Fish Lab, Aquaria, and Marine Life in the Maldives
Plankton Production
Our plankton and algae cultures are used as the main food source for the residents of our Fish Lab.
– Microalgae – down to 400L produced in April, but supply remains sufficient.
– Rotifers – Culture buckets merged; population density stabilised at 509 ind/mL. Feeding: 2.5mL Nannochloropsis, 3 times/day.
– Artemia – Daily cyst use decreased: 7g → 6g, due to reduced jellyfish population.
Groupers (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus)
- 2023 batch – On 14 April, the 8 largest individuals were harvested for the kitchen, averaging 1.1kg. The remaining individuals increased from 925g → 965g average weight, and 32.8cm → 33.2cm average length. Daily food input and individual daily food consumption have reduced accordingly.
- 2024 batch – Population reduced to 102 individuals after one mortality. On April 7, average weight had increased from 94g → 121g, and average length from 16.7cm → 18.1cm. Feeding is twice daily (with baitfish and innards) and food consumption has steadily increased, likely due to separating them into 2 batches by size (reducing size-based dominance and feeding stress).
- 2025 Batch (13 March) – No mortalities recorded. On 7 April, a recount confirmed 209 individuals, and first measurements were recorded as: average weight of 109g (higher than our 2024 batch at same age), likely due to initial dry food diet, richer in nutrients; daily food input: has increased from 732g → 797g.
Ornamental Fish & Shrimp Breeding
- Clark’s anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) – Tank #3: produced 3 egg batches, and Tank #5 produced 2 egg batches. No larvae were collected, as we focus on other residents. [Lifecycle graphic]
- Boxer shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) – one male survivor remains healthy.
- Dancing shrimp (Thor amboinensis) – All individuals from Sept–Oct batches thriving.
- Dragonface Pipefish (Corythoichtys haematopterus): One male observed pregnant; breeding efforts ongoing.
- Moon Wrasse (Thalassoma lunare) – NEW! Four individuals were found in baitfish batch. We rehabbed them for 3 weeks, before relocating to our display tanks.
- Big-eye Dusky Cardinalfish (Apogon cf. savayensis) – NEW! One individual was caught during coral spawning monitoring, and added to empty tank #11.
Guest Excursions
At Landaa Giraavaru this month, 159 guests enjoyed tours of our Marine Discovery Centre, and we delivered nine Trainee Biologist modules to seven guests. Our 10 Dolphin Cruise excursions were joined by 104 guests, where we sighted 245 Spinners and 23 Bottlenose Dolphins.
234 guests enjoyed our guided snorkel trips (Adventure, Turtle Safaris, Night-time, Parrot Reef) and we conducted 7 private trips. April saw the highest number of megafauna sightings so far this year, with 90 individuals of eight different species observed. Hawksbill turtles and blacktip reef sharks were the most commonly sighted.
At Kuda Huraa, a record-breaking 14 guests graduated as Junior Marine Savers in April. Aged 8 to 14 and from diverse backgrounds, all participants received personalized experiences tailored to their interests and swimming abilities. Notably, two older participants spent several days with the team, assisting in data collection and coral frame building. We’re proud to see so many young guests engaged in marine conservation.
A total of 508 guests enjoyed 61 marine excursions (plus 3 private trips) to 8 different sites, where we recorded sightings of 15 megafauna species.
School Visit by the Centre for Higher Secondary Education – A highlight of April’s outreach was the visit by 18 students from the CHSE. During a fun day of activities, the students learned about coral restoration in the Maldives and the importance of community action. We are grateful for the chance to share our passion, and the students’ interest and curiosity give us hope for the future conservation of Maldivian reefs.
Maldives Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation
New turtle rescue patient: NEMO
Following the successful hatching of our turtle nest at Landaa, we discovered one tiny hatchling left behind … meet Nemo! Found trapped in the nest and showing signs of multiple injuries, Nemo was carefully rescued and brought to our Turtle Centre, where our resident veterinarian is now providing care & treatments.
New turtle rescue patient: ZI
Zi is a female Olive Ridley sea turtle, found in discarded fishing gear in North Malé Atoll. She is suffering from fractures and deep ligature wounds, caused by longterm entanglement in the netting. We admitted her immediately for emergency surgery and continue with followup wound treatments.
Vick’s Big Release Day!
Vick is a juvenile hawksbill sea turtle found stranded on a sandbank way back in February 2024. Initially, she was lethargic and severely underweight, with physical deformities from prolonged entanglement in ghost netting. Over time, she regained strength and energy, eventually diving well and resting at depth, until she had recovered sufficiently to be declared fit for release.
Good luck, Vick … may your journey be safe and your life a long one!
Sea Turtle Dietary Supplementation
We have introduced a new dietary treatment for our turtle rescue patients, namely ‘Mazuri Sea Turtle Supplements’. These are specially formulated to support carnivorous sea turtles in managed care by providing vitamins and minerals essential for vision, bone health, immunity, energy metabolism, liver function, fat metabolism, skin and shell health, and overall growth.
Our New Cauteriser machine
Electrocautery units are vital tools in modern medicine, used to cut, coagulate, or destroy tissue with heat or electrical energy. They play a key role in stopping bleeding, sealing wounds, and removing abnormal tissue during various procedures.
They enable tissue removal and precise incisions/excisions of tissue during surgeries, while minimizing blood loss (by sealing vessels as incisions are made, improving visibility and surgical outcomes).
Maldivian Sea Turtle Identification Program
Our ID project is currently on hold as we have been busy with record numbers of rescued turtle patients.
REEFSCAPERS Coral Propagation & Reef Restoration in the Maldives
April’s coral rescue project at Kuda Huraa was a massive team effort …
… to relocate corals at risk during a govt land reclamation project
At Kuda Huraa during April, our coral experts monitored (cleaned, repaired, photographed) a total of 66 growing coral frames, and transplanted 15 new frames, kindly sponsored by guests (11), the Resort (3), and online (1).
At Landaa this month, we monitored 216 existing frames, and transplanted 26 new coral frames, kindly sponsored by guests (5), the Resort (12), and online (9). In total, we added ~1500 new coral fragments to our reefs at divers’ favourite “The Plankton,” a site near Charlie’s Head.
To see the progress of your own frame, please visit our dedicated Reefscapers Four Seasons monitoring page where we upload new photos every 6 months or so.
Be sure to read our complete Team Four Seasons Diaries over on our Reefscapers website, and then browse our Global Research pages where we curate the latest marine science research (open access) alongside news on how the oceans are being changed by climate change.
Further News & Updates
You might also be interested in:
– our ongoing Dolphin ID Project, our specialised Sea Turtle Lagoon Enclosure, and our Zooplankton Monitoring Project.
Looking for details of our Reefscapers coral propagation and reef restoration program ? Then head over to our Reefscapers Diaries for all the latest updates.
You can sponsor your own frame and see photographs (updated every 6 months) in our Coral Frame Collection.
Junior Marine Savers activities: (1) Reefscapers corals, (2) turtle care.
