During 2024 OATA has helped to support a number of university research projects, through funding and supervision. It has proved a great opportunity for us to expand the evidence base of our work, looking into areas of benefit brought by the home aquarium industry.

One project entitled Exploring the mental health benefits of aquarium keeping, carried out by University of Essex student Qudus Abiola, collected data on the mental health benefits of having a home aquarium.

Our Scientific Support Officer Emily Maunder helped Qudus, who is studying for an MSc in Marine Science & Sustainable Development, by introducing him to aquatic shops willing to host him instore to carry out face to face surveys with fishkeepers. OATA also encouraged the circulation of his web-based questionnaire. His results revealed that fishkeeping – in particular the regular activity and maintenance involved in the process – might be an excellent tool for managing stress and general mental well-being. Another key finding was higher levels of stress in non-fishkeepers when compared to fishkeepers. You can read his paper here.

“I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with both customers and staff, learning how aquariums offer more than just aesthetic value.

“Many customers shared personal stories of how caring for aquatic life has helped reduce stress, improve focus, and promote relaxation. These experiences were truly eye-opening and highlighted the therapeutic power of fish keeping. Through this project, I not only deepened my knowledge of the mental health benefits associated with aquariums but also learned about the importance of sustainable aquarium practices and the diverse species in the marine world.

“Working with OATA has been an invaluable experience, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to research that promotes well-being through aquarium keeping. Overall, this placement has broadened my perspective on how nature, even in small, controlled environments, can play a significant role in mental health. I look forward to applying these insights in my future endeavours in marine science.”

Qudus Abiola

Our Scientific and Technical Advisor Dr Matthew Bond, who is overseeing the whole evidence programme on behalf of OATA, explained why OATA was working with universities on these research projects. “From my previous job as a university lecturer at Essex I know how valuable universities find working with industry to support their research aims and give students experience that can influence practical solutions ‘in the real world’. We had the opportunity to sponsor a one-year research project for an MSc student so we asked them to examine the mental health benefits of home aquariums. There is some research in this area but we were interested to see if the anecdotal information we get from fishkeepers translated into research findings.”

This project forms part of a programme of research OATA is supporting, including a further two PhD projects with the University of Leeds and the University of Kent. Both these projects, which look at sustainability and livelihood benefits in source countries for wild collected fish, are being run in collaboration with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences (Cefas) and Waltham Petcare Science Institute (Mars). We hope to see results in 2025 after both students return from overseas, where they have been studying fish collecting communities to contribute to their research findings.