Gardner, Todd

Todd Gardner is a biologist at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead, NY and a professor of Biology at Suffolk County Community College.  His life and his career have both been shaped by his passion for marine life and he has written numerous scientific and popular articles about his research and experiences collecting, keeping, and culturing marine organisms.   In 1993 he graduated from East Stroudsburg University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and marine science. After graduation he spent a year working for Blue Earth Films, assisting in the production of a National Geographic Explorer feature film about coastal marine life. Todd spent the next 3 years working at C-quest, the world’s largest marine ornamental fish hatchery, where he worked on developing technology for the production of new marine species. In 1998 Todd left commercial aquaculture to pursue a Master of Science degree in biology at New York’s Hofstra University where he completed a thesis on the early nutrition of the lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus. Todd’s current work at The Long Island Aquarium involves caring for exhibit tanks, leading collecting expeditions, and of course, continuing his aquaculture research behind the scenes.  To date, he has successfully raised more than 50 species of marine fish.  In his spare time, Todd dives, photographs marine life, runs marathons, and plays in a blues band. Programs: Carnivorous Plants: Ecology and Propagation Gems of New York: Collecting Your Own Marine Fishes in Long Island Sound Waters Long Island, NY: An Unlikely Hotspot for Marine Ornamentals Breeding Unusual Species Taking the plunge – Making the change from Fresh Water to Salt Water Making The Jump To Saltwater