- Safeguarding biodiversity through innovation.
- Advancing undersea discovery.
- Empowering conservation.
EXCORE
Center for the Exploration of Coral Reef Ecosystems
Unlocking the Secrets of Coral Reefs: Pioneering the Discovery and Documentation of Marine Biodiversity
Saving Global Biodiversity is a global call to explore and document Earth’s living library—before it’s lost.
Global Biodiversity is arguably the most important and valuable resource on Planet Earth, and its loss is perhaps the greatest existential threat to humanity posed by climate change and habitat destruction. This is especially true for coral-reef ecosystems, which are often considered the “canaries in the coal mine” when it comes to the loss of biodiversity. Bishop Museum has been pioneering the exploration and documentation of biodiversity throughout the vast Pacific Ocean region for more than a century, and its collections and research focused on marine organisms (including algae, fishes, and invertebrates) are among the most important in the world for the Pacific region. Recognizing both the urgency of documenting and protecting biodiversity, and the vital role played by natural history museums in this effort, Bishop Museum established the Center for the Exploration of Coral Reef Ecosystems (EXCORE). Combining some of the most advanced exploration technologies with world-class pioneers in the exploration of coral-reef environments, EXCORE is inventing a new paradigm for discovering and documenting biodiversity on coral-reef habitats.
Origins
The origins of EXCORE go back to 1946, when a student at UCLA with a passion for marine biology purchased an early SCUBA rig at an Army-Navy surplus store. Although he didn’t know it at the time, that marked John E. “Jack” Randall’s first step towards becoming, by multiple objective metrics, the greatest ichthyologist in history. There are many reasons why Randall, who spent most of his career at Bishop Museum, was so successful – but perhaps the most important reason is that he adopted a brand new technology to explore and document coral-reef ecosystems in ways that his predecessors could only dream of.
Legacy
Innovation
From high-end digital video cameras to state-of-the-art DNA sequencing techniques, EXCORE researchers leverage the latest technologies to explore and document undersea biodiversity. Cassie Ka‘apu-Lyons studies fish larvae and is revealing new insights into long-standing mysteries about this enigmatic part of nearly all marine fishes. Ken Longenecker, is developing the use of sophisticated 3D stereo camera system to record detailed information on life-history of reef fishes, in order to assist local fishing communities throughout the Pacific manage their fishery resources more effectively.
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Bishop Museum researcher Cassie Ka‘apu-Lyons, who began working at Bishop Museum in 2022, is completing her PhD at the University of Hawai‘i’s Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology studying fish larvae – early life-stage fishes that drift with the plankton. Taking advantage of the latest in molecular analysis technologies, she is revealing new insights into long-standing mysteries about this enigmatic part of nearly all marine fishes. Ken Longenecker, who has worked at the Museum since 2004, is developing the use of sophisticated 3D stereo camera system to record detailed information on life-history of reef fishes, in order to assist local fishing communities throughout the Pacific manage their fishery resources more effectively.
Marine habitats, and especially coral-reef ecosystems, remain poorly understood with thousands of species yet to be discovered. We are in a race to discover and document biodiversity inhabiting the unexplored 85% of global coral reefs, and answer questions about the capabilities of marine organisms before this precious global resource is lost forever. A new paradigm for undersea exploration is needed to accelerate the pace of biodiversity discovery and documentation to maintain any hope of winning this race.
Building upon the pioneering work of Jack Randall, the Center for the Exploration of Coral Reef Ecosystems (EXCORE) at Bishop Museum is focused on systematically and comprehensively documenting marine biodiversity across the vast Indo-Pacific Region using a wide range of advanced technologies. Additionally, EXCORE is engaging the public through education and outreach programs that emphasize the importance of understanding these critical and imperiled habitats.