and summer interns who assist in 

 nearly every phase of operation. 



What's the most basic life 

 support system in an aquarium? 

 Water, of course. But Frank 

 Hudgins. director of husbandry 

 and operations at the Roanoke 

 Island site, will tell you that it's 

 not that simple. Sophisticated 

 systems filter water and regulate 

 temperatures for each exhibit. 

 Saltwater is "manufactured" on 

 site to control species-specific 

 salinity needs and to ensure a 

 disease-free environment. 



Mother Nature plays a 

 key role in providing more 

 than 270 indigenous species, 

 says Paul Barrington. Hudgins' 

 counterpart at Fort Fisher. Along 

 with members of their respective 

 husbandry teams, Barrington and 

 Hudgins make frequent "fishing" 

 trips with local commercial or 

 recreational anglers to net catch 

 or trap needed finfish or shellfish 

 species. Local dive clubs also help 

 fill specific needs. 



Permits from the N.C. 

 Division of Marine Fisheries 

 (DMF) authorize species 

 collection from the state's 

 saltwater bodies. The aquariums 

 also have special permits and help 

 from the N.C. Wildlife Resources 

 Commission to gather freshwater 

 species from the mountains to the 

 coast. 



What can't be found in the 

 wild must be acquired from other 

 aquariums by purchase or an 

 exchange agreement — or bred 

 in-house. A successful captive- 

 breeding program at Fort Fisher 

 addresses the supply side of some 

 hard-to-collect species. 



Nature obliges in the case 

 of sea horses, which can release 

 hundreds of babies each month. 

 Finding suitable "baby food" 

 is another matter. Aquaculture 

 researchers at the University of 



8 HIGH SEASON 2005 



