Another recent announcement of Sea Dragon breeding success

 SeaWorld in Orlando has just announced it has been successful in raising weedy sea dragons (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus), making it the fourth aquarium in the US and the sixth in the world to achieve the feat.  SeaWorld seems to be increasingly aware that its reputation is tarnished by keeping large sophisticated creatures, such as orca, in captivity.  Indeed polls have shown a significant number of people disapprove of keeping orca in captivity, but then a poll paid for by the SeaWorld backed Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums found 91 % of people agreed that marine parks are important in promoting environmental conservation, which according to this author is no doubt the case. Despite the potentially conflicting and  opposing nature of each viewpoint statistics the company is seemingly keen to reassure its 23.6million visitors per year that research and conservation is at the heart of its ‘corporate DNA’ “We see people come up to this [sea-dragon] exhibit every day, and they’re just amazed to see that there’s something so unusual-looking. They’re a beautiful representation of the marine life of the ocean,” said Teryl Nolan Hesse, assistant curator for aquariums at SeaWorld Orlando. “They come here, see this, and they get excited about it. And when they’re excited about something, they want to learn more.” Beating SeaWorld by a matter of days, Monterey Bay Aquarium announced breeding success at the beginning of August for the weedy. “We are so excited about these births,” said Associate Curator of Fish and Invertebrates Jonelle Verdugo. “We’ve had success with a couple species of pipefish and half a dozen species of seahorses, but this is a first for our weedy sea dragons.” Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga has also bred weedy sea dragons. As yet no one has bred the more ornate and foliage-like Leafy Sea Dragon in captivity, but SeaWorld believes they are close.  Hopefully as sea dragon breeding becomes commonplace it will reduce pressure on the species in the wild, which are not endangered at present but are listed as vulnerable.  Source: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-08-17/business/os-seaworld-sea-dragons-20120817_1_sea-dragons-seaworld-orlando-seaworld-parks-entertainment?goback=%2Egde_1875480_member_148326010