A Coast-to-Coast Collaboration

Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego sent four juvenile Weedy Seadragons on a cross-country journey to the New England Aquarium. This marks the first time seadragons – hatched and reared at the aquarium – have been sent to another Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) partner.

“We are thrilled to join forces with fellow AZA partners to ensure a healthy and sustainable population of seadragons in human care. Our collaborative efforts play a vital role in advancing our understanding and well-being of this incredible species,” said Leslee Matsushige, Associate Curator. 

A leader in seadragon care and conservation, this move supports Birch Aquarium’s work to maintain a healthy and thriving seadragon population! These particular Weedy Seadragons are some of the dozens that hatched at Birch Aquarium last March. The aquarium recently moved five other juveniles on display in the seadragon habitat in Seadragons & Seahorses.

To ensure a healthy, genetically diverse and sustainable population of seadragons, it’s important to collaborate with other institutions. That’s why a moment like this is such an incredible milestone for the team!

For more than two decades, Birch Aquarium has been studying the secrets of seadragons both in the wild and at the aquarium. This work has revealed a wealth of information about their behavior, genetics, life history and more. In 2012 the aquarium launched its Seadragon Breeding Program to alleviate pressure on wild populations. The hope is that captive breeding programs will lead to fewer seadragons being collected from their native habitat, which is already under increasing pressure due to climate change.

In preparation for the journey, each seadragon was carefully collected one by one, photographed for identification purposes and then placed into coolers filled with water, additional ice packs and even a little night light. All packed up and ready to go, the seadragons were transported to the San Diego Airport and, after a 3000-mile journey, arrived at their new home at the New England Aquarium.

“Collaboration drives innovation. Our ability to share information (and animals) helps us build upon our individual successes and learn from our challenges which ultimately furthers our collective understanding of this unique species both in- and ex-situ. The advances we have made in breeding success, welfare, and nutrition are a direct result of these partnerships. We are thrilled to continue our relationship with Birch Aquarium and continue to share and learn about seadragons,” said Jeremy Brodt, manager of galleries at the New England Aquarium.

While this is Birch Aquarium’s first opportunity to share juvenile seadragons, it’s not the last! Going forward, there will be additional opportunities to transfer additional seadragons to other AZA institutions as part of breeding and education programs.