Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute was chartered as the Mission Bay Research Foundation in June of 1963 by the founders of SeaWorld.

The mission then and now is "... to return to the sea some measure of the benefits derived from it." The Institute was rededicated in 1977 to honor world-renowned scientists Carl L. and Laura C. Hubbs.

Access to SeaWorld's extensive marine mammal collection and use of its superb facilities provides the Institute with unparalleled opportunities for scientific studies.

The Institute has a commitment to excellence, sustained in large part by the unfailing support of those who not only share the commitment, but contribute generously of their funds and energies as well. This tradition of support is being continued through an organization called the Hubbs-SeaWorld Society.

Hubbs-SeaWorld Society members are an exceptional group of men and women who recognize the demands of excellence. Their example lends both merit and impetus to the Institute's effort. It is these individuals who provide invaluable leadership in realizing many of our most ambitious goals.

The scientific staff of the Institute is internationally recognized for conducting some of the most highly productive and well-regarded marine research in the world today. They are aware of the standard they have set and work constantly to meet or exceed the expectations of their supporters. As a dynamic entity, the Institute is continually responding to changes in the ocean by conducting innovative research on marine animals and ecosystems in order to protect and conserve ocean resources and wildlife around the world. In doing so, and in order to maintain its position of leadership, the Institute too must grow.

Institute research often plays a critical role in providing the foundation for legislation, environmental management decisions and conservation programs that protect oceanic resources.

In 1997, the Institute was gifted land immediately adjacent to the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge in Brevard County, Florida, thus expanding the Institute's scientific base of operations to the Atlantic coastline.

As a non-profit research foundation, the Institute has successfully shown that teamwork between the public and private sectors can be extraordinarily productive. While many projects are funded through contracts and grants, and SeaWorld, Inc. contributes generous support, the Institute also relies on private contributions to support a variety of independent research projects:

· Studies of population dynamics of marine mammals in and around the California Channel Islands, providing data for future management decisions.

· A highly acclaimed program to raise and release marine fish to enhance our nation's dwindling fisheries resources.

· Bioacoustic studies with whales and dolphins that may point the way to resolving the conflict between fisheries and marine mammals.

In a very real sense, each member of the Hubbs-SeaWorld Society shares in, and contributes to an element that forms the very essence of the Institute...the element of caring for the sea and its creatures.

For additional information concerning membership in the Hubbs-SeaWorld Society, please contact the Society's special representative at (619) 226-3870.

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