By NANCY PERSON
Who knew baby halibuts could be so darn cute? Those little transparent bodies, happily darting around the fish tank made such an impression on me. They were part of a study to identify the water temperature at which female halibut babies become male. Can you imagine if taking a hot bath could change your gender?
Procreation of the species does require both genders, which is why the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute is trying to replenish the wild fishery before it becomes too depleted. This is just one of the incredible studies from HSWRI happening right in our own backyard.
Several of the Mission Beach Women’s Club members took advantage of a recent invitation to tour the facility, located on the grounds of the long-shuttered Atlantis Restaurant. I was a bit skeptical because I’m not much of a science person, and thought I’d be bored. I definitely was not! I’ve also heard so much controversy about SeaWorld and how they exploit their animals. However, after learning how much care the animals at SeaWorld get, as well as the ways in which they are used to help species in the wild, I am a new supporter of their mission.
President and CEO Donald Kent was our tour guide and showed us many experiments and new projects underway at the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. He started there as an SDSU graduate student in the late ’70s and has led the Institute since 1996. Kent’s passion for sea life and the environment was apparent. He explained in detail how some of their different research programs work to solve statewide, national, and even global issues.
Kent was instrumental in initiating the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program (OREHP). This partnership between the recreational/commercial fishing communities and the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife has created ways to counteract the depletion of California’s coastal marine fisheries through stock replenishment. He is also responsible for the planning and construction of the Leon Raymond Hubbard, Jr. Marine Fish Hatchery in Carlsbad, where they have reared, raised, and released more than 2.4 million white seabass into California waters.
The institute acknowledges that humans use the ocean for a variety of activities — food, recreation, energy production, transportation, and military maneuvers. Therefore, their scientists seek “win-win” solutions that allow humans and marine life to thrive together while sharing the seas. They work with anglers, resource managers, industry, and collaborators to minimize injuries or deaths of dolphins, killer whales, polar bears, and other marine life resulting from interactions with human-made sounds and objects. Their work includes not only potential negative impacts of human-produced noise but also the potential lifesaving benefits of sounds or gear modifications to keep marine life out of hazardous situations.
I expected that all the research at HSWRI would be focused on fish and seafood. I was surprised to learn about the polar bear study. Of course, if there weren’t polar bears at SeaWorld that could be used in these investigations, these studies might not happen. How easy do you think it would be to befriend and monitor a wild polar bear?
As the Mission Beach Women’s Club’s director of philanthropy this year, I am happy to say we will be sharing some of our grant money with the HSWRI. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated organization helping to solve some of the world’s problems, in terms of food supply, and animal welfare.
*Portions of this article were taken directly from the HSWRI website.
