Tampa, Florida-based Jonathan “Jon” Yob leads asset management firm JAY Management Corporation, where he works to create long-term value for investors. He additionally serves as a leading philanthropist in his community, contributing through the Yob Family Foundation to dozens of charitable, educational, and public service organizations. As the president of the Yob Family Foundation, Jonathan Yob has supported the Florida Aquarium in numerous ways, including the sponsorship of the highly successful, “Journey to Madagascar” exhibit.
The aquarium, located in downtown Tampa, works to educate the public about a wide range of marine habitats and to spark interest in conservation. Its areas of focus include its Sea Turtle Conservation Program, Shark and Ray Conservation Program, and Coral Conservation Program.
Coral reefs are in crisis. And the Florida Reef Tract, at more than 350 miles long and the third largest of all the world’s barrier reefs, is among those most affected. A warming climate, as well as the surrounding acidic water, have contributed to the stresses on the reef and the numerous symbiotic life forms that live within it.
One of the major threats to the reef is stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), a condition whose ultimate cause remains unknown. But the destruction it has caused is easy to see, including the tragic loss of more than 20 species of stony corals.
The Florida Aquarium has implemented a strategy that involves innovative methods to boost the reproduction rates of existing coral and increase the overall health and soundness of the reef, with the goal of restoring it as much as possible. Methods include genetic banking and cryopreservation of key endangered coral species.
As SCTLD has spread widely among corals along Florida’s coastline from Martin County in the southeast all the way to Key West, the aquarium’s work in this regard has become more urgent than ever.
