The Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute’s Queen Conch Lab has earned the 2025 Responsible Seafood Innovation Award in Aquaculture.
The prestigious award was made by the Global Seafood Alliance (GSA), and is in recognition of Queen Conch Lab’s development of mobile lab hatcheries. These have been used in efforts to restore the threatened Caribbean queen conch.
According to research Professor Megan Davis, who leads the Conch Lab:
“This recognition from the Global Seafood Alliance is an incredible milestone for our team and our many community partners…It reflects the idea that science can be mobile, accessible and rooted in local collaboration. What started as a simple concept – putting a hatchery in a trailer – has become a powerful tool for helping to restore queen conch and supporting the culture, food security, seagrass ecosystems and identity of Caribbean communities. As Caribbean nations confront the dual challenges of environmental degradation and economic vulnerability, our Queen Conch Lab offers a hopeful, actionable model for restoration and resilience.”
While James Sullivan, executive director of FAU Harbor Branch, added:
“The work coming out of our Queen Conch Lab is extraordinary – not just in its scientific merit, but in its human impact. The mobile hatcheries represent a new paradigm in aquaculture – bringing the lab to the people, training the next generation of marine scientists, and building resilience in ecosystems and economies alike. This is exactly the kind of bold, collaborative and community-driven work that sustainable seafood needs right now. It’s setting a global standard for what responsible aquaculture can and should look like.”
For more information about the Queen Conch Lab, go to queenconchlab.com.
