Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute

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Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute Thriving Oceans for a Healthier World

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https://hswri.org/

Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI) is a non-profit scientific research organization committed to conserving and renewing marine life to ensure a healthier planet. Our team of experts provide innovative and objective scientific solutions to challenges threatening ocean health and marine life in our rapidly changing world.

10/16/2026

Things we’re ghosting this season 👻

Some things just don’t belong in the lab. 🐟🧪

Consider this your sign to leave scary science practices in the past.

10/15/2026

Halibut waterslide, anyone? 🌊

As our California halibut grow, we need to sort them by size and move them into larger tanks to allow plenty of room for continued growth.

For this move, our team built a sluice system to use flowing water to safely transport the fish across the aquaculture yard and into their new tank.

Less bucket carrying for our team, less handling stress for the fish, and a pretty cool behind the scenes look at aquaculture! 👀🐟

Listening to Narwhals: The Science of Bioacoustics What if you could hear a narwhal call and know what the narwhal was d...
10/15/2026

Listening to Narwhals: The Science of Bioacoustics
What if you could hear a narwhal call and know what the narwhal was doing when it made that sound? 🎧🐋

During her recent fieldwork to the Arctic, HSWRI researcher Dr. Audra Ames used hydrophones - underwater microphones - to record sounds made by narwhals and other marine mammals around her research site. Some of these recordings captured animals hundreds of meters away, giving researchers hours of underwater sounds to analyze.

But listening is only part of the story. At the same time, Audra and her team were observing narwhals from shore and boat, using cameras and drones to document their behavior, group size, and social interactions. By synchronizing these behavioral observations with the acoustic recordings, researchers can start to connect what narwhals are saying with what they are doing.

To understand this, researchers look at spectrograms, visual representations of sound. On these graphs, time moves from left to right and frequency from bottom to top. Brighter patterns represent sounds recorded by the hydrophone. Each shape and pattern gives researchers something to investigate.

This is important because much of what we know about narwhal vocalizations comes from acoustic recordings wherein we don’t know the behavior of the whale making the sound. Observing narwhals in the wild gives scientists valuable context for interpreting these recordings. By bringing these pieces together, researchers can begin to understand how narwhals use sound to communicate, interact, and navigate the ocean. 🐋❄️

Stay tuned for more from Dr. Ames’ Arctic adventure including a fascinating behavior the team observed from above!
Photo Credit - Ashley Elliott, Dr. Cory Matthews, Dr. Audra Ames

Meet Feliz👋We're excited to welcome Feliz as our Microbial Analysis for Sustainable Invertebrate Aquaculture Intern! 🦪🔬🌊...
10/14/2026

Meet Feliz👋

We're excited to welcome Feliz as our Microbial Analysis for Sustainable Invertebrate Aquaculture Intern! 🦪🔬🌊

Feliz is currently a student at San Diego Miramar College with plans to transfer to UC San Diego in the spring.

In a special full circle connection, Feliz learned about HSWRI through a program supported by Wells Fargo, Seabass in the Classroom, and her internship is also made possible through Wells Fargo's generous support. Wells Fargo has previously funded Seabass in the Classroom, bringing hands on aquaculture experiences into classrooms, and that support ultimately helped connect Feliz with an opportunity to gain hands-on research experience of her own at the recommendation of her professor who raises seabass at Miramar.

We're so grateful to Wells Fargo for supporting opportunities that connect students with marine science and aquaculture and we're excited to have Feliz on board! 💙

Stay tuned as we share more about her work and what she's learning throughout her internship! 🐟🧪

Happy Seafood Month Monday! 🐟Last week we highlighted our work raising and releasing white seabass. This week, we're shi...
10/12/2026

Happy Seafood Month Monday! 🐟

Last week we highlighted our work raising and releasing white seabass. This week, we're shining a spotlight on another important California species: California halibut!

At HSWRI, our halibut program combines aquaculture research and fisheries replenishment to better understand this species and explore ways to support wild populations.

One area of our research focuses on s*x determination. For CA halibut, environmental factors, including temperature during early development, can influence whether a fish develops as male or female. Understanding how this process works can help us improve our ability to produce healthy fish in aquaculture. 🔬

But our research doesn't stop there!

Since 2019, HSWRI has been releasing hatchery raised juvenile CA halibut into Mission Bay as part of our fisheries replenishment research. By tagging and monitoring these fish after release, scientists can study how they survive, grow, move through their environment, and ultimately contribute to wild populations. 🌊

It's one species, but two sides to the same question: How can we use aquaculture and science to better understand and help support California's seafood resources? Stay tuned for more Seafood Month Mondays as we explore the science behind the seafood we eat!

