Texas State Aquarium Annual Report 2019

annualreport

2019 board of TRUSTEES

executive committee

Julie Buckley, Chair Bruce S. Hawn, Vice Chair Charles W. Zahn, Jr. , Vice Chair Darcy Schroeder, Secretary Donald E. Kingsbury, Treasurer Rob Hall, Past Chair

Robert W. Maxwell, At-Large Julie McNeil, At-Large J. Ted Oakley, At-Large Larry Urban, At-Large Thomas A. Gates, Jr., Appointed Kim Hammer, Appointed Kurt Roush, Appointed

Board of trustees

Esperanza Andrade Barry Andrews Tree Baker III Osbert Blow, MD, PhD, FACS

George A. Finley, III Laura Fischer Pat Frost Robert R. Furgason, PhD Eddie L. Garcia Paul J. Guilfoyle Judith Hawley R. Scott Heitkamp Ken Herring Charles A. Hicks Gloria Hicks Catherine Tobin Hilliard

Peter Holt Susan E. Hutchinson Edward A. Martin Robert A. May Larry McKinney, PhD Larry Meyers Kelly M. Miller, PhD Patty Nuss Patricia Outtrim Rakesh Patel J. Hoelt Pohlmeier Mike Pusley

Andy Saenz Keleigh H. Sasser Frank J. Scanio, III Deneece Ann Squires Celika Storm Denise Swineford Judith Talavera George E. Tanner Sylvia A. Whitmore Cassandra Wolfe

Allen G. Borden William C. Bush

Mary M. Campbell Louise G. Chapman Thomas E. Dobson John F. Dorn Larry R. Elizondo, Sr. Sidney H. Evans, II

Aquarium Leadership

advisory board

trustee emeritus

Nelda Martinez Sam L. Susser friends of tsa Mark Meyer Nathan Taggart

R. C. Allen Charles C. Butt Peggy Lasater Clark Maureen Miller

Tom Schmid, President & CEO Jesse Gilbert, Senior Vice President & COO Julio Flores, Jr., CPA, Senior Vice President & CFO Courtney Cook McLain, Vice President of Development Nicole Andrade, SHRM-SCP, Director of Administration and Human Resources Erin Kane, Director of Development Justin Sefcik, Director of Operations Jennifer Vela, Director of Marketing, Sales, & Communications Cheryl Wolfe, CPA, Director of Finance

Rich D. Tuttle Arthur Zeitler

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greetings members & friends ,

We are pleased to share with you our 2019 annual report.

Thankfully, 2019 was a very strong year for us financially, as well as

programmatically. Our success last year is helping propel us through

the current crisis. As we write this letter, we have been open for two

weeks, after an unprecedented eight week closure. While we were

closed to the public, our teams continued working seven days a week,

caring for our animals, engaging with students, teachers, and families

online, inspiring appreciation for our seas, and working actively

to rescue and rehabilitate animals injured in the wild.

We have been humbled by the outpouring of support from our

community and from folks across Texas. Over 700 gifts totaling over

$300,000 came in during the crisis. This support was vital and provided a measure of hope.

We don’t knowwhat the future holds for us. We do know it will be paramount to continue

to grow, innovate and experiment, implement new ideas, and develop newways to do business.

One thing that will not change is our commitment to STEM education and wildlife

conservation. As we re-shape our strategic and master plans, we hope to engage with you, while

continuing to deliver on our mission of engaging, inspiring, and supporting wildlife conservation.

Thank you,

Julie Buckley , Board Chair

Tom Schmid , President & CEO

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Visitors & Exhibits In 2019, the Texas State Aquarium continued to grow in its role as a leading tourist attraction for visitors from near and far. Nearly 600,000 visitors came through our doors throughout the year. While the majority of visitors hail from Texas, we saw visitors from nearly all fifty states and internationally, as well. When guests were asked why they visited Corpus Christi, 45 percent said it was specifically to visit the Aquarium.

