“Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.” — Lao Tzu. We believe the same can be said for choosing to live an environmentally sustainable life, but figuring out just how to limit our impact on the oceans can be a tricky thing. That’s why the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre is excited to offer a new Youth Environmental Leaders Program to do just that.

Learn about ocean issues in our new Youth Environmental Leadership Program.

This spring break, youth aged 13 to 16 years old can join our educators, scientists, and specialists during five days of hands-on learning that explores our effects on our ecosystems. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to work with the conservation and education leaders at the Vancouver Aquarium alongside other youth in a fun and inspiring environment.

Youth environmental leaders can look forward to investigating how marine debris gets into our oceans and the dangers it poses for aquatic life, such as the recent incidents of sea lion entanglements along the coast of British Columbia. While exploring the impact of climate change on our Arctic, youth will also discover their personal carbon footprint and what they can do to shrink it. They will also dive into rockfish research currently happening in Howe Sound, discover why populations have declined, and what we are doing to get them back. At the end of the experience, youth will have the confidence and knowledge to take direct action towards conserving aquatic life and creating a healthier planet.

Get hands on with an AquaCamp experience at the Aquarium.

So what are you waiting for? Become one of our Youth Environmental Leaders this spring break and start taking action towards conserving our natural world through hands on activities and behind the scenes opportunities.

Not old enough for our youth program but still interested in spending five days exploring the Aquarium and learning about animals, their habitats and how to protect them? Check out our AquaCamps program for children 4 to 12 years old.

The staghorn coral is the one with branch-like protrusions in the middle.

There’s no love or romance in coral reproduction. It’s just eggs, sperm, and let’s get reproducin’. While Hannah Evans, senior biologist at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, says there’s coral spawning going on regularly in the various tropical exhibits, she’s keeping a close eye on one species in particular: the staghorn corals (Acropora micropthalma).

Egg-sperm bundles under a microscope.

During an exhibit clean the other day, she picked up a coral fragment and noticed a pink and clear jelly-like substance, which she quickly identified as “egg-sperm bundles” (eggs are pink, sperm is clear). Being able to produce both eggs and sperm makes this animal a hermaphrodite. These corals have never spawned in the four years that they’ve been at the Vancouver Aquarium, so Hannah will be keeping a close eye on them.

Whether these corals will actually spawn though is still a mystery. In the wild, corals spawn when set off by certain natural cues: length of day, temperature of water and the lunar cycle. At the Aquarium, the lighting and temperature are regulated by Aquarium biologists  with the photoperiod and temperature remaining constant throughout the year, and the corals don’t have access to moonlight or lights that mimic the lunar cycle, so it’s possible that they won’t spawn at all. Instead, they might just reabsorb the eggs or hold on to them, perhaps indefinitely.

Hannah checks on the corals behind the scenes.

Hannah says the staghorn corals spawn like clockwork six or seven nights after a full moon in Guam, where she volunteered in coral conservation. But she won’t be concerned if she doesn’t see the same type of behaviour here. Hannah says seeing the bundles at all is, “a good indication of coral health because it takes a decent amount of energy to produce eggs.”

Written by Karen Horak, writer-editor, content and digital experience at the Vancouver Aquarium.

Steve Massar, manager of mechanical systems, stands next to the shark filtration system. 

What catches your eye when you gaze into a habitat at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre? Is it the brilliant fish? Is it the tiny triton snails on the glass, or is it the endless underwater twists and turns of the sea otters?

It’s easy to look past the liquid medium when you get lost in the beauty of an exhibit filled with African cichlids or mesmerized by the stunning pink and purple anemones in the Bella Bella habitat, but have you ever stopped and admired the surging currents or wondered who is responsible for all of that water?

The bright fish and corals often distract from the real star of the show – water.

Circulating the water to over 50,000 individual animals living at the Vancouver Aquarium is no easy task. It is made possible by the team of mechanical systems operators; a dedicated group that most guests will never see during their visit. Some of these folks have worked at the Aquarium for 25 years, and others bring over 25 years of previous experience working with water systems. From pumps to filters, reservoirs to chilling units; the engineers are responsible for making sure that the water delivered to each habitat is exactly what that species needs. The right temperature, salinity, speed of the current and pH levels are all considered. As one mechanical system operator put it, “There is no other place that has a water system setup like an Aquarium.”

To help you picture the sheer volume of water, think about the size of your bathtub.  The average tub holds roughly 190 litres (50 gallons) of water. Typically you need to wait about eight minutes to fill your tub, but if you had taps with a flow as high as the Aquarium, you could fill your tub 32 times in one minute, or fill your tub once in just under two seconds (and that is just the saltwater)!

Seventy thousand animals also equals a lot of poop. Our engineers maintain a vast array of filters capable of filtering 1.2 million gallons per hour, which is about half of the volume of an Olympic size swimming pool cleaned per hour. To facilitate this and all of our life support mechanical systems, the Direct Digital Control System monitors the status of our systems at any time and can even be accessed remotely by the operators.

It takes a team of engineers to keep things running smoothly behind the scenes at the Aquarium.

Thanks to the invaluable memory and historical knowledge that this team has, if you were to ask them a specific question about the path water takes through the system to a given habitat; I’m confident that their directions would be as clear as if you had asked them for directions to the nearest washroom.

