Shedd to the (coral) rescue!

This week Shedd Aquarium took part in a rescue operation in the Florida Keys that combined military precision with extreme environmental sensitivity to save more than 1,500 coral colonies and fragments from destruction. That’s no surprise because the request for assistance in saving the corals came from the Naval Air Station Key West and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Meet Chuck Knapp: Conservation Scientist

Dr. Chuck Knapp, Shedd’s director of conservation and research, has been one of Shedd’s most active ambassadors for conservation for nearly 20 years. Anyone who has been on one of Shedd’s iguana research expeditions knows Chuck and his passion for West Indian rock iguanas. Since the early 1990s, he has been a champion of the critically endangered iguana species that populate remote islands in the Bahamas.

Each island or cluster of tiny cays (pronounced “keys”) has its endemic species; Chuck has concentrated on the iguanas of Andros and the Exumas chain. In addition to his months-long fieldwork, Chuck has gone into settlement schools and community meetings to raise local awareness of—and pride in—the unique iguanas and foster a desire to conserve them. His long-time collaboration with the Bahamas National Trust, a conservation organization, resulted in the creation and expansion of a marine park that encompasses the lizards’ dwindling habitat. He was also instrumental in developing an international action plan to ensure the protection of the iguanas on Andros.

November Fish of the Month: Rainbow Trout

U.S.-farmed rainbow trout, a mild, almost nutty-flavored fish, is on Shedd Aquarium’s best-choice list for sustainable seafood.

Today more than half of our global seafood supply comes from aquaculture, or fish farms. While many of these operations are not only unsustainable but also a source of serious environmental contamination, aquaculture can also be done “Right Bite right.” And Shedd supports farms that practice environmentally friendly methods.