OCEAN LECTURE SERIES

"Aquacultured Marine Ornamentals: Sustaining the Aquarium Industry"
• Kevin Gaines

For the past 40 years, the marine aquarium hobby has counted on a supply of marine life collected from coral reefs around the world. While the technology and understanding of keeping marine aquariums has dramatically increased, the industry's dependence on a woefully unreliable and inadequate livestock supply has remained the same. Any thoughtful person must question the destruction of coral reef habitat for the demands of a hobby

Harbor Branch's subsidiary, Oceans, Reefs and Aquariums, Inc., known as ORA, is the only all aquacultured marine fish wholesaler in the United States. All of ORA's marine aquarium livestock products supply are farm-raised; none are taken from the coral reef. Through aquaculture, ORA is able to minimize the need for collecting certain species of marine fish and invertebrates for the aquarium trade. We believe this is the future of the marine aquarium industry. It is the only environmentally responsible way to promote the hobby and help ensure our industry's long term survival.

ORA is commercially producing 24 species of marine finfish, 4 species of seahorses, Florida fighting conch, as well as over 30 species of both hard and soft corals for the aquarium market. ORA sells to aquarium stores and marine wholesalers all over the world.

The lecture will cover the current ORA operations with a glimpse of what species of fish, coral, giant clams, and other invertebrates we grow, and why it so important to aquaculture marine ornamentals. In addition, the positive impacts ORA is having on the aquarium industry and how ORA is leading the way to the future of the marine aquarium hobby will be explored.

About the Speaker

Kevin Gaines is President/CEO President of Oceans, Reefs & Aquariums, Inc. (ORA), a for-profit subsidiary of HBOI. He has been working with ORA and Harbor Branch for the past eight years. Mr. Gaines has been keeping marine fish and invertebrates in aquariums for 27 years. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida in Microbiology and Cell Science, with minors in Chemistry and Zoology. He has successfully cultured more than 120 photosynthetic corals from all over the world and is currently the first to use cultured corals to re-seed Florida's coral reef tract. He also has extensive knowledge of the marine aquarium market and oversees all operations from sales/marketing and production to product development and future expansions. A Florida native, he has seen many changes in the nearshore marine environment and is dedicated to preserving these areas.