Thomas Capo, a facilities supervisor with an interest in aquaculture and ability to develop innovative larval culture techniques was brought on board in 1976. His mission was to create a facility that would meet a rapidly growing demand for Aplysia. In order to maintain proximity to a constant source of clean seawater, in 1977 it was decided to move the facility from New York City to Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Larval culture techniques improved by Thomas Capo, led to major advances in the understanding of the larval development of Aplysia. The application of large-scale mariculture techniques combined with the new larval culture abilities permitted the group to go forward with large-scale production in 1984.
As ramped up production was contemplated, it became clear that a year round supply of the Aplysia’s main food, red algae, Gracilaria, was necessary before production quotas could be reached. Capo initiated a national search for an ideal location and, in 1984, the move to sub-tropical Miami and the facilities at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School was implemented.
In 1989 the move was complete and operated under a contact from Howard Hughes Medical Institute until 1994. In May 1995, the Resource officially became the National Resource for Aplysia under a grant (RR10294) from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) of the NIH.
Over the past twelve months, the facility has shipped over 30,000 animals to researchers across the globe.
