Grant Abel, CEO of Abel Conservation LLC, has made extensive contributions to marine biodiversity conservation and animal welfare throughout his career, including work at the Shimonoseki Marine Science Museum – Kaikyokan, Ocean Park Hong Kong, and the Seattle Aquarium in the USA.
Since the 1970s, Abel has dedicated his career to studying and preserving marine life. In a previous role at the Seattle Aquarium, where he was VP of life sciences, he was pivotal in advancing the institution’s mission to inspire the conservation of the marine environment. His leadership and expertise have been instrumental in developing and implementing numerous ex-situ and in-situ conservation programs that have had a significant impact on the Aquarium’s future and marine wildlife.
One of Grant’s notable achievements is his work on the new species recovery program at the Seattle Aquarium. This program focuses on the reintroduction and reinforcement of endangered species and includes establishing the Aquarium’s nursery for rearing pinto abalone for release into local waters—the Stegostoma tigrinum Augmentation & Recovery (StAR) project for Indo-Pacific leopard sharks and the Shark Ray 360 project for breeding and releasing Bowmouth guitarfish.
“The efforts of Grant Abel, focusing on establishing integrated conservation action plans with aquarium colleagues, international NGOs, partners and IUCN specialist groups, have contributed to the restoration of the populations and the preservation of those focal species,” said one person who nominated him.
Abel has been a key player in global conservation initiatives. He continues to co-lead small cetacean conservation efforts worldwide, working with partners having diverse perspectives and backgrounds to advance integrated conservation planning and action that aims to prevent further extinctions. His dedication to these initiatives, exemplified by his leadership roles in the 2017 Vaquita CPR project and the Consortium for the Conservation of the Atlantic Humpback Dolphin (CCAHD), reflects his commitment to innovative and impactful conservation efforts.