Jay Elias joins PICRC as Aquarist

The Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jay Elias as the newest aquarist at the Palau Aquarium. Jay, who is from Tobi Island in the state of Hatohobei, joined the team at the Palau Aquarium in March and has already made valuable contributions through the day-to-day upkeep of the Aquarium, general maintenance, and getting involved with research projects.

Previously, Jay studied computer science in college in Saipan. He was also stationed in Germany for 11 years as a Combat Engineer for the US Army and in South Carolina for four years. Now at the Aquarium, his main tasks involve cleaning and maintaining the tanks and taking care of the fish. He has also helped with additional tasks such as constructing reef stars for a coral restoration project and setting up a tank for an educational outreach project.

“PICRC is a new adventure for me, and I’ve enjoyed learning to take care of the aquarium and working with a great team on maintenance and research,” stated Jay.

A project that Jay is particularly interested in is one on coral restoration. He is looking forward to learning to deploy the reef stars on degraded reefs to help revitalize the coral in the area, and seeing the results over time.

“Since he began at Palau Aquarium three months ago, Jay has been quick to learn the different tasks and eager to get involved with anything that needs assistance,” stated Director of Outreach, Imade Tellei.

PICRC is thrilled to have Jay join the team and looks forward to supporting him in his role as Aquarist.