Next time you stop by to visit your favourite sea creatures, take a moment to watch the water.  If you are lucky enough to see one of our elusive engineers, be sure to thank them for their unwavering commitment to the highest standard of water care.

From making sure everything is ready to go each morning to acting as a liaison between the front and back of house to answering guest questions, the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre duty managers wear a number of hats on any given day.

Usually seen darting around in their red vests, we’re excited to welcome two new duty managers to the visitor experience team, bringing with them a wealth of tourism and hospitality experience.

Linda loves the educational experience for kids and families at the Aquarium.

Linda Lavergne joined the Aquarium just before the busy holiday season and brings an extensive background in tourism working with destinations across the country. Originally from the East Coast, Linda is enjoying her time here in Vancouver, taking in the sights and sounds of Stanley Park on a daily basis on her walk to work.

When asked, “Why did you want to join the Aquarium?” Linda said, “I really believe in the education and values that the Vancouver Aquarium teaches. Seeing kids here learning and asking questions, I really feel they know so much more about the ocean and nature then I did at that age.”

Natasha Tucker first joined the Aquarium last January as a gallery educator volunteer before becoming a full time duty manager at the beginning of the 2014 holiday season.

There’s no better place to work for Natasha who is a big animal lover.

“I’m a huge animal lover and could not pick a better place to spend my days working!” said Natasha about why she wanted to work for the Aquarium. “Starting as a volunteer really made me realize how much the Aquarium relies on volunteers as a self-supporting non-profit organization.”

When asked, “What’s one thing you’ve learned so far that’s surprised you at the Aquarium?” Natasha replied, “Never underestimate the impact that one life, no matter how big or small, can have on an ecosystem. A lot of people visit the Aquarium to see our marine mammals. Take the time to look at the smaller creatures like the Pacific spiny lumpsuckers, or even the coralline algae. It all plays an important part in one way or another.”

Have a question for one of our duty managers? Simply flag down any of our staff members in the red shirts and they would be happy to locate one for you.  Be sure to say hello to Linda and Natasha on your next visit to the Vancouver Aquarium.

Chester, the false killer whale who was rescued last summer near Tofino, continues to shine in the spotlight and tug at the heart strings of our visitors. He is currently residing behind the scenes in the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre research pool, and ongoing donations continue to fund his rehabilitation and care. Two very special donations pulled at the heart strings of our staff this past month with kids leading the charge in his fundraising efforts.

Chester has come a long way on his road to recovery from being rescued on Chesterman beach last July.

Students at St. Michaels University School in Victoria have been following Chester’s story in the news and online since his rescue back in July. They were so amazed and inspired by his rescue story and subsequent rehabilitation at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre that they decided to put on a special fundraiser for his ongoing care. The students, along with the help of their teachers, organized a “Save the Whale” book sale. The goal of the sale was to adopt two wild killer whales through the Aquarium’s wild Killer Whale Adoption Program and to raise money for Chester.

The classes were successful in their fundraising drive and exceeded their goal. The adopted two killer whales and donated almost $500 to Chester’s ongoing care. At the end of January, the students visited the Aquarium to present their cheque to staff members and had a very special meet and greet with Vancouver Aquarium head veterinarian Dr. Martin Haulena to learn more about Chester. We are very grateful for the support and enthusiasm of the teachers and students in the grade four classes at St. Michaels.

Students from Victoria help out Chester and whales in the wild.

Another heartwarming donation came from even farther afield. Reese Jackson from Texas was also inspired by Chester’s story when she visited the Aquarium last summer. Reese followed his story with great interest and when she turned 13 on Christmas Day, she requested donations instead of gifts. Her accompanying letter touched our entire team.

Reese shares with our team her inspiration for donating to Chester.

We are very grateful and moved by the donations for that have come in for Chester, and all of our animals at our Rescue Centre. They come from near and far, and from donors of all ages. Most of all, the letters and cards keep our team energized when they spend cold, wet nights in the pool, rehabilitating more than 100 rescued baby seals each year, and caring for the 50,000 aquatic animals we have on site.

Thank you to St. Michael’s University School, Reese Jackson and the hundreds of other donors who have contributed to Chester’s rescue and care. If you would like to support Chester in his ongoing care at the Aquarium please donate today.

Nerd Nite Vancouver is having its one year Nerdaversary – to celebrate they’ve chosen to host Nerd Nite v10 with us at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre.

As it states on the Nerd Nite website, there’s never been a better time to be a Nerd. Nerd Nite events are currently held in over 60 cities worldwide. The formula for each is the same – three presenters each give 20 minute presentations in a relaxed, informal environment.

To get everyone geared up for the launch of Sea Monsters Reveled: The Exhibition opening at the Aquarium March 5 2015, Nerd night has put together some “monstrously” delightful talks. Here’s a sneak peek at what the night holds:

#1 Brood Parasites: Monsters of the Bird World

Dr. Chris Balakrishnan, a professor in the Department of Biology at East Carolina University, introduces guests to brood parasitic birds – birds that opt to lay their eggs in the nest of different species than raise young on their own. Chris will run through a number of cases that illustrate how these birds take advantage of the species that raise their young, possibly making you more scared of birds than you were before.

