Oceanário de Lisboa

Oceanário de Lisboa has been a member of SECORE since 2004. Representatives of the Lisbon aquarium have been present during the first SECORE workshop in Rotterdam (2005). Also, they participated in the workshops in Puerto Rico during 2006 and 2008.

In this way, the staff of the Lisbon aquarium has learned a lot on sexual coral reproduction and possible applications in the aquarium.

The right way to go

'When we heard of the SECORE project, it seemed very interesting to us', says Núria Baylina, curator at Oceanário de Lisboa.
'We were interested in improving our knowledge in coral husbandry and reproduction. The idea of forming breeding centers for some species and then distribute the corals to other institutions seemed the right way to go.

Also, the in-situ conservation work of project SECORE makes sense to us, since ocean conservation is part of our mission.'

Practical skills

SECORE is important to learn practical skills related to sexual coral reproduction, explains Núria Baylina.

'For example, we breed Pocillopora damicornis from larvae collected in our exhibit tank', she says. 'And we had a student doing her masters degree using some of the techniques learned at the SECORE workshops.'

In quarantine, Oceanário de Lisboa has two tanks dedicated to coral reproduction and propagation (photo right). One small tank behind the scenes contains coral colonies of Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata), as part of the SECORE project.

Exchange

The experience and knowledge gained during the SECORE workshops are not kept for the Oceanário themselves.

On the contrary. As all the other SECORE members, exchanging information is the way of life.

Núria Baylina: 'We give lectures about our work during conferences, and we cooperate with the Master Degree Program in Aquatic Ecology at the Lisbon University.'

Baylina thinks working with so many institutions is very rewarding.
'It is a great opportunity to make new contacts and to improve knowledge about coral husbandry. Also, it facilitates animal exchange between institutions.'

Public awareness

Oceanário de Lisboa actively works on raising public awareness about the urgent need of coral conservation and other nature conservation related issues.

Special programs for schools, guided tours, and holiday activities give information about corals, their current conservation status and what can be done to help.

Corals on display

Since its opening in 1998, Oceanário de Lisboa has increased its working field with coral husbandry and propagation. By now, it sends corals that are bred in captivitiy to other aquariums in Europe.

The temporary exhibit 'Backstage of the Oceanário', an aquarium with different species of hard corals (photo left), shows different stages of coral development, giving a particular overview in coral reproduction by fragmentation.

Fluorescense

One of the two Indo-Pacific coral displays at Oceanário de Lisboa, shows the fluorescence of corals.

During the opening hours the tank is lighted with actinic blue lightsand the day/night cycle is inverted. Under these blue lights, some of the corals show their fluorescence.

The reason for this phenomenon was found recently. Apparently, these fluorescent pigments protect corals from excessive solar exposure, acting as 'sun screen'. The corals in this exhibit (photo left) are all captive propagated.

_{Photos: courtesy of Oceanário de Lisboa}