Aquarium staff recently returned from an expedition to the Bahamas. They'll be sharing pictures and stories from their time exploring the turquoise blue waters of Caribbean—complete with pictures, video, conservation notes and a taste of life on board a working boat. Today's post follows up on the recent Collecting fish as a team entry.

Responsibly collecting some of the fish for the Aquarium's exhibits requires a lot of planning and teamwork. Before we even arrive in the Bahamas, we procure permits from the Bahamian government, which allow us to take a certain number of fish and only certain species—never endangered species. Then once we arrive on a reef with our permits, it takes a whole team to gently catch the fish we're targeting.

In this video, we were looking for copper sweepers. These small, flashy fish are exhibited in our Blue Hole exhibit with the goliath grouper. Here's a quick look at how it's done.


We also use seining to collect other shallow-water species. Learn more about that technique.

Like scuba diving? Want to take an active role in learning about Caribbean reefs and supporting the Aquarium's efforts to  Learn more about the Aquarium's Bahamas Expeditions and consider joining the divers on a future trip.