Ванкуверский аквариум: история и современность

Aquarium in Canada
The Vancouver Aquarium was one of the first facilities to incorporate professional naturalists into the galleries to interpret animal behaviours. Prior to this, at the London Zoo Fish House, naturalists James S. Bowerbank, Ray Lankester, David W. Mitchell and Philip H. Gosse (the creator of the word aquarium) had regularly held "open house" events, but the Vancouver Aquarium was the first to employ educational naturalists on a full time basis. Aquarium research projects extend worldwide, and include marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation. On August 9, 2010, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and B. C. Premier Gordon Campbell announced capital funding of up to $15 million. The province would donate $10 million in funding over the next three years to help pay for a planned expansion of the 54 year old facility, Premier Gordon Campbell said. Harper added that Ottawa would hand over up to $5 million to the aquarium for infrastructure upgrades. The aquarium, however, remained nonprofit organization. The property is owned by the City of Vancouver and rented to the aquarium for $40,000 a year since 1991 (prior to which it was $1 per year). In October 2009 the Vancouver Aquarium was designated as a Coastal America Learning Center by the US Environmental Protection Agency. As the first Learning Center in Canada, this designation is intended to strengthen the Canadian/U. S. partnership for protecting and restoring shared ocean resources. On August 31, 2020, the non profit announced on Facebook that due to the financial stresses caused by the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, it was pausing its public programming for the time being while it engages in strategic planning for the financial sustainability of its future operations. On April 15, 2021, the Aquarium announced that an agreement had been signed to transfer ownership from the Ocean Wise Conservation Association to Herschend Family Entertainment.

The Vancouver Public Aquarium Association was formed in 1950 by UBC fisheries and oceanography professors Murray Newman, Carl Lietze and Wilbert Clemens. After receiving the help of timber baron H. R. MacMillan, alderman and businessman George Cunningham and $100,000 from each of the three levels of government. (City of Vancouver, Province of British Columbia, Federal Government of Canada), it opened on June 15, 1956, with the ribbon being cut by federal Minister of Fisheries James Sinclair. Sinclair's daughter 7 year old Margaret was also present at the ribbon cutting ceremony (she would later marry Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and give birth to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau). In the mid 1960s, Rufus Gibbs donated $100,000 for an extension to the Vancouver Aquarium (specifically for the creation of the Rufus Gibbs Hall of sport fishes). Officially Canada's first public aquarium, the Vancouver Aquarium has become the largest in Canada and one of the five largest in North America. The Vancouver Aquarium was the second aquarium in the world to capture and display an orca. Other whales and dolphins on display included belugas, narwhals and dolphins. In 1975, the Vancouver Aquarium was the first aquarium accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The aquarium is also accredited by the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) and in 1987 was designated Canada's Pacific National Aquarium by the Canadian Federal Government. On July 23, 1995, a beluga whale named Qila was born. She was the first beluga to be both conceived and born in a Canadian aquarium. A second calf, Tuvaq, was born on July 30, 2002, but died unexpectedly with no previous sign of illness on July 17, 2005. In 1996, the Vancouver Park Board instituted a municipal bylaw that prevents the Vancouver Aquarium from capturing cetaceans from the wild for display purposes, and only obtain cetaceans from other facilities if they were born in captivity, captured before 1996 or were rescued and deemed un releasable after this date. On June 15, 2006, Canada Post issued a 51–cent domestic rate stamp to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the aquarium. For many years, the primary attraction for visitors was the orca show. The aquarium was the second to capture a killer whale, Moby Doll, who was displayed for a day at Burrard Dry Dock on July 18, 1964. Subsequently, the public was kept away from him, however. Since then, it was home to Skana (at first called Walter), Hyak II, Finna, Bjossa, and three of Bjossa's calves. When Finna died and Bjossa was left without other orca companions, the aquarium attempted to acquire one or more female orcas from other marine parks. However, no suitable companions were found, and Bjossa was moved to SeaWorld, San Diego, in April 2001 where she later died due to a chronic respiratory illness. The aquarium has since moved to emphasize the educational aspects of the displays rather than the public spectacle of the shows. They have also highlighted their research, rescue and rehabilitation efforts. The aquarium has played a significant role in the research of wild orcas in BC. John Ford, a respected researcher who focuses on orca vocalizations, worked there for many years. The Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program, which funds research was also run out of aquarium (now under Ocean Wise). After considerable public discussion and some opposition from an animal rights group, the Vancouver Park Board voted in favour of a proposal to expand the aquarium at a cost of $100 million, funded by the aquarium, private donors, and infrastructure grants. A public consultation process, led by the aquarium and their own consultants, showed 89% of local residents were in favour of the expansion. The proposal will increase the size of the aquarium by and extend its lease by 20 years. Construction was expected to begin in the fall of 2007. Vancouver Aquarium has not kept any orcas in captivity since 2001 and has pledged not to capture wild animals, but to instead rely on captive animals for breeding.