#2 Meet Cadborosaurus: An Introduction to Marine Cryptozoology

Dr. Paul H. LeBlond, an emeritus professor in earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences at the University of British Columbia, takes a look at the evidence behind large, unidentified animals in the coastal waters of the northeast Pacific, collectively known as Cadborosaurus. With hundreds of reports, Paul will critique the evidence and provide some speculations as to their nature.

#3 Could Godzilla Play Hockey? The Rocket Science of Movie Monsters

A professor of astrophysics at the University of British Columbia and a member of the board of the HR MacMillan Space Centre, Dr. Jaymie Matthews hunts for alien worlds, including worlds that might harbour aliens. Could there be a real Godzilla somewhere in the universe, based on the laws of physics and biology? When Godzilla roars, does he purr like a kitten? With the playoffs approaching, the question on the mind of every NHL coach is: can Godzilla skate? Learn the answers to these questions as you sit ringside as an astrophysicist takes on Godzilla, Gamera, King Kong and Smaug in the ultimate battle of brains versus brawn.

Doors at the Vancouver Aquarium will open at 6 p.m. to allow guests time to enjoy a drink before the lecture. Tickets are available online or at the door.

Can’t make it to the event? Watch it live or at your convenience from our live webcast lecture series channel.

There’s nothing like a Katy Perry reference to make you think, “Ah, I’ve stumbled upon a reputable science and conservation site…”

All jokes aside, this is a blog post about the tiger rat snake (Spilotes pullatus), and Andrea C., a biologist at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, is very serious about them. She says, “I feel that people judge snakes unfairly.” So don’t try any “snakes are scary” stuff with her. Andrea, instead, says she wants to, “Educate visitors about how snakes are amazing animals and why we should care about them.

Andrea C. is the biologist responsible for the care of snakes at the Aquarium.

Nominating the tiger rat snake for March’s Staff Pick of the Month is a good start. There is lots of information Andrea can share with us: tiger rat snakes are diurnal (active during the day), arboreal (tree-dwelling) and fast eaters. Andrea remarked, “I was floored at how quickly it could eat a mouse and then go on to the next!”

The name “tiger rat snake” comes from a combination of its colouration and what it eats (rats, not tigers). Depending on the country (from Mexico to Argentina), it’s also called the “chicken snake” because of its appetite for chicks and the “thunder-and-lighting snake” because of how fast it can move.

While this particular species of snake is not considered under threat, many snakes are susceptible to changes in the environment due to agriculture and urban development.

See them in the Graham Amazon Gallery – and try not to get distracted by the marmosets opposite the snakes, okay…?

Written by Karen Horak, writer-editor, content and digital experience at the Vancouver Aquarium.

For centuries, rumors of mythical sea creatures have circulated the globe, with fishermen and seamen reporting back sightings of unexplainable ocean “monsters”. From mysterious tales of the elusive “Kraken” to the “Loch ness” monster, legends flourish about many strange looking sea creatures. Today, through scientific research, we know the truth about these fascinating aquatic creatures, their underwater world and their extraordinary adaptations.

Launching, March 5, 2015, you can explore the mysteries of the deep with the Canadian premiere of Sea Monsters Revealed: The Exhibition only at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. This immersive journey through time offers a new look at some of the world’s most amazing sea creatures using a groundbreaking polymer preservation technique, known as plastination. Sea Monsters Revealed unveils the dissected bodies of some of the largest deep-sea creatures ever to be featured on dry land.

Plastination allows for a preserved look at these creatures of the deep.

“A first in Canada, Sea Monsters Revealed sparks the imagination of visitors as they receive an up-close and inside look at some of the world’s most elusive and strange aquatic creatures to roam our oceans,” said Clint Wright, Vancouver Aquarium senior vice-president and general manager. “Steeped in history and science, Sea Monsters Revealed takes visitors on a journey of underwater exploration and tells the story of mystical wonders through real specimens preserved through plastination.”

More than 100 aquatic specimens will be on display at Sea Monsters Revealed, including five full-body creatures. This mesmerizing collection features a goliath grouper, a five metre long mako shark, a predatory Humboldt squid and a metre-long ocean sunfish, the heaviest bony fish in the world.

A look inside the world’s heaviest, bony fish.

The exploration continues with Sea Monsters 4-D: A Prehistoric Adventure, an action-packed 4-D Experience that takes viewers back 82 million years into prehistoric waters, home to colossal marine reptiles of the dinosaur age and some of the most fascinating creatures that ever lived on Earth.

Visitors to Sea Monsters Revealed will be guided through a journey that will not only inspire appreciation of the great creatures inhabiting the ocean deep, but also create a better understanding of the role humans play in our natural world.

Join us for Sea Monsters Revealed, on display until Sept. 7, 2015 at the Vancouver Aquarium. Entrance to the exhibition and 4-D Experience are included with admission.

BASE Entertainment (Producer) is a diversified entertainment company with offices in New York, Las Vegas, Houston and Singapore. BASE develops, produces and manages intellectual properties generated for various entertainment platforms including museums and live entertainment in North America, Asia and Brazil. Sea Monsters Revealed represents a premiere museum quality exhibition developed and presented by BASE.  The Company also owns and operates the exhibition SPY: The Secret World of Espionage. For more information please visit www.BASEentertainment.com

Sea Monsters Revealed was created with the cooperation of Dalian Hoffen Bio-Techinque Co., Ltd. and Professor Hongjin Sui, the creator of the specimens and general manager of the company.

