For 60 years the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI) has been fulfilling its mission of “To return to the sea some measure of the benefits derived from it”. HSWRI President & CEO (and member of San Diego Rotary) Don Kent spoke at our January 26, 2023 meeting about the Institute’s research areas and efforts toward sustainable solutions.
HSWRI is studying how marine animals respond to changing environments brought about by rising sea temperatures and how military activity or planned wind farms could affect animals that rely on sensory signals to communicate and navigate. They are also working to enhance science literacy of students ranging from kindergarten to college age.
Most importantly, HSWRI is working to provide novel approaches to aquaculture to meet the protein demands of a growing global population. For nearly 40 years, HSWRI has been developing aquaculture technology to secure and track populations of white sea bass. Some of the released fish are tagged and these tags can be recovered during fish processing to understand the migratory habits of these fish. HSWRI is applying knowledge gained from their sea bass project to other fish species to ensure that the world has access to sustainable seafood.