On August 31, 2020, the Aquarium made public via a Facebook update that it would be temporarily pausing public programming after September 7. Despite the fact that the summer season was busy upon reopening, the social distancing requirements of being "COVID safe" did not allow for the necessary visitor volume – ticket sales were down 80% and the not for profit was not able to cover costs. The organization stated that it would continue providing uninterrupted care to the resident animals while working on strategic planning; namely, how to operate in a way that would be financially sustainable in light of current conditions.

The aquarium covers approximately and has a total of water in 166 aquatic displays. There are a number of different galleries, several of which were built at different times throughout the aquarium's history.

This central indoor exhibit consists of a tank directly adjacent to the entrance. Fish and invertebrates from the Strait of Georgia are displayed in the exhibit.

Originally this gallery included the beluga whales along with several non living displays. In October 2009, a new exhibit opened here displaying several other arctic species, including fishes and invertebrates, along with expanded non living exhibits as part of the Canada's Arctic Gallery. In 2016, the two rescued harbour porpoises from the BC Sugar Pool next door, moved to the Canada's Arctic Gallery. Following the deaths of two belugas in 2016, it has been converted into an active Steller sea lion research station called Steller's Bay in collaboration with the University of British Columbia. The exhibit reopened as Steller's Bay on July 1, 2017, while still retaining the Canada's Arctic portion in the underwater gallery. It is home to four female and two male Steller sea lions. In June 2018, a new "Research Outpost" Exhibit opened as an addition to Steller's Bay and programs about the aquarium's research and work regarding walruses, northern fur seals, and Steller sea lions occur.

Inspired by Boulders Beach, this exhibit features African penguins bred by the Species Survival Plan. Penguin Point was demolished in June 2023 to make way for a future habitat.

This is an outdoor gallery that includes several pools, including the Marine Mammal Rescue exhibit in which several pinniped species (harbour seals, Steller's sea lions, and a California sea lion) are rotated in display. Sea otters are also permanently on display here, along with a "surge pool" where visitors are able to touch British Columbian invertebrates.

This gallery is a series of separate exhibits that simulate the various aquatic environments on the BC coast. A giant pacific octopus, rockfish, sea stars, sea urchins, and anemones are among the animals here. In 2021, the Vancouver Aquarium opened the Marine Rescue Exhibit where visitors can meet ambassador animals from the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre.

This gallery contains a large display of tropical fish and other animals, including blacktip reef sharks and a green sea turtle named Schoona. Schoona moved to Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto, Canada in January 2023.

A number of freshwater fish, snakes, caimans, sloths, birds, and other creatures from the Amazon inhabit this gallery.

This gallery is an exhibit focused on the plight of the world's frog population which endeavors to show how people can help protect frogs and other amphibians. It contains 26 species of amphibians from around the world.

This gallery is home to jellies, fish, and other animals. The 4D Theatre and the children's play area known as "Clownfish Cove" are here, along with multiple classrooms for school groups, including the wet lab education room, which contains both conventional teaching methods such as computers, tables, and chairs, along with live animals and various artifacts.

The Vancouver Aquarium was the first aquarium to host a full time paid staff of interpreters. The Interpreter program began in 1967 and is now widely considered one of the most prestigious teams of its kind in the world. The Interpreter team delivers animal programs to over 2000 guests every day, 365 days a year. These programs include animal talks about; Sea Lions, Seals, Sea Otters, Jellyfish and a whole range of other fish species present at the Aquarium.

Following the ownership transfer of the aquarium to Herschend in 2021, these initiatives are no longer affiliated with Vancouver Aquarium and remain with Ocean Wise Conservation Association.

The B. C. Cetacean Sightings Network is a collaborative conservation and research program between the Vancouver Aquarium and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada aimed at collecting reports and sightings of whales and sea turtles in the wild. The Sightings Network is a network of over 1,800 observers across British Columbia, including whale watching operators, lighthouse keepers, charter boat operators, tugboat captains, BC Ferries personnel, researchers, government employees, recreational boaters and coastal residents. The program aims to solicit reports through the program's website, a toll free hotline, email, or through the logbook program.

The Ocean Wise Seafood program is aimed at promoting sustainable seafood in restaurants, markets and other food service facilities. Its main thrust is to avoid species whose fishing typically causes large bycatches, species from areas where the habitat will degrade if overfished, and species which themselves are overfished. Ocean Wise works directly with food service companies to select sustainable seafood and actively promote them to the general public. The options are highlighted on participating restaurant menus and display cases with the Ocean Wise symbol, to help consumers make environmentally friendly seafood choices. Today, well over 300 restaurants and food stores in Canada are participants in the Ocean Wise sustainable seafood program.