In the photo above, Justin Lisaingo, a Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre biologist, is actually shining his flashlight on a giant barnacle shell, but there’s a story about tunicates tied in.

The way Justin explains his job, it’s a bit like being a detective. He says, “As Aquarium biologists we’re constantly pushing limitations to figure out an animal’s requirements in nature.” Aquarium biologists have to figure out how to recreate the exact conditions that will help these animals thrive. There’s a lot of guessing and testing, and innovative ideas.

Justin pulls monofilament thread through a drilled hole in a giant barnacle shell.

One of those innovative ideas involves sewing tunicates on shells.

Tunicates, also known as “sea squirts,” are animals with barrel-like bodies (no faces). They are born as larvae that settle onto rocks where they stay their entire lives. The tunicates that Aquarium biologists collect have to be placed on something sturdy, like a rock for example, but they won’t automatically attach themselves the way sea anemones do.

Justin, using a technique devised by his colleague John Fisher, sewed several tunicates onto giant barnacle and scallop shells using monofilament thread (used for stitches). He pulled the thread through tiny holes that he drilled or were made naturally by sponges.

He made several stitches at the base of the tunicate, pulling it tight against the shell. That was four months ago, and Justin says, “They are all doing really well. The base of the tunicates have grown over the sutures, and now they’ve actually attached to the scallop shell.”

Justin sewed four sea peaches (orange) and three hairy tunicates (spiky-looking) onto a scallop shell (white).

Justin says people don’t know a lot about this marine invertebrate and that’s why he went through this labour intensive effort to display them. Sewing tunicates onto shells is just one innovative method our biologists use to create unique, diverse environments for the aquatic life at the Aquarium. See them on display in the British Columbia’s Tidal Passages exhibit in the Teck Connections Gallery.

Written by Karen Horak, writer-editor, content and digital experience at the Vancouver Aquarium.

To commemorate Employee Appreciation Day, we wanted to highlight just a few of the incredible staff members who work at the Vancouver Aquarium, including our newest and “oldest” staff members.

With over 35 years at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, Indrajit Canagaratnam, better known as, “Indy”, is one of our longest serving employees. Indy joined the Aquarium back in 1976 as a volunteer in the fish research lab, but Indy’s connection with the Aquarium began even before that. Indy’s father, who came to Canada on a scholarship to study at the University of British Columbia, had the privilege of studying with Dr. Murray Newman, the founding director of the Vancouver Aquarium, and had a lab in our fish research office. One day over a lunch meeting, Indy met Dr. Newman who invited him to volunteer at the Aquarium, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Even after 35 years, Indy continues to find meaning in his work with marine mammals.

Indy has worked in a number of different departments over the years from fish research, to design, to the aquarists’ team before finding a perfect fit with the marine mammal department, where he’s been for almost 30 years.

During that time, Indy has had a hand working with numerous marine mammals, including Skana, the iconic killer whale that once lived at the Vancouver Aquarium. He’s also seen firsthand the threats humans can cause to our oceans and wildlife, working to treat sea otters that were injured during the 1989 Exxon oil spill.

Famous for the “sea otter holding hands” YouTube video, Nyac was rescued in 1989 from the Exxon oil spill as a pup.

Indy is also tasked with purchasing food for the Aquarium marine mammals, which is no easy task when you need to source 70,000 kilograms of herring, 30,000 kilograms of clams and 20,000 kilograms of squid on an annual basis, which also meet Ocean Wise standards.

When asked, “What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen?” Indy replied, “Our understanding and learnings about marine mammal health and care has changed dramatically in the last 35 years. But even now, there is still so much left to learn.”

On the other end of the spectrum, camp educators, Alicia and Tracey have just joined the Vancouver Aquarium this week as our two newest employees. Both have a love of the great outdoors and a passion for working with animals. They’ll be helping to run Aquarium AquaCamps during March Break and summer holidays. Who knows where their paths might take them over the years to come.

Alicia and Tracey are excited to be a part of the Aquarium bringing aquatic learning to kids over March Break and summer camps.

With over 1,500 staff members and volunteers, Aquarium employees are one of the greatest resources in helping to affect aquatic conservation through public engagement, research and word of mouth with family and friends. Looking for a unique opportunity with ocean science, animal care, fish research or visitor engagement? Visit the careers sections of our website to learn more.

It’s not a stretch to say the art of interpretation was born at almost the same time as the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. Here in the Interpretive Delivery department, Interpreters are following in the footsteps of Freeman Tilden, who was one of the first people to set down the principles and theories of interpretation in his 1957 book. He claimed that, “Interpretation is an educational activity which aims to reveal meanings and relationships through the use of original objects, by firsthand experience, and by illustrative media, rather than simply to communicate factual information.”

We take his claim seriously and are seeking to extend it a little. Educators, including interpreters, are currently promoting “21^st century learning” with an emphasis on creativity, culture and collaboration, especially with respect to social media. There are many goals for modern learning, ranging from preparing students for work in changing economies, building positive and caring relationships, to cultivating their own individuality, which is the unique contribution they can make to their community.

For our newest exhibit, Sea Monsters Revealed, which opened Mar. 5, 2015, we are looking at unique ways to actively engage and educate our visitors. One of the goals of this exhibition is the demystification of the “monstrous” creatures of the deep which, although unusual and frightening, are well adapted to life in a habitat very different from the terrestrial ones we are familiar with.

