The Academy is committed to educate the public in science and conservation issues and engage in active research and conservation programs.

The Academy is active in species survival and conservation efforts. Aquatic research is under the direction of Dr. Alejandro A. Vagelli, Director of Science and Conservation.

Research focuses on the study of the reproductive processes of aquatic animals to provide alternative means for breeding, or aquaculture. Among the species the Academy studies are the jellyfish, sea ravens, gobies, and the Banggai cardinalfish.

Recent grants by the AZA Conservation Endowment Fund and the National Geographic Society allowed Dr. Vagelli to take the next step - a field study. This study will estimate the size of the population of the Banggai cardinalfish around Banggai Island by using visual census methods and survey the geographical distribution of Banggai cardinalfish on nearby islands. Should the census show a relatively small population, we will make a plea to the Indonesian CITES authority to put this species on CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). Work is planned with a local university or the Indonesian Institute of Science to establish a captive breeding program in Indonesia.

Before the work carried out at the Academy, only three works had been published on Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni): (1) Kouman's original description of the species in 1933; (2) an osteological study by Fraser in 1972; and (3) Allen and Steen's description of some of the ecological and reproductive behaviors in 1995. Since 1991, Academy researcher Dr. Alejandro A. Vagelli has done extensive laboratory research on mating, embryological development, and juvenile development of this species. His research, recently published in Environmental Biology of Fishes (1999), is groundbreaking.