The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is a program that was initiated by the Vancouver Aquarium by a small group of staff members and volunteers in 1994. These employees had heard about the International Coastal Cleanup and decided to participate in it by picking up garbage at a local beach and submitting the information. The Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup is an annual international initiative aimed to engage people to remove trash and debris from the world's beaches and waterways, identify the sources of debris, and change the behaviors that cause marine debris in the first place. Volunteers and sponsors collect and catalogue debris which is then collected for analysis on sources of garbage that enter the ocean. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, in an emailed letter to The Georgia Straight, expressed his personal belief that "the Vancouver Aquarium should begin to phase out the holding of whales and dolphins in captivity". Primatologist and ethologist Jane Goodall called for the Park Board to follow through with the proposed "phase out" of cetaceans and end the Vancouver Aquarium's captive breeding program. The Vancouver Aquarium responded to criticism with an open letter in which they explained that it was their policy not to capture cetaceans from the wild and that the aquarium played a role as a home for rescued cetaceans that cannot be returned to the wild. The Park Board proceeded to commission an independent report from US wildlife veterinarian and scientist Dr. Joseph Gaydos in which he examined the aquarium's animal care standards, accreditation and research and compared it to similar facilities in North America. In his report he found that the Vancouver Aquarium "either meets or exceeds North American industry standards". He also concluded that the aquarium had "an active research department that seems to make good use of studying captive cetaceans, not only for being able to provide better care and understanding of captive animals, but to a greater extent [ ] to benefit our understanding and conservation of cetaceans in the wild." Dr. Gaydos also made two recommendations. He recommended that the Park Board conduct "a large scale scientific study on the welfare of captive housed cetaceans" as a way of assessing "the complex societal issue of captive cetaceans". He also suggested that the Park Board require the aquarium to release an annual report on the state of its cetaceans. In the media, the Gaydos report was widely received as a positive review of the aquarium's practices and the Vancouver Aquarium also received support from prominent philanthropists and politicians, as well as four former Vancouver mayors. The Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California also spoke out in favour of the Vancouver Aquarium's cetacean program, citing its importance for scientific research. After a long public debate that ended with the presentation of the Gaydos report and two days of public hearings, the Vancouver Park Board announced in August 2014 that it intended to enact a by law to ban breeding of cetaceans at the Vancouver Aquarium, and it tasked its staff with drafting an amendment to the existing by law regulating cetaceans at the aquarium. Vancouver Aquarium CEO Dr. John Nightingale criticized the decision in a public letter, stating that the decision "was not based on the facts or science presented" and that it did not take into consideration "testimony from dozens of the world’s scientific community, including experts in animal welfare and animal cognition.". Following a defeat in the elections to Park Board as part of the 2014 civic elections, a majority of the Park Board commissioners, in their last session, voted against enacting an amendment to the by law.

In 2019, the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act became law in Canada. Two facilities would be affected, Marineland of Canada and the Vancouver Aquarium. When passed in June 2019, Marineland was reported to have 61 cetaceans, while the Vancouver Aquarium had just one dolphin remaining. The law has a grandfather clause, permitting those cetaceans already in captivity to remain where they are, but breeding and further acquisition of cetaceans is prohibited, subject to limited exceptions.

In 2022, the BC SPCA opened an investigation into the Vancouver Aquarium, following a report by the Vancouver Humane Society in regards to concerning animal behaviour and conditions. Footage obtained by the Vancouver Humane Society showed African penguins in a small enclosure, unable to escape public view, standing for long periods of time huddled around a door; sea otters repeatedly trying to peel back the edges of their tank; and a Steller sea lion abnormally sucking on the ground.

The Vancouver Aquarium was featured frequently in the 1980s Canadian series, Danger Bay, which followed the day to day exploits of the Roberts family, led by Grant "Doc" Roberts, a marine veterinarian and his two children, Nicole and Jonah. A YouTube video featuring two sea otters "holding hands" was recorded at the Vancouver Aquarium. The two sea otters are Nyac and Milo. Nyac died on September 23, 2008. She was one of the last surviving sea otters of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The video has been viewed over 19 million times on YouTube. As a result, the Vancouver Aquarium created a live sea otter cam on their website. The YouTube video was originally recorded by Cynthia Holmes. Milo died on January 12, 2012. The Vancouver Aquarium was also featured in the family film Andre (1994), and romantic comedy Good Luck Chuck (2007), as Cam's workplace. Television movie The Suite Life Movie (2011) used the aquarium as the research firm where Cody Martin interns. On September 5, 2008, Hayden Panettiere appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman and talked about her visit with the rescue dolphins at the Vancouver Aquarium. The song "Baby Beluga" by Raffi was inspired by Kavna, a beluga that he saw while visiting the Vancouver Aquarium.