One activity visitors can participate in during the exhibit is answering the question, “What is a monster to you?” and then drawing, writing, and sculpting their answers. We will be encouraging guests to tweet pictures of drawings and sculptures, as well as explanations, to broaden and deepen the story we tell.

Draw your “monster” after visiting Sea Monsters Revealed.

We’ll also be inviting guests to play, “Let’s Get Kraken” with our intepretive delivery hosts, where visitors will be invited to learn more about different sea monsters and after a series of questions and games, decide if these mysterious creatures are really monsters after all.

As it says in the Sea Monsters Revealed exhibition, “With every new species we discover, we find another blueprint for survival, another stroke of genius in the vast masterpiece of nature.” With every drawing and tweet, we will see imagination creating its own masterpieces.

Entrance to the Canadian Premiere of Sea Monsters Revealed is included in the price of admission to the Aquarium. 

As someone who spends approximately 60 days a year working at sea, often in remote locations, independent biologist Luke Halpin has more opportunity to see rare marine wildlife than most British Columbians. His findings include some species never before documented in the province like the dovekie (a small seabird) he recorded in 2013. Last month, Luke made another exceptional sighting, one which may be another first for our coast. While working on a pelagic seabird survey for the Canadian Wildlife Service onboard the Canadian Coast Guard vessel J.P. Tully, he spotted a mysterious, small, domed-shaped object poking out of the water far offshore of the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Luke has contributed a number of sightings to the Cetacean Sightings Network.

Luke’s experience at sea has made him exceptionally observant. “During these surveys, I have to pay attention to every little detail,” he explains. On the survey, he had already observed many odd-shaped objects in the open ocean, including a beautiful Japanese glass fishing float, but he knew this was different. His first reaction was one of exhilaration and surprise, “Wow! That is a sea turtle.”

While all sea turtles are relatively rare in B.C. waters, several leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are spotted each year along our coast. The Vancouver Aquarium’s B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network has accumulated nearly 200 recent and historical sightings of these ocean giants.

The turtle floating alongside the Tully was not a leatherback however. It wasn’t a green sea turtle either, the second most commonly observed sea turtle in B.C. with 36 sightings. That meant that Luke’s turtle was either an olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) or a loggerhead (Caretta caretta), both exceptionally rare in these waters. Only three olive ridleys have been confirmed on our coast and no loggerheads although they have been reported in neighboring Washington and Alaska.

Hard-shelled sea turtles can be identified by observing small differences in the scutes (scales) on the head and along the shell, as well as by small differences in the shape of the shell. But it was going to be tough for Luke to figure out which sea turtle it was. Obscuring his ability to accurately identify the animal was the fact that he couldn’t see many of these key features. Although it was alive, the animal was covered in a thick layer of algae.

Photo of a loggerhead sea turtle that used to reside at the Vancouver Aquarium.

What would make a turtle so fuzzy? Scott Benson, a marine ecologist with NOAA’s Marine Turtle Ecology and Assessment Program, has also observed algae coated turtles in Monterey Bay, California, though none quite as covered as Luke’s sighting. He attributes these algae layers to the animal moving slowly in cool water with high productivity. As reptiles, sea turtles slow down considerably in cold water giving the abundant algae a chance to establish on their bodies.

Green algae on the back of the turtle made the identification process challenging.

When the algae growth hampered identification attempts on his own, Luke reached out to experts at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Marine Turtle Ecology & Assessment Program at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center. The algae growth impedes a definitive identification, but after some careful consideration, the experts conceded that they were 80 per cent certain that the animal was a loggerhead due to the angular shape of the shell, the broad base of the skull and the colouration of the few scales on the animal not covered by algae.

The scale shape of a loggerhead sea turtle.

Loggerhead sea turtles are found throughout the temperate and tropical Pacific. Named after their relatively large head with powerful jaws, they can reach up to one metre in length. The only nesting beaches known in the North Pacific are in southern Japan and juvenile animals travel across the Pacific to feed in the water off the Baja Peninsula. Off the coast of North America, they are only seldom seen north of California. Globally, they are considered endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

While 80 per cent is not quite a confirmed record, this sighting is still a first in B.C. waters. “This is possibly the first loggerhead we’re putting into our sea turtle sightings database,” confirms Tessa Danelesko, Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre’s B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network coordinator who collaborates with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to amass sea turtle records in B.C. “Through using a network of observers who live and work on the water and who report their sightings, we are learning much more about sea turtle occurrence on our coast. We want to encourage anyone that has seen a sea turtle in B.C. to report it and help us better understand these animals.” Sightings, both current and historic, can be reported to the Sightings Network online at wildwhales.org or via phone at 1 866 I SAW ONE.

For Halpin, he feels excited to have contributed to yet another first for British Columbia. He says, “The one thing I’ve learned is you never know what you’ll see out there. Always keep your eyes on the water.”

Learn more about loggerhead sea turtles online at wildwhales.org.

Shannon prepares to move the kelp perch back to their usual aquarium in the Fish Lab.

How do you remove sea lice from farm-raised salmon? Get other fish to eat them.

Dr. Shannon Balfry, who leads on fish propogation research at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre explains, “Salmon farmers are looking for sustainable, ocean-friendly alternatives to chemical treatments to reduce the number of sea lice on their farmed fish.”

