Jonny Rudd

Jonny Rudd has made an outstanding contribution to conservation, education, and innovation in the zoo and aquarium sector over the past year. As senior curator at the National Sea Life Centre Birmingham, Rudd led a pioneering conservation project for the endangered white-clawed crayfish. He created a licensed hatchery, the first of its kind in the Midlands, in collaboration with local NGOs.

In summer 2024, the hatchery rescued its first 100 wild crayfish from waters at risk from invasive signal crayfish and crayfish plague. These were successfully kept, reared, and released to a biosecure ark site. Without this facility, they would have been lost.

To support long-term recovery, Rudd co-founded the Midlands Crayfish Partnership, bringing together conservation and land management organisations. He also initiated a free engagement programme with Buglife, allowing children from disadvantaged backgrounds to visit Sea Life and take part in hands-on sessions with native species, delivering high-impact conservation to communities often excluded from nature-based education.

Alongside this flagship project, Rudd managed the successful import and display of sea otters—the first time this species has been exhibited in the UK—navigating complex international logistics and animal welfare considerations. He also redesigned the aquarium’s main life support system to significantly improve energy efficiency, aligning operational sustainability with contemporary welfare standards. This approach now underpins his work with System Aqua. Additionally, he created an engaging new exhibit for native seahorses, combining storytelling, habitat replication, and educational outreach.

Now in a new role at System Aqua, Rudd is helping zoos and aquariums across the UK improve their life support infrastructure, with a focus on animal welfare, resource efficiency, and future-ready system design. His influence continues to expand through mentoring early-career curators.

Rudd’s crayfish conservation work has been presented at national conferences and is now being used as a blueprint for other institutions. The hatchery programme is continuing at Sea Life Birmingham following his departure.