Research & Conservation Overview

Georgia Aquarium is a scientific institution that entertains and educates, features exhibits and programs of the highest standards, and offers engaging and exciting guest experiences that promote the conservation of aquatic biodiversity throughout the world. As a leader in aquatic research and exceptional animal care, we are dedicated to fostering a deeper appreciation for our ocean and the animals that call it home.

Alongside other accredited facilities, our team conducts crucial research by working with animals both in human care and in their natural habitats to improve husbandry methods, develop innovative and exciting new exhibits, contribute to the understanding of the underwater world and apply new discoveries to the conservation of aquatic life. Every day, researchers in the Aquarium’s exhibits and labs are learning more about marine life in order to develop new methods of animal care and veterinary medicine. By combining field research with the study of on-site animals in a controlled environment, the Aquarium is contributing to the advancement of human knowledge in the area of animal science.

Georgia Aquarium is now licensed as a Class R research facility under the Animal Welfare Act.  This license is the highest standard of establishing ethical review of animal research for advanced scientific understanding.

This license gives the Aquarium the ability to consider research with the animals within its collection beyond routine animal care procedures. All Georgia Aquarium animal research, whether inside the Aquarium or in the field, must follow the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) process to evaluate the project and its ethics. The IACUC process is
regulated by the Animal Welfare Act under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Institutions with this distinction are closely monitored and have extensive compliance obligations to keep the license.

“The achievement of becoming a Class R Research facility makes Georgia Aquarium a more capable and adaptive institution where animal care and research can be even more aligned. Although, with this new license we will continue our track record of performing minimally invasive research,” said Dr. Alistair Dove, vice president of science and education. “It also
allows us to be more involved in research with other Class R partners. This opens up more collaboration possibilities, better integrating us into the scientific community.”

The Aquarium is one of just five aquariums to hold the Class R license.