FEATURED ADOPTION

Adopt A Shark

Symbolically adopt one of our jawsome friends! Our Shark Pal Adoption Package includes an official Certificate of Adoption, bio/fact sheet, small collection of shark teeth, plush, mug, tote bag and thank you letter.

Proud Conservation Partner Of "Seafood Watch"

All of our animals eat seafood that has been sustainably sourced. If you order a meal from our Marketplace Cafe, your seafood is also guaranteed to be sustainably sourced. Participating in Seafood Watch and making smart seafood choices is a great way for you to help shark species. Pick up a Seafood Watch Pocket Guide at the Membership Desk or during one of our Animal Encounters!

Delaware Bay Horseshoe Crab Survey

In October 1998, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Horseshoe Crab Management Plan adopted an annual spawning survey conducted along the shores of Delaware Bay. Considering that a Delaware Bay volunteer spawning survey had been in existence since 1990, the ASMFC opted to continue this volunteer-based survey with additional statistical guidance from the United States Geological Service (USGS). Every May and June during the full and new moon evening high tides, volunteers annually donate their time to count crabs on the beaches of the Delaware Bay in both Delaware and New Jersey. Each lunar date is bracketed with surveys occurring on the day of the peak spawning tide, the prior two days, and the following two days.

Since 2009, Adventure Aquarium has organized staff volunteers to survey Townbank Beach during spawning. Survey results are submitted at the end of the season and contribute to annual reports which highlight total horseshoe crabs counted at the 24 beaches in New Jersey and Delaware, sex ratios, habitat conditions, and comparison to previous years.

Interested in getting involved? Learn how to join in on the effort here!

Horseshoe Crab Tagging

Horseshoe Crabs are of extreme importance to the ecology of the Delaware Bay. The Delaware Bay estuary is the largest stopover for migratory shorebirds including the federally threatened Red Knot (Calidris canutus), who stop in Delaware Bay each spring to forage primarily on horseshoe crab eggs before completing their migration north. Horseshoe crab eggs replenish their fat supply, giving them enough energy to complete their migration to the Canadian Arctic. Horseshoe crabs are also a significant food source for federally protected Loggerhead sea turtles and are of ecological importance to the pharmaceutical and fishing industries.

Adventure Aquarium staff volunteers participate the American Littoral Society’s annual Horseshoe Crab Tagging project, helping to increase the number of tagged crabs in the Delaware Bay to gain a better understanding of their movements through each season and year-over-year, as well as to identify possible spawning beaches for future restoration projects.

Florida Coral Reef Tract Rescue

In 2014, an unidentified coral disease now known as stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), was first observed in Miami-Dade County and quickly spread throughout the northern areas of the Florida Reef Tract (FRT). This unprecedented coral disease event devastated Florida’s reefs between 2014 and 2022 and has caused widespread mortality in nearly half of Florida’s 50 stony coral species. Monitoring data from 2017 and 2018 showed that many Florida corals sustained between 50% - 90% reduction in abundance based on species-specific susceptibility to this outbreak, and the disease is still spreading. As of mid-2021, most of the 330 miles of Florida’s Coral Reef Tract (over 109,700 acres) have been affected. In response to the SCTLD outbreak, the FWC, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) assembled the Florida Coral Rescue and Propagation Team to plan and execute the Florida Coral Rescue Plan (Rescue Plan) to save what is left of Florida’s healthy coral stocks. The Rescue Plan’s main objectives are 1) to gene bank or “rescue” the most susceptible species by holding them in land-based facilities to prevent infection, 2) to maintain as much genetic diversity as possible for priority species in preparation for restoration and future disturbances, and 3) and to propagate (breed) them and outplant their offspring for the recovery of Florida’s Coral Reef.

As a program partner of AZA SAFE: Coral and coral-holding facility for the AZA-Florida Coral Reef Tract Rescue Project, Adventure Aquarium is one of 21 AZA institutions who committed to be a long-term holding facility until corals are ready to be placed back in the wild. Adventure Aquarium has three dedicated systems with 80+ colonies representing 11 species affected by SCTLD. You can see the AZA-Florida Coral Reef Tract Rescue Project in action on exhibit in Pirate’s Passage.

Oyster Shell Recycling

More oysters are harvested each year than are returned to the water, which is detrimental as oysters are an essential species in the health of the Delaware River ecosystem. Instead of disposing of used oyster shell to landfills, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary works with local restaurants and community organizations to collect used oyster shells and return them to the Delaware Estuary. Oyster shells are cured and then bagged at volunteer events to be installed in living shorelines for habitat restoration. Adventure Aquarium staff participates in the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary's Oyster Shell Recycling Program to help bag oyster shell recycled by local restaurants located in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. Visit their website to learn more about how you can participate in this program!