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Rising Tide Conservation is a program started by the University of Florida and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, along with support from Petco, with the goal of discovering methods to breed saltwater aquarium fish to reduce the negative impact of fishing on coral reefs. With participating labs at the University of Florida, Florida Keys Community College, Hubbs SeaWorld Research Institute, and Oceanic Institute of Hawaii Pacific University, the program became notable in July, 2016 with the successful breeding of blue tangs.

Program
An estimated 30 million fish are caught in the wild each year to be used for aquariums throughout the world, causing devastating effects on natural ecosystems. By focusing on producing popular aquarium fish in capacity, the ecosystems can be better protected. In October 2015, the program successfully bred the Yellow tang followed by yasha goby in March, 2016.

Ahead of the movie Finding Dory, Petco created a campaign to educate consumers on the high maintenance and cost required for blue tang fish, as over 25% of new aquarium owners leave the hobby within a year. After the release of other popular Disney movies featuring animals, demand for those animals in the pet trade increases, which can drastically impact their natural ecosystem.