Our Mission Statement
To create a living “Eco-Vault” to hold and grow the widest possible diversity of coral species under optimal conditions to hedge against coral reef degradation and species extinction.
To pioneer the effective restocking of degraded coral reefs worldwide with locally endemic aquacultured specimens.
To promote and foster education and social outreach to educate society about current conservation challenges facing international marine environments.
To supplant the supply of wild-caught marine animals (corals, invertebrates, and fish) in the international aquarium trade with “Coral Ark” branded, pathogen-free, captive-raised/aquacultured specimens, thereby alleviating harvest pressure on coral reefs worldwide
Coral Reef Ecosystem Under Global Threat
According to the World Wildlife Fund roughly one-quarter of coral reefs worldwide are already considered damaged beyond repair, with another two-thirds under serious threat.
THE CORAL ARK – Technology and Competitive Advantages
The Coral Ark enjoys a number of competitive advantages including access to proprietary technology and a staff of highly educated and experienced scientists and operators. It also boasts an exclusive relationship with Sea Dwelling Creatures-Exotic Reef imports, the world’s largest wholesale distributor of aquarium animals and supplies. It is intended to leverage SDC-ERI’s significant base of research institutions, public aquariums, and tourist destinations to engage the public in an aggressive educational program concerning the plight of marine ecosystems and conservation.
FACILITY
The Coral Ark has already secured the rights to rent a 16,000 square foot warehouse facility just steps away from SDC – ERI and immediately adjacent to LAX. This facility will facilitate up to approximately 50,000 gallons of holding capacity which can easily accommodate the early space requirements of the program. The facility’s proximity to SDC – ERI will also allow convenient access to new species and distribution of farmed specimens to the aquarium industry.
TEAM
The Coral Ark has already sourced a team of talented and experienced coral aquaculture biologists. In addition, research and development of fish and invertebrate aquaculture will be spearheaded by Eric Wagner of Proaquatix as well as other prominent experts in the field.
FUTURE OPERATIONS
It is the intention of the Coral Ark to exponentially scale its operations within the first two years of inception. This will involve migrating the operation to a much larger, rural, agricultural locale to allow the housing and aquaculture of the ever-growing diversity of coral, invertebrate, and fish species that is anticipated. With the expansion of the endeavor, it is also hoped that an ever-increasing number of leading scientific personalities can be engaged and involved in ongoing efforts and public engagement.
Aquaculture
The state of coral aquaculture has evolved dramatically in the last decade and specialized lighting and filtration equipment is almost ubiquitous in the aquarium trade. This has spawned an engaged and successful cottage coral culture industry and an increasingly established source of domestically grown specimens to relieve demand of wild-caught animals. Additionally, the prevalence of captive-held, captive-raised corals within the hobby has created a defacto coral bank with numerous species successfully being reared (and traded) in countless terrestrial locales.
Aquacultured coral fragments can be returned to local coral reefs for replanting and after decades of scientific, small-scale, and community-based projects around the world, it has been shown to be a viable method for restoring degraded reefs. The Coral Ark benefits from the current state of coral aquaculture as well as unique and proprietary technology that allows us to dramatically increase survival, health, and growth rates (up to 50X those found in the wild). Additionally, selective culture technology enables us to produce coral specimens free of naturally occurring pathogens as well as resistant to naturally occurring stressors like elevated temperatures or increased acidity. The end result is a wide variety of superior living coral species able to be reproduced in perpetuity and at accelerated rates.
Affiliations
The Coral Ark fully intends on leveraging SDC – ERI’s existing affiliations with some of the world’s most publicly recognizable commercial institutions.
