Fish Health
Overview and Case Study of a Porcupinefish

By Keith Herman

Keith was born and raised in Delaware, Ohio about 45 minutes north of Columbus, very near the Columbus Zoo and aquarium. He spent his formative years playing soccer, fishing, and generally being outdoors. He attended Miami University 2001 – 2005 and received degrees in Zoology and Psychology. Miami University (Oxford, OH) is not to be confused with University of Miami (Florida). Miami University was founded in 1809, while Florida did not even become a state until 1845.

Keith started his career caring for fish, in the fall of 2005, at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, TN. After three and a half years, he took a promotion and left for warmer weather, landing at SeaWorld Orlando in early 2009. He then spent over eight years maintaining aquariums there for millions of guests each year. In January of 2017 he started at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Fl., where he has been for just a few weeks shy of four years now. Gumbo Limbo is by far the smallest facility he has worked at, but he has been enjoying the challenge of caring for fish endemic to South Florida.