Sea lice are not exactly like head lice. While head lice are parasitic insects that spend their entire lives on the human scalp feeding on blood, sea lice are parasitic copepods – tiny crustaceans, like crabs and shrimps, which feed on fish skin and mucus. While sea lice are found naturally on most wild salmon, they can be harmful to the fish in large amounts. They are not harmful to humans.

A sea louse attached to a juvenile pink salmon. Photo: Watershed Watch

Getting other fish to eat the sea lice is a method being used in Norway and Scotland, and now researchers in the Aquarium’s Fish Lab are testing it out with local Pacific species. Shannon says they’re experimenting with perch species, such as the kelp perch (Brachyistius frenatus), which are considered to be “pickers”.

Kelp perch have been known to eat certain parasites off other fishes, but do they have an appetite for sea lice? As we know by our own eating habits, sometimes not even “pickers” will eat everything that is presented to them. However, Shannon’s preliminary research shows that yes, they do. They quickly ate sea lice attached to glass.

Kelp perch are being tested to see if they will eat sea lice attached to salmon.

The researchers’ next step will be to see if the kelp perch will eat sea lice attached to the skin of a live salmon.

The results of this research may lead to new sustainable ways to manage salmon farms by letting kelp perch reduce the number of sea lice that may be passed around farmed salmon and to wild juvenile salmon that are swimming by.

Written by Karen Horak, writer-editor, content and digital experience at the Vancouver Aquarium.

Education is one of the founding pillars the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre relies upon to achieve our mission as a non-profit society dedicated to conserving aquatic life. We are also driven by our commitment to deliver on our promise to engage, amaze, inspire. A recently approved grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) helps us to continue this mission.

NSERC’s PromoScience program supports hands-on learning experiences for young Canadian students and their science teachers to promote a deeper understanding of science. The Vancouver Aquarium received two PromoScience grants this year to assist us in further developing our onsite education lessons and our community outreach program, AquaVan.

AquaVan is our unique mobile marine biology classroom that brings the Aquarium into schools and communities spread throughout Western Canada.  It offers teachers and students a wide range of hands-on lessons involving live displays, science experiments and inquiry based learning tailored to students of all ages. NSERC has generously supported this program with $76,500 to be used over three years to further develop the program and assist us with ensuring under-represented students, including those from First Nations communities and at-risk schools, have access to these incredible learning opportunities.

AquaVan allows kids to get hands-on aquatic learning.

We also received an additional $15,900 to help launch a new program called Science Works in 2015. Taking aspects of our Work Experience, Practicum Teacher Training and Science Clubs programs we will be able to provide in-depth, hands-on science training to those students who have a keen interest in learning what it takes to develop a career in a scientific field.

This combined grant is the largest we have ever received from NSERC and speaks to the quality of our science education programs. We are hopeful that further financial assistance will be secured during the year to enable us to develop these programs to their full potential and offer opportunities for further student participation.

Learn more about learning and education opportunities for teachers and students with our learning resources online.

If you’re interested in learning more about ways you can donate to the Vancouver Aquarium, visit us at: vanaqua.org/join/support/how-to-donate 

Coralline algae (pink) grow on snails and rocks, blanketing the floor of this exhibit.

Nominating an animal is the natural choice for most staff – but not for Jessica W., a biologist at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. She says, “I am so excited that a plant was picked this time for Staff Pick of the Month!”

Coralline algae grow on a rock behind this rock greenling.

Jessica nominated coralline algae (Family Corallinaceae) of which there are many types. These algae have calcium carbonate in their cell walls that make them stiff and crusty, and they cover the surface on which they grow, whether rocks or snail shells. Coralline means coral-like, however these organisms are plants and not animals like other true corals.

Jessica W. is a biologist at the Vancouver Aquarium.

As one of the biologists responsible for the exhibits showcasing aquatic life off the coast of B.C. at both the Aquarium and the Vancouver International Airport, Jessica says she’s lucky to see these plants every day, “They make me happy. The colour is so vibrant and amazing.”

Despite their bright pink colour, coralline algae tend to fade into the background. Jessica says they are easily missed by visitors because they look like part of the rocks. But she reminds us of their importance in marine ecosystems from Alaska to Mexico: “They’re living, growing things that provide places for other plants to grow on.”

Be sure to keep an eye out for the brightly coloured coralline algae on your next visit to the Vancouver Aquarium, or the Vancouver International Airport.

Written by Karen Horak, writer-editor, content and digital experience at the Vancouver Aquarium.

At the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre we are committed to walking our talk when it comes to conservation and environmental stewardship. In addition to managing our operations and facility resources in accordance with ISO 14001 standards, an international standard for environmental management, our employees and volunteers are genuinely passionate and are deeply committed to sustainability in their daily lives. Our Vancouver Aquarium Green Team works to inspire environmentally conscious decisions and promote the culture of sustainability in our work force by organizing environmentally themed events throughout the year.

Last week, Linh Truong from the Soap Dispensary, visited the Aquarium to lead a sustainable cleaning products workshop. The purpose of the event was to inform staff and volunteers about simple environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional cleaning and hygiene products that have detrimental effects on our oceans and our bodies.

Lihn from the Soap Dispensary in Vancouver leads a sustainable workshop for Aquarium staff.

