Jellyfish – Aurelia aurita

Our jellyfish populations remain stable and healthy.

Groupers (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus)

• 2023 batch – Unfortunately, on 8 January, all 25 groupers in the ‘small individuals’ batch were found dead, presumably due to insufficient water flow overnight. The 31 ‘large’ individuals were in a separate tanks and remained unaffected. On 9 January, we weighed and measured them as part of our growth study. We then subdivided the population into 2 tanks, containing 15 larger groupers and 16 smaller-sized (<970g) individuals. From the data collected, a large increase in weight and size have been observed, as food intake has increased through time. To allow for a better overall growth rate, the newly split batches are being fed once every day to allow them to eat until they are satiated. Although sometimes groupers wouldn’t eat the whole portion, the average daily intake for the large and small individuals were 309g and 219g respectively. As food intake continues to increase, the quantity offered will also rise to encourage higher growth rates.
• 2024 batch – the fingerlings are almost 6 months old and continue to thrive (although 4 individuals died this month). Finely-minced fusilier baitfish are still used for feeding the juveniles twice per day. Daily food portions have increased to an average of 260g (1.9g/fingerling). On 9 Jan, after weighing and measuring the fingerlings, we revised our estimated population size to 113 individuals. Individual weight is averaging 43g (range= 13-94g) with length averaging 12.8cm (9-17cm). As with the 2023 batch, these fish have now been divided by size into two tanks to prevent bullying and to allow smaller individuals equal opportunities to feed.

Ornamental Fish & Shrimp Breeding

• Clark’s anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) – Our breeding pairs in tanks #3 and #5 produced 4 and 3 batches of eggs this month respectively. Only one batch of 22 individuals was collected, but unfortunately, all individuals passed away. [Lifecycle graphic]
• Maldivian Anemonefish (Amphiprion nigripes) – Two new individuals are settling into the Fish Lab.
• Boxer shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) – The female carried two batches of eggs under her belly but no larvae were collected.
• Dancing shrimp (Thor amboinensis) – all individuals from the September & October batches are still thriving and growing.
• Black-blotched porcupinefish (Diodon liturosus) – on 12 January, a large school of juvenile black-blotched porcupinefish was found aggregating around our ocean turtle enclosure. Three individuals were introduced into tank #23.
  In the wild, porcupinefish feed mostly on hard invertebrates such as shelled gastropods, crustaceans and sea urchins. To facilitate this, their teeth keep growing throughout their life, so we will feed on adult brine shrimp, minced prawn, and hard-shell gastropods (coral-eating Drupella snails found on the reef).

Thaajudeen School Visit

We were pleased to welecom Malé-based Thaajudeen school to our Marine Discovery Center during January, to learn about marine life and conservation. These visits were part of their curriculum on environmental science and aimed to inspire a deeper understanding and appreciation of marine ecosystems. The students were interested and engaged in activities such as turtle feeding, Q&A session and a trivia version of snakes and ladders.

Snorkel Excursions

At Landaa this month, we conducted 7 tours of our Marine Discovery Centre for 184 interested guests. 114 guests enjoyed 11 Guided Adventure Snorkels, 7 Turtle Safaris, 2 Night Snorkels, and 2 Parrot Reef Snorkels. We also conducted 5 private trips in 4 days, in addition to a private snorkels and a further dolphin. Magafauna sightings included 200 spinner dolphins, both green and hawksbill turtles, as well as blacktip reef sharks, spotted eagle rays and reef mantas.

At Kuda Huraa, 345 guests joined us on 39 excursions to various local marine sites, comprising 13 dolphin cruises, 22 snorkeling sessions, and 4 private trips. We also held 6 Junior Marine Savers sessions, and welcomed 12 local students to our Marine Centre.

Overall, we encountered 13 different species of megafauna, including abundant nurse sharks, blacktip reef sharks, pink whiprays, and stingrays. January’s lucky sighting was a porcupine ray, very rarely encountered in this area. Sea turtles are charismatic reptiles, but their elusive nature and ability to camouflage with coral reefs can make them hard to spot. In the past month, our guided tours have  enabled guests to swim alongside 9 hawksbill turtles and 4 green turtles (at suitable distance). This has made unforgettable memories and unique connections with these endangered species.