Since 1988, the Humpback Whale Project has been studying and protecting these whales in Brazil. With research and conservation policies, it ensures the recovery of the species. Every winter and spring, the whales migrate to the Abrolhos Bank to mate and give birth. The project also promotes sustainable tourism and awareness in Rio de Janeiro.

The most abundant species on the Brazilian coast is the long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus reidi). They live in mangroves, bays, coral reefs, rocky shores and sea grasses. Despite the impacts on Guanabara Bay, they remain stable.

Environmental DNA will now be used to monitor them and confirm their distribution in the mangroves.

The green turtle is the most common species in Guanabara Bay, but its habitat is little known. The main threats are incidental capture, being run over by boats and pollution. In partnership with the Aruanã Project, a study monitors the health of the turtles through veterinary exams, diet analyses and the presence of bacteria. The data will help assess environmental quality and alert managers to prevent the loss of the species and its ecological function.

Reefs face threats such as overfishing, pollution and global warming, causing bleaching. In 2019, more than 60% of corals in Brazil were bleached. Rising temperatures disrupt the symbiosis between corals and microalgae. In partnership with AquaRio, the study uses frozen sperm for in vitro fertilization of resistant corals, with collections in Pernambuco to create lineages prepared for future bleaching events.

The Paraíba do Sul River basin is home to 127 species of fish, 115 of which are native, and is a source of income for thousands of people. Threatened by sewage and industrial waste, the Piabanha Project preserves this biodiversity by repopulating rivers with endangered species. Fish tagging and monitoring with fishermen and AquaRio collect data to conserve the piabanha and the Paraíba catfish.

The management of animals in captivity faces challenges, such as lack of knowledge about their life cycle and health monitoring. Periodic laboratory tests are essential for accurate diagnosis and treatment. AquaRio, with LABHUVET and LAMADIN (UFF), monitors the herd, establishing health parameters through hematological, biochemical, cytochemical and cytological tests.

Overfishing and environmental degradation threaten sharks and rays, which reproduce slowly. AquaRio's research line, with the Reprocon Institute and UFGRS, improves methods for extracting and freezing elasmobranch semen. The goal is long-term viability and information exchange between aquariums and partner institutions.

Groupers, the largest grouper species in the Atlantic, are in serious decline due to habitat destruction, overfishing and pollution. In Brazil, they are Critically Endangered, with numbers down by more than 80%. The Groupers Project at AquaRio educates and promotes marine conservation, welcoming over a million visitors annually to learn about and appreciate these fish.

The Tamar Project Foundation has been working on the Brazilian coast since the 1980s, recovering sea turtles through research, conservation and social inclusion. The project protects the five species in Brazil, involving communities and promoting environmental education and income generation. AquaRio is a partner, disseminating results to visitors and society.

The Boto Cinza Institute focuses on preserving the gray dolphin and the marine ecosystem on the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro. Through research, environmental education and public policy, the IBC leads marine and coastal conservation initiatives. In partnership with AquaRio, its educational activities take place in Itaguaí, Mangaratiba and Rio de Janeiro, engaging society in the protection of the gray dolphin and the local environment.

Guardians of the Sea is impacting the sociobiodiversity of Guanabara Bay with ten projects by 2025, preserving mangroves, supporting local businesses and empowering young people. It will plant half a million mangrove trees by 2030, counting on AquaRio to educate visitors and provide external actions.

The work, in partnership with UFRJ, aims to describe the morphology of the embryo of the electric ray Narcine brasiliensis, identifying the stages of development throughout gestation, seeking sexual dimorphism between males and females, comparing the different stages of growth (embryo, neonate and adult), expanding knowledge about the life cycle of Brazilian rays and contributing information for their conservation.

The study is a pioneer in the development of the cultivation protocol for native and invasive species of the genus Megabalanus, common on ships and oil platforms, and has the purpose of testing anti-fouling agents on larvae and the survival of adults subjected to different water temperatures.

Given the threats to coral reefs and their importance for various animals that live in this ecosystem, coral farming will provide the creation of new techniques for growing these corals in situ through a microbial consortium known as BMC (Bacterial Microorganisms for Corals).

In a partnership between the AquaRio Scientific Research Center and the Molecular Microbial Ecology Laboratory (LEMM) of the UFRJ Institute of Microbiology and the Plant Biotechnology and Bioprocesses Program (PBV) of UFRJ, an innovative study began in October 2016 which aims to protect and restore coral reefs around the world threatened by bleaching and other diseases. The innovative approach of this ongoing research, which has proven to be extremely sustainable and viable and which aims to protect and restore coral reefs around the world threatened by bleaching and other diseases, establishes the beneficial manipulation of natural marine microbiomes, which are already there and are native to these ecosystems, to protect these coral environments.

Unprecedented research with rays and sharks with the aim of identifying whether elasmobranchs transfer the maternal microbiota, that is, the bacteria that inhabit the living being, to the offspring, as occurs in mammals, or whether the microbiota is acquired after birth.