Aquarium of the Pacific Receives Hundreds of Trafficked Marine Animals After Federal Seizures

Federal wildlife officials intercepted two large shipments of illegally trafficked marine life this summer. The first bust in June led to a box truck containing roughly 2,000 animals of various taxa; the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach took in about 500 marine specimens on June 19, including fish, sharks, clams, shrimp, prawns and tiny snails. A second operation near the end of July delivered another 300 marine animals after a brief stay at a federal wildlife center in Torrance. Together, the two seizures represent one of the largest hauls the aquarium has handled in years, adding to more than 3,300 trafficked animals the facility has received since joining the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Wildlife Confiscations Network.

LAist

Aquarium staff moved the arrivals overnight into specialized quarantine tanks, testing water for pH, dissolved oxygen and ammonia before gradual acclimation. The process is labor-intensive; four staff worked until about 1 a.m. Approximately 25 % of the animals died either upon arrival or within days, a loss Jaros attributes to the stress of transport and the delicate chemistry required for successful acclimation.

LAist

The intake included near-threatened brownbanded bamboo sharks, endangered Banggai cardinalfish, and heavily traded ocellaris clownfish. Coral fragments also arrived in large numbers, many of which require microscopic analysis for identification. Jaros notes that reef-derived animals often carry parasites that can proliferate under captivity, necessitating medical treatment to protect their health.

LAist

Jeff Flocken, the aquarium’s president and chief executive, emphasized that “wildlife trafficking disrupts national and global ecosystems and puts animals on the path to extinction.” The aquarium, a founding member of the Wildlife Confiscations Network—a 2023 partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums—received grant funding earlier this year to expand its holding systems in anticipation of future confiscations.

LAist

• “It’s just a very careful acclimation process,” — Nate Jaros, vice president of animal care at the aquarium

LAist

• “These animals are likely from the reef, and that means that all animals that live in nature have some level of parasites,” — Nate Jaros, vice president of animal care at the aquarium

LAist

• “There’s thousands of species. They’re difficult to identify. Some of the cases need a microscope to identify them,” — Nate Jaros, vice president of animal care at the aquarium

LAist

• “Wildlife trafficking disrupts national and global ecosystems and puts animals on the path to extinction,” — Jeff Flocken, the aquarium’s president and chief executive

LAist