to the hatchery for an annual program update where our hatchery team shared the latest on 2026 white seabasss production and release numbers, recent transfers, broodstock collection plans, tag recaptures from this summer, and updates on our halibut program at Mission Bay! We also looked back on highlight's from April's 3 millionth white seabass release! 🎉

Following the meeting, our Hatchery Manager led a tour of the facility giving visitors a behind-the-scenes look at seabass of all ages.

To all of our growout volunteers, including those who couldn't attend, we thank you for your incredible dedication and generosity! Reaching the 3 millionth fish milestone would not have been possible without the countless hours of support from you all over the years! We're so grateful to have you as partners in supporting the future of the white seabass! 💙🌊
Marina Del Rey Anglers
Southwestern Yacht Club
Ocean Institute
Channel Islands Harbor

10/28/2026

A Tusk Ballet in the Arctic? 🦄❄️

During Dr. Audra Ames’ recent Arctic fieldwork, her team witnessed a fascinating behavior they hadn’t expected to see!

On a particularly windy day, several groups of narwhals moved into a cove near the research camp. From nearby, the team observed what appeared to be a social or mating display involving multiple male narwhals.

One male would surface with his tusk held high, then wait as several other males joined him and raised their tusks alongside his. Again and again, the males surfaced together, their tusks creating what Dr. Ames described as a sort of “tusk ballet”.

Narwhal tusks are an elongated tooth, and while they’re one of the most recognizable features of these Arctic whales, scientists are still working to understand all the ways narwhals use them and what different tusk-related behaviors may mean. This makes observations like these particularly valuable because they provide another piece of the puzzle when studying narwhal behavior and communication!

Stay tuned for one more story of Dr. Ames’ Arctic adventure, featuring an encounter with some unexpected visitors at camp! 🐻‍❄️
Photo Credit - Ashley Elliott, Dr. Cory Matthews, and Dr. Audra Ames

10/27/2026

🎓 Congratulations to Jordan on successfully defending her thesis at San Diego State University! 🌊🔬

As part of SDSU's Master's in Marine Ecology, Jordan has been working hard to advance her research studying Pacific calico scallops and their diets and we couldn't be more proud of her!

Previously working as our Broodstock Manager, now that Jordan has sucessfully defended, we're thrilled to have her continuing with the HSWRI team as our Research Hatchery Manager. She's an incredible asset to our institute and we're so excited to see all that she accomplishes next!

Congratulations Jordan! We're so proud of you! 🐟💙

10/26/2026

This summer, our Florida team and partners planted more than 4,000 seagrass units and 135,000 young hard clams in the Indian River Lagoon. 🌱 🐚

The goal? Help restore the lagoon's ecosystem and support wildlife like manatees, dolphins, and fish.

What did we see? Unfortunately, within weeks, most of the planted seagrass had disappeared! Rather than seeing this as a failure, +this unexpected result offers a valuable opportunity. Our team is investigating which animals are eating the new seagrass using a series of experimental enclosures designed to keep different grazers out.

Restoration takes patience, research, and learning from the unexpected! Stay tuned to learn more and learn how you can get involved!
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Florida Sea Grant
Seaworld Busch Gardens Conservation Fund

10/23/2026

🌊 Our team has some exciting new scallop research!

What happens when we take Pacific calico scallops from our indoor tanks and give them a chance to grow in the waters of San Diego Bay? Let’s find out! 🐚

Our team is investigating the growth and survival of Pacific calico scallops in an open water environment using a field-based floating upweller system, or FLUPSY, in San Diego Bay. After growing to approximately 5 mm in shell height at our facility, the scallops were transferred into specialized cages within the system, where they’ll have access to flowing bay water and the microscopic food and nutrients it carries.

Over the next few months, our team will regularly monitor their growth, survival, and surrounding water conditions. Once the scallops reach approximately 10 mm (anticipated over the next month), they’ll move into lantern nets within the FLUPSY for continued growth as we follow their progress over the next year. 🔬

So, what’s the goal? We want to understand how well scallops can grow and survive in San Diego Bay and whether the bay can support their development. It’s an opportunity to learn more about growing these animals in open water conditions and better understand their potential for future aquaculture efforts.

Follow along as we share more about the scallops, the unique technology of the FLUPSY, and what we learn along the way!

10/22/2026

🌊 Celebrating our own! 💙

Over the weekend, our Education & Outreach Manager, Hayley, was honored with "Unsung Hero Award" at the Environmental Hero Awards hosted by California State Assemblymember Tasha Boerner with the "Unsung Hero Award"!

Through her work at HSWRI, Hayley connects students and communities with marine science, aquaculture, and ocean conservation. She loves working to advance public understanding of science and inspiring the next generation of ocean leaders.

A huge thank you to Assemblymember Tasha Boerner and her team for this recognition! We're proud to see Hayley's dedication to science education celebrated and loved hearing from all the inspiring individuals honored! The time, care, and commitment we bring to our communities and the environment matter!

Congratulations, Hayley, and congratulations to all the Environmental Hero award recipients! 🎉🌎

10/21/2026

Taking the Arctic to Puerto Rico! 🐋🎤

If you've been following along with our recent posts about Dr. Audra Ames' Arctic fieldwork, you've gotten a glimpse into her research exploring narwhal vocalizations, behavior, and communication. But how can scientists use what they learn from marine mammals in human care to better understand their wild counterparts?

Earlier this week, Dr. Ames joined fellow researchers for a panel at the Society for Marine Mammalogy 's biennial conference to discuss just that. Dr. Ames presented, "Do Narwhals Have Names? Applying Insights from Monodontids in Managed Care to the Wild", exploring how insights gained from studying belugas in human care can inform research on wild populations — including the beluga's close cousin, the narwhal.

Research in managed care settings can give scientists opportunities to study animal behavior and communication in ways difficult or unsafe to replicate in the wild. When combined with field observations, these insights can help researchers better interpret what they observe in natural environments. From recording underwater calls in the Arctic, to sharing research with the broarder scientific community, Dr. Ames' work highlights how collaboration across research settings can help us learn more about these remarkable animals.

We're proud to see HSWRI researchers contributing to conversations that advance marine mammal science in the field, in the lab, and in managed care! 🌊🔬

Stay tuned for another peek into the field with Dr. Ames next week!

Address

2595 Ingraham Street
San Diego, CA
92109

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5pm
Friday	8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

(619) 226-3870

Website

https://hswri.org/, https://linktr.ee/HubbsSeaWorldResearchInstitute

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