Into the Arctic: A Month of Narwhal FieldworkWhat does a day studying narwhals in the Arctic actually look like? 🐋❄️ Thi...
10/07/2026

Into the Arctic: A Month of Narwhal Fieldwork

What does a day studying narwhals in the Arctic actually look like? 🐋❄️

This August, HSWRI researcher Dr. Audra Ames spent a month working in Admiralty Inlet, a major waterway of Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. The surrounding waters are home to 75% of the world’s narwhal population during summer months, making it an incredible place to study these elusive whales.

Dr. Ames and her team spent weeks camping at their remote field site, observing narwhals from both shore and boat while collecting acoustic and behavioral data.

A typical day could start as early as 5 am with breakfast in the kitchen tent before heading out to deploy hydrophones, prepare for a day on the boat, or watch for whales passing near camp. When narwhals were sighted, the team used drones to document group size, social structure, and behavior from above. On boat days, they spent time locating whales and once spotted, the team would spend hours observing their behaviors and recording underwater sounds.

For most of the expedition, there were 24 hours of daylight meaning the team often worked through the “night” to keep watch for whales, knowing unexpected weather could bring work to a standstill at any moment.

The goal of these long days? To better understand what narwhals are saying and why. By recording their underwater vocalizations alongside behaviors, researchers can begin to connect particular sounds with what narwhals are actually doing in the wild.

We’ll be sharing more from Dr. Ames’ fieldwork over the coming weeks, including a closer look at how scientists listen to narwhals using hydrophones and what their vocalizations may tell us about their behavior and social lives. Plus some unexpected Arctic encounters you won’t want to miss! 🎧🐋
Photo Credit - Ashley Elliott, Dr. Cory Matthews, Dr. Audra Ames

Happy Seafood Month Monday! 🐟Throughout October, we'll be highlighting the science behind seafood and today we're starti...
10/06/2026

Happy Seafood Month Monday! 🐟

Throughout October, we'll be highlighting the science behind seafood and today we're starting with one of HSWRI's longest running programs: The Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program (OREHP).

OREHP was established in 1982 to investigate whether hatchery raised marine fish could help enhance depleted wild fish populations. HSWRI has been involved since 1983, and in 1986, the program released its first juvenile white seabass into Mission Bay. Just this past April, we celebrated a major program milestone: the release of our 3 millionth tagged white seabass! 🎉🐟

But releasing fish is only part of the story. Each fish receives a coded-wire tag before release. When anglers catch a fish, they return its head and researchers can learn where and when that fish was released and how long it survived in the wild.

This recapture data helps scientists evaluate the effectiveness of hatchery releases and better understand white seabass survival, movement, and population dynamics all of which can contribute to the larger body of knowledge used to understand and manage California's fisheries.

And that's what Seafood Month is all about, looking beyond what's on our plates to the science, people, and ocean resources that make sustainable seafood possible. 🐟🔬🌊

In our flop era 🐟😎💙🌊
10/02/2026

In our flop era 🐟😎💙🌊

October is National Seafood Month! 🐟🦪🌊For us at HSWRI, celebrating seafood means celebrating the science, people, and oc...
10/01/2026

October is National Seafood Month! 🐟🦪🌊

For us at HSWRI, celebrating seafood means celebrating the science, people, and ocean resources behind the food we put on our plates.

From raising white seabass and studying other marine species to researching aquaculture, fisheries, and the health of our ocean ecosystems, our work helps us better understand the connections between seafood production and healthy oceans.

Throughout October, we'll be highlighting some of the seafood species we work with, exploring the science behind aquaculture, sharing a few behind the scenes looks at hatchery life, and taking a closer look at what it takes to support sustainable seafood for the future.

Stay tuned for more from from HSWRI! 🐟🔬🌊

The start of the school year means a new batch of white seabass heading to our schools! We've recently started our Seaba...
09/30/2026

The start of the school year means a new batch of white seabass heading to our schools!

We've recently started our Seabass in the Classroom deliveries with juvenile white seabass making their way to classes throughout San Diego and Orange County! During delivery, students have a chance to handle fish, a first for many of them, as they take initial length and weight measurements. They use these measurements to calculate the ideal daily feed rate and learn about what it takes to feed, clean, and care for growing fish.

Later this semester, students will complete secondary measurements and have a chance to tag all of their fish in preparation for direct release! Stay tuned for more updates throughout the semester!
Coastal Conservation Association of California
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
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2595 Ingraham Street
San Diego, CA
92109

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Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

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(619) 226-3870

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