Marine Life Scientific Research, Ocean Research, Hubbs Sea World Research

Our Legacy

54 Years of Scientific Solutions

Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute
(HSWRI) is an independent, non-profit
research organization that provides
innovative and objective scientific
solutions to challenges facing ocean
health and marine life in our rapidly
changing world.

The Institute began in 1963 when Milton C. Shedd, one of the visionary founders of SeaWorld, recognized the importance of developing and nurturing a non-profit research foundation with the vision “to return to the sea some measure of the benefits derived from it.”

In the following years, SeaWorld parks opened in multiple locations
including San Diego, California and Orlando, Florida providing
opportunities for collaborative research on animals in zoological
parks that would complement the non-profit foundation’s field research on marine wildlife.

The research foundation was later rededicated as the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute in honor of Dr. Carl Leavitt Hubbs’ inspiring achievements in ocean science and education.

While we are separate entities, HSWRI continues to collaborate with
SeaWorld on scientific research on marine life and ocean health and
both organizations serve as “first responders” in marine animal rescue.

Dr. Clark Hubbs, the son of Carl L. and Laura C. Hubbs served on the HSWRI Board of Trustees until his passing in 2008. Bill Shedd, the son of Milton Shedd, serves as Chairman of the Board today. His active involvement offers a unique continuity and historic perspective to the legacy of the Institute and the core values of our founders.

Milton C. Shedd
(1923-2002)

Milt was an avid and accomplished fisherman and visionary conservationist. He understood the intrinsic value of the oceans as a primary economic engine of the world that needed to be nurtured and cared for. His life-long marine conservation ethic fostered the creation of the independent non-profit Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute and the for-profit SeaWorld in 1963. Milt envisioned that HSWRI would provide scientific information and ocean education to the visitors of the SeaWorld zoological theme park.

As Chairman Emeritus of the Institute, Mr. Shedd continued his commitment to marine conservation and scientific research. He was a proponent of the Hubbs-SeaWorld expansion in Brevard County, Florida. One of his last projects was to forward the concept of turning decommissioned oil rigs into reefs and research platforms to support recreational sport fishing.

Milt’s passing is a great loss to ocean conservation and Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. The enduring spirit of his legacy will continue “to return to the sea some measure of the benefits derived from it.”