As Carmen Morales, a research scientist from the Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Pollution Research Program, pointed out to the group at the beginning of the evening, products with microbeads and microplastics are having a damaging effect on our ecosystems.

Linh led the team through a series of different recipes from her favourite green inspiration websites including the Vancouver inspired Queen of Green blog. Not only were the recipes easy to follow, they required few ingredients, minimal prep time and offered sustainable alternatives for the everyday unsustainable plastic bottles lining the grocery stores shelves.

Here’s her recipe for quick and easy laundry detergent:

• 1/2 cup borax (look in the laundry soap isle of your grocery store)
• 1/2 cup washing soda (Not baking soda. Check health food stores or organic grocery stores.)
• One cup soap granules (Check health food stores or grate a bar of eco-friendly soap)
• Optional: 10 – 20 drops essential oil (e.g., lavender, sweet orange, tea tree, lemongrass for their anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties)
• Add seven litres of water for liquid laundry soap

“The workshop really highlighted the importance of reading the ingredients in cleaning products, which are washed down the drain and end up in our oceans,” said Tanya Otero, volunteer coordinator for the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, who is working towards a plastic free 2015. “It’s concerning to know that they are not always listed and that microplastics can be hidden in the mix. I love that you can find alternatives to harmful products right in your kitchen, and that all the ingredients we used are ones I recognize and can pronounce.”

Tanya prepares sustainable cleaning products for her home.

Thank you to Linh Truong for sharing her passion for sustainable household items with us. Less plastic both in our homes and in our cleaning supplies is better not only for us, but for our oceans and wildlife as well.

Looking for simple every-day changes you can make at home? Follow Tanya as she shares tips on living plastic free, or spread your sustainable message even further by signing up for a shoreline cleanup in your community. Learn more about the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, presented by Loblaw Companies Limited, by visiting us online at shorelinecleanup.ca.

For the past two years, the Vancouver Aquarium sustainable seafood program Ocean Wise™ has partnered with the Naramata Bench Wineries Association to produce the successful Wine for Waves event. This year, we are pleased to share that we have evolved the event into the annual EAT! Vancouver Food and Cooking Festival, through the Canadian Flavours Gala. It looks like Vancouverites can’t get enough of this fun and glitzy event, and Ocean Wise is happy to bring it back this year, only bigger and better.

Taking place on April 30 at the Terminal City Club, the Canadian Flavours Gala has brought back the highlights of the previous years. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy the best of Naramata Bench’s spring release wines, enjoy sustainable seafood tastings from a variety of Ocean Wise partner restaurants, and bid in the wine auction. Partial proceeds go towards supporting Ocean Wise conservation programs. An exciting addition to this event includes the participation of restaurants across the country. Below is a list of the Ocean Wise partners who will be participating in the gala:

• River Café (Calgary)
• The Westin Edmonton (Edmonton)
• Hillside Winery Bistro (Naramata)
• The Vanilla Pod (Naramata)
• The Kitchen (Naramata)
• Edible Canada (Vancouver)
• Vancouver Aquarium (Vancouver)
• YEW seafood +bar (Vancouver)

If sustainable seafood canapés prepared by talented chefs and the very first spring wine pours from British Columbia’s Naramata Bench appeal to you, then the Canadian Flavours Gala will be an event you don’t want to miss!

Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets are on sale now. Be sure to purchase your tickets early to avoid disappointment.

Athena holds a target to help her feed the pig-nosed turtle (not pictured).

A turtle is no dragon, so right off the bat Athena Csuzdi, a biologist at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, has that going for her. But that doesn’t mean that training a turtle is easy.

Animal husbandry (healthcare) is the main reason for training an animal using a target. By having the pig-nosed turtle “station” in a particular area of the habitat, Athena can make sure she is getting enough to eat, while also doing a visual check of her body at the same time. She says target feeding plays a particularly important role when an Aquarium biologist needs to give medicine to an animal.

The pig-nosed turtle starts to associate a pink Wiffle ball with food.

Athena says it took time and patience to go through the steps with the pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta) in the newly expanded Tropic Zone gallery:

1. Place food in the habitat and make sure the pig-nosed turtle is eating that first.
2. Start feeding in a particular area and introduce the target (a pink Wiffle ball at the end of a stick).
3. Hold the target closer to the food to reinforce the association that the target signals food.
4. Show the target and have the turtle “station” (wait in a specific area) before offering the food.

The pig-nosed turtle’s diet includes different types of vegetables and fruit like lettuce, red peppers and bananas. She also eats earthworms and smelt (a small fish).

Athena says despite the steps, “With her it was pretty straightforward. She caught on fairly quick.”

While visitors are familiar with marine mammal training at the Aquarium, Athena says they might be surprised to learn that aside from the pig-nosed turtle, she has also trained stingrays in order to reduce competition for food.

Watch the video below to see turtle training in action.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Written by Karen Horak, writer-editor, content and digital experience at the Vancouver Aquarium.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of volunteers at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. Volunteers are an invaluable addition to almost every part of our operations, from our conservation programs to education and outreach to caring for the animals at our Marine Mammal Rescue Centre. But the effects of our volunteer programs reach far beyond the Aquarium. The work our volunteers do here, and the skills and knowledge they gain, have ripple effects throughout the community.