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Texas State Aquarium was pleased to be recognized as ranking fourth on the USA Today listing of the best North American aquariums, one of the “Ten Must-See Aquariums in the United States” by TheTravel , one of the “Ten Best Aquariums in the World” by Budget Travel and “Best Local Tourist Attraction” by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times Reader’s Choice Contest. The Caribbean Journey and Dolphin Bay continued to be some of the most popular exhibits, alongside the Aquarium’s unique

opportunities for visitors to feed flamingos and touch stingrays and sharks. To see first-hand what goes into caring for the Aquarium’s over 4,000 animals, visitors took part in Exclusive Encounters. Visitors didn’t just connect with wildlife on their visit, they helped to protect it. In 2019, we launched our “Save More Than Memories” campaign, highlighting how Aquarium guests contribute to wildlife rescue, conservation projects, and animal care by purchasing admission to the Aquarium.

We were thrilled to host Polar Obsession, a National Geographic photography exhibition that features striking images of the world’s Arctic and Antarctic regions by renowned photographer Paul Nicklen. His work captures animal life in these stark, frigid conditions in ways that are rarely caught on camera. polar obsession

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Conservation Contributing to wildlife conservation is a significant tenant of the Aquarium’s mission. In 2019, the Aquarium took major strides forward in protecting the wildlife and habitats of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea – the two regions featured in its exhibits – as well as in areas as far away as South Africa.

Hatching of a lesser flamingo chick

Aquarium staff feeding an endangered juvenile lesser flamingo

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Aquarium staff participating in beach clean-up

Propogating Boulder Brain Coral from Florida Reef Tract Project

In January, the Aquarium joined an international rescue effort for endangered flamingos in South Africa. Aquarium staff traveled to assist with the feeding, housing, and medical care of approximately 2,000 abandoned lesser flamingo juveniles that were found in Kamfers Dam, as well as the field rescue and care of hundreds of flamingo eggs. Sustainable seafood, which is seafood caught or farmed in ways that consider the long-term health of the species and the ocean, continued to be a major focus of the Aquarium’s conservation work. “Seafood Wars,” educational culinary events that invite competing chefs to create sustainable seafood dishes, informed guests on the importance of supporting local fishermen. The Aquarium also joined forces with other organizations to encourage area seafood restaurants to use locally caught seafood

using sustainable practices. When a deadly disease began killing off large swaths of the Florida Reef Tract, the Aquarium was one of many Association of Zoos and Aquariums partners that participated in a project to save the reef ’s remaining coral and help with a potential rebuilding project. Several species of coral were transported to the Aquarium in July and introduced to a safe offsite habitat where they could be cared for and propagate until a time when they can, hopefully, be reintroduced to their natural habitat. Staff and volunteers also galvanized the community to keep local coastlines healthy. As a local host of the Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Program, the Aquarium organized the cleanup of beaches, making them safer for people and wildlife alike.

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animal wellness

In 2019, more than 4,000 animals comprising over 380 species made the Aquarium their home, and a team of dedicated professionals made sure they had access to the best possible diets, habitats, medical care, and enrichment— all significant contributors to their overall physical and mental wellness.

For each animal at the Aquarium, we develop and implement a comprehensive wellness program based on Vicino & Miller’s evidence-based guidelines, the “Five Opportunities to Thrive,” ensuring the highest standard of animal wellness for all in our care.

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Toothbrush time at the Aquarium! Like humans, dolphins need to have their teeth cleaned regularly.

Dolphins, arguably the Aquarium’s most popular and high profile animals, have some of the most demanding care requirements. Dolphin Bay Animal Care staff continued to provide exceptional care according to the best practices for dolphins in aquariums and zoos, offering an environment for these intelligent animals to thrive. Staff also assessed overall wellness of the animals by evaluating all aspects of their life— environment, nutrition, health, behavior, choice, and control—along with continuing to provide training opportunities for these animals to voluntarily participate in their own medical care. Animals were continually introduced to new enrichment, or changes to their environment, designed to encourage natural behavior. In one enrichment program, algae that grows in the dolphins’ pool was collected by staff, prepped in the Commissary, and fed to sea turtles in the Aquarium’s collection and at the Wildlife Rescue Center. This provided a natural, nutritious meal to the turtles while stimulating their foraging instincts. Animals were also frequently taken on a “tour” of the Aquarium to see other animal residents who they would never see in their natural habitat. This activity creates a mentally engaging opportunity for both animals. Led by Senior Vice President and COO Jesse Gilbert and Animal Wellness Coordinator Catherine Razal, a wellness tool was developed to track animal behavior, nutrition, and other aspects of the animals’ day-to-day lives. Through this newwellness tool, >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30

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