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 provides innovative and objective scientific solutions to challenges threatening ocean health and marine life in our rapidly changing world.
Help us #SeaChange now to ensure a healthier planet where humans and marine life thrive together.
Our approach
The dedicated scientists of HSWRI seek creative solutions to ensure healthy oceans through multiple areas of study.
Wildlife Populations | ecology
What we do
We focus on understanding the relationships between marine animals and their environment in order to address threats to ecosystem health.
Why it matters
Our research focuses on predicting and preventing impacts from:
- Human disturbance
- Habitat loss and pollution
- Climate change
How you can help #SeaChange now:
Your donations help us examine the interconnectedness of marine life and habitats by funding projects like:
- Whale shark expeditions to study migrations and diving behavior
- Boat surveys to monitor dolphin abundance and movement patterns
- New techniques for evaluating penguin habitat use
Current Progress
Two current studies researching
marine mammal habitat loss
100 whale sharks
tagged for study
Four Antarctic
penguin expeditions
Animal Behavior | bioacoustics
What we do
Our bioacoustics program studies how marine animals produce and are affected by natural and human-made sound.
Why it matters
By understanding how marine life uses sound for communication and survival, we can:
- Minimize entanglements, injuries and mortality to dolphins, killer whales, polar bears and other species
- Reduce the impacts of human-produced noise
- Use sound to warn marine life of hazardous situations
How you can help #SeaChange now:
Donate and help us to harmonize human-animal interactions. Fund projects like:
- Research expeditions to understand the effects of coastal development on vulnerable marine life
- New approaches studying dolphin and whale communication
- Research to understand the role of vocal communication in whales and dolphins socialization
Current Progress
1,900 audio recordings of marine
life collected worldwide
4 Hearing ranges of marine
mammal species documented
Entanglement prevention for 7
marine mammal species discovered
Ocean Health | physiology
What we do
This program studies how marine life and the ocean are affected by natural and human-induced change.
Why it matters
To promote ocean health, we are:
- Studying ways to prevent disease transmission
- Promoting ecosystem health and resilience
- Providing rapid first response to dolphin, whale and other marine life strandings
How you can help #SeaChange now:
Donate and our scientists will be able to promote a healthier planet where humans and marine life thrive together. Your gift will help:
- Gauge risks of disease transmission between humans and marine life
- Provide biomedical sampling kits to evaluate marine animal health
- Underwrite Channel Islands expeditions to study the influences of climate change on ocean health
Current Progress
Stranding response to nearly
1,100 marine mammals
38 years of disease surveillance
in marine mammals
Years of biomedical data from
whale and dolphin samples
Sustainable Seafood | aquaculture
What we do
Our sustainable seafood program is currently working to replenish wild stocks of depleted species, like white seabass, and demonstrating sustainable aquatic farming as a means to provide supplemental sources of fish.
Why it matters
Aquaculture is the practical solution to:
- Renewing regional fish stocks
- Producing a domestic supply of sustainable seafood
- Reducing need for fresh water to produce animal protein
How you can help #SeaChange now:
Help our leading-edge researchers feed the world, replenish fish populations and provide economic value to American coastal communities.
- Sustainable fish feed research
- Infrastructure improvements for a more efficient fish farm
- The release of millions of juvenile white seabass
Current Progress
More than 2.4 million
white seabass released
Dozens of studies to provide
sustainable diets for farmed fish
New species under consideration for
renewal: yellowtail and halibut
Education & Outreach
What we do
We are committed to inspiring the next generation of ocean scientists by advancing public appreciation for scientific discovery.
Why it matters
Our scientists encourage life-long learning by:
- Inspiring future generations of scientists and resource managers
- Providing hands-on learning opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds
- Promoting careers in science through student internships
How you can help #SeaChange now:
With your help, we can inspire a love for science, reach more students and encourage ocean stewardship for a healthier world. Donations will:
- Sponsor programs such as Seabass in the Classroom that inspire high schoolers while also replenishing local fish populations
- Support a STEM educator and curriculum development
- Provide undergraduate and graduate internships
Current Progress
Students reached each year
through Seabass in the Classroom
Dozens of interns and
hundreds of volunteers trained
Community members educated
annually through outreach events
Donate now and be a part of a #SeaChange
In our rapidly changing world, our research is never complete. Whether it is deploying rescue teams, replenishing depleted fish populations, protecting habitats or simply better understanding life in our oceans, we want to create a planet where humans and marine life thrive together. Every bit counts and you can make a difference.
Join us and share #seachange