This isn’t too surprising, really. Research shows that volunteerism is both fundamental to a healthy democratic society and vital for strong and resilient communities. In honour of National Volunteer Week, April 12 to 18, 2015, we’d like to take a look at the ripple effects of two of our volunteers, Jay Matsushiba and Hector Leung.

Hector volunteers in the AquaGuide program, which works to inspire high school students to use electricity efficiently. His work with us has greatly increased his respect for and knowledge of the natural world, and that’s spilled over into the licensed recreational crabbing he likes to do. Now he works to educate other crabbers in conservation practices. For example, crabbers are legally required to use crab calipers to make sure the crabs they collect meet the minimum legal size requirements. Hector not only gently reminds people who are out without them, he lets them use his. He also talks to them about humane treatment of crabs they’re returning to the water, to increase the crabs’ chances of survival. And if they find something they can’t identify, he can use his Aquarium-acquired knowledge to help figure out what it is.

Hector Leung inspires inside and outside of the Aquarium.

Jay came onboard last summer as a work experience student in our Interpretive Delivery department. Being in a role where he had to reach out to people and interact with crowds every day meant he had to quickly gain confidence and overcome his fear of public speaking. His work here led him to discover his true love for marine biology. Now, he volunteers as a gallery educator and animal husbandry assistant, working both with the public and behind the scenes.

Through his work at the Aquarium, Jay became inspired to become a Green Team Executive Member at his secondary school, Sir Winston Churchill, and to become a leader in sustainability and environmental conservation efforts. His time working in our galleries has taught him the value of public outreach to inspire change. That’s why he’s also his school’s youth head delegate to the Vancouver School Board Sustainability Conference, which brings together over 200 participants from all over Metro Vancouver to connect and share ideas. Jay says, “The Vancouver Aquarium has helped me come alive, and I hope that what I learned there can help me do the same for others.”

Jay inspires other high school students to make positive sustainable changes.

We’re so grateful for the work Hector, Jay and all our other volunteers do, not just here at the Aquarium, but out in their communities to help make our vision of a sustainable world, where aquatic life is diverse and flourishing a reality.

The next volunteer recruitment starts in April please see the Vancouver Aquarium website for further details.

The leak of bunker C fuel oil into English Bay from the grain carrier MV Marathassa on April 8 highlighted the need for baseline information for those seeking to assess the impact of the spill.

“There’s a major gap in the understanding and management of our coastal environments,” said Vancouver Aquarium CEO Dr. John Nightingale. “Currently there is no baseline information from which to assess the impact of an event like the fuel spill in Vancouver’s harbour. If the goal of cleanup efforts is to return our harbour to the state it was in before the leak, we can’t because we don’t have good baseline information.”

That’s exactly why the Vancouver Aquarium launched the Coastal Ocean Research Institute last spring: to establish a baseline to establish how our marine ecosystems are currently doing, and to deepen our understanding of future changes. Focused on a comprehensive, ongoing assessment of B.C.’s coastal environments, the Research Institute conducts original studies and will aggregate research, data and information from collaborating researchers and research programs along B.C.’s coast.

Dr. Peter Ross, director of Ocean Pollution for the Coastal Ocean Research Institute.

Today, Aquarium scientists are doing what they can to understand the impacts from the fuel leak by analyzing oil, water, sediment and shellfish samples collected from shorelines in the area. On Tuesday, members of the Vancouver Aquarium Dive Team also collected sediment samples from the bottom of Burrard Inlet for laboratory analysis.

The Vancouver Aquarium Dive Team collects samples from the ocean floor.

“It is critical to obtain results from these preliminary analyses as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Peter Ross, director of the Ocean Pollution Research Program, part of the Aquarium’s Coastal Ocean Research Institute. He noted the Aquarium’s independent analysis is taking place alongside that done by government agencies. “Results will be used to fingerprint the source of the spill, the spread of this fuel throughout coastal waters, and immediate risks to sea life,” he said. An international expert in ocean pollution, Dr. Ross has published extensively on the transport, fate and effects of contaminants in aquatic environments, including hydrocarbons.

“While undertaking immediate assessments of the fuel spill is extremely important we must do so in a manner that helps us to understand the cumulative impacts of countless activities on the health of our ocean,” said Dr. Ross. Population growth, and the accompanying expansion in industry, agriculture, shipping, urban development, and waste water discharges, is affecting coastal environments in ways that are not fully understood. The fuel spill highlights the need for long-term monitoring of those ecosystems, which doesn’t currently take place.

Dr. Carmen Morales collects samples for analysis.

As part of the Aquarium’s Ocean Pollution Research Program, the recently launched PollutionWatch Project (PWP), a stakeholder-driven partnership designed to track ocean pollution along B.C.’s coast, will help inform oil spill assessments and monitoring. “Through PollutionWatch, we aim to implement a network of sampling stations along our coast that will establish a baseline for ocean health and allow us to track pollutants,” explained Dr. Ross. “The recent oil spill in Vancouver highlights the urgent need for such a program.” The project will depend on partnerships with First Nations and community organizations to help with sampling.

If you see wildlife impacted by the oil spill, you can call the oil spill hotline at: 604-873-7000.

The Vancouver Aquarium Coastal Ocean Research Institute is grateful for its generous founding funding partners Sitka Foundation and North Growth Foundation.