It was another successful gathering of reef aquarium enthusiasts at the Coral Reef Expo that was hosted by Walt Whitman High school on November 5th. Reef keepers from across Long Island came out to the event organized by the Long Island Reef Association. Reef keepers are aquarium enthusiasts who go way beyond keeping up a simple fish tank. They create reef tanks - an aquarium that mimics the natural environment of a coral reef in the ocean. It contains live coral and specific species of fish to help maintain a natural habitat. What makes the high school the perfect host for the event is that Whitman has its very own reef tank. The big, beautiful habitat is located in Room 414 in the North Wing’s bottom floor.
Whitman students helped out at the Expo, learned from the many beautiful aquatic displays, and made good connections for their research projects. The Expo is also known as a Frag Swap - a place where tank owners can go to sell or trade coral frags - fragments of live coral. Aquarium industry and aquaculture vendors set up large aquarium systems in the South Cafeteria at Whitman to display their aqua-cultured coral and fish. Half of the profits from the event are donated to the high school’s reef research program.
When the research started at Walt Whitman High School in 2016, the program needed a way to raise funds to run and maintain the large saltwater coral aquaculture system that’s needed for study. The Long Island Reef Association (LIRA), a non-profit organization, had the idea to host an event at the school that would benefit both their organization and Whitman’s research program. LIRA brings together marine aquarium hobbyists, and works to educate the public, and support research and education about conservation efforts aimed at improving marine and coral reef environments.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, coral reefs around the world are in decline, and their very existence may be in jeopardy unless efforts are intensified to protect them. The threats come from several sources including destruction due to coastal development, pollution, and increasing ocean temperatures.
That means Whitman students are part of some very important research. We thank them for their work. And everyone involved in the Expo wants to thank the staff for the amazing job they did setting up, working, and cleaning up the event.