A Year in Review: reflecting on 2023
By Aby Elwood, Educator
It’s time to reflect on 2023. This year was filled with many exciting events, some new, and some old, returning from pre-pandemic days.
Return of Summer Camps!
After a three year hiatus, our summer camps returned! This past summer we welcomed back Barnacle Buddies and Salish Sea School. I was lucky to be a camp leader, and can say, from personal experience, that it was a VERY fun summer. Campers explored rocky shores and sandy beaches, all while learning about the species spotted. They dissected squids and toured behind the scenes where Aquarists shared how they care for the animal ambassadors. One of MY favourite parts of camp was the boat trips. Salish Sea Schoolers explored both Sidney Spit and Portland Island. We spotted so much diversity on those trips, and I experienced many species I had never seen before!
A parent had this to share about their child’s camp experience:
“Our little one had a great time getting to know our local beach creatures better!
He came home thrilled to share his new knowledge and marine-themed crafts!”
Here’s to summer 2024 when campers will once again go home with pockets of sea glass.
Going Behind the Scenes
Summer campers weren’t the only ones who got a peek behind the scenes. In July, our Behind-the-Scenes Tours returned. For an additional fee, visitors can learn how our water system works, discover the menu on offer to the animals (and their favourite foods!) and observe the animals from a different perspective. During the camp tour, my highlight was seeing the variety of foods on offer to the animals includling plankton, clams, and squid. For the campers, getting to sniff the smelly algae paste, seemed to be a highlight and got many of them giggling.
Taking a look behind the scenes is a unique experience; it gives you a different perspective on how our animal ambassadors are cared for and how an aquarium functions. I highly recommend it!
*Tour information.
A Year of Seaweed
October 15 was the one year anniversary of Seaweeds: Mystery of the Amber Forest.
The star of this exhibit is Josie Iselin’s artwork. There are also interactive components — seaweed trivia, a kelp forest floor puzzle, an ocean felt board and Find the Fish by The Marine Detective. Based on our very loved and worn out books, the exhibit’s book nook is popular!
Did you know that seaweed, or derivatives from algae, is an ingredient in many foods and household products? Even ice cream! The last day to visit Seaweeds: Mystery of the Amber Forest is January 7.
New exhibit opening late February.
Tot Tuesday Returns!
A staff favourite, Tot Tuesday, returned in January. Tuesdays at 10:30am, our Learning Team facilitates a 45 minute educational program for preschool aged children. Every week a new topic is taught through stories, play, and craft. One of my favourite themes was Bears! Oh My! Tots foraged like a bear, collecting berries, plants, salmon, etc., and added the foods to the bears they crafted. We explored scat science and learned how poop helps us understand what an animal eats. Tot Tuesday is bear-y fun and definitely one of the highlights of my week. This program is currently on a brief break but we will see you again on January 23, when we’ll learn all about turtles.
Pacific Herring Micro-exhibit
In October, a herring exhibit swam into the building. This exhibit brought several new elements to our main gallery, all to highlight the importance of Pacific herring. Yay, a new video for our trio of large screens, Herring: The Pulse of the Pacific. A herring bait ball model is now hanging from the ceiling, and a sound dome featuring herring farts. Yes, you read that right! Herring communicate with farts. Have you heard these cute toots?
Salish Sea Idol
We cannot forget one of our most exciting initiatives of the year, Salish Sea Idol, our first-ever online fundraising campaign. Three of our most popular animal ambassadors were chosen to be a part of this year's campaign — the intelligent octopus, magnificent wolf eel, and adorable nudibranch. Through donations, contributors voted for their favourite. When voting ended, the octopus came out on top as the winner with a whopping 53 votes and $6,400 dollars. In total, $14,650 was raised, just shy of our goal of $15,000. Thank you so much to everyone who supported this fundraiser.
Wow! New exhibits, returning programs, and a successful fundraiser. What a year! And there is more. Another standout moment of 2023 was a successful animal surgery.
Fish Surgery!
If you’ve visited before, you may know Leon, a yelloweye rockfish. When Leon experienced an injury, resulting in damage and the loss of the lens in his right eye, experts decided it was best to remove the eye. This would avoid further damage and improve his quality of life. In September, Leon underwent a complex eye surgery, a new and exciting challenge for our Animal Care Team. Veterinarian, Dr. Chou, conducted the 50-minute surgery, while Kit, Head of Animal Care, administered anesthetic and medications. The procedure required Leon to be out of the water so they continuously sprayed him with sea water to maintain his slime coat, and water was pumped past his gills for oxygenation. After two weeks of antibiotic baths, pain medication, and care from our team and Dr. Chou, Leon recovered and now is back to his usual lovable self! This one-eyed fella lives in our Sandy Bottom habitat.
As you can see, 2023 was one amazing year and we could not have done it without the incredible support of our visitors, the community, and our dedicated volunteers. We can’t wait to see what 2024 brings.