Gulf Specimen Hurricane Recovery

Gulf Specimen Marine Lab & Aquarium a (nonprofit 501(C)3) was hit by Hurricane Michael and impacted by the storm surge.  All of our animals are safe here at the lab. Our sharks were evacuated to Georgia Aquarium and our sea turtles were evacuated to Sea World in Orlando.

A large amount of infrastructure and equipment was compromised by 2-3 feet of water due to the storm surge. We are in need of donations to help with damaged equipment and infrastructure such as our water system, including our sumps which are the heart of the aquarium’s life support system. All the aquarium water goes through the sumps for filtration. They are severely damaged and have been temporarily fixed but need to be replaced. A new sump has been built, however, it is the hardest thing to repair, as we have to maintain the old sump as the new one is installed. We need funding for the sump installation which is $30,000 plus funds to purchase life support equipment such as pumps and blowers that were compromised.

In addition, the surge damaged heating and air conditioning units, food freezers, and other vital equipment. Our “Living Dock” which is used for our boats, culturing marine life, and educational field trips was also severely damaged.

Volunteers are still appreciated to help with our cleanup efforts.