Paula Romagosa, Aquarist at the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, discusses threatened Northern abalone with CBC’s Khalil Akhtar on August 4, 2010.

Northern Abalone once thrived on the west coast. It was traditionally harvested by First Nations for meat, and its shells were used for jewellery. The decline in abalone numbers resulted from nearly two decades of legalized commercial harvesting and from continued poaching after its ban in 1990. The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre obtained its Northern abalone from the Bamfield Marine Science Centre, home of the Bamfield Community Huu ay aht Abalone Project, which aims to replenish the mollusk by breeding and reintroducing it into the wild.

Aquarists and Oceaneers at the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre are excited to be participating in the mission to restore the abalone population by creating much needed public education. “We wanted to put this species on display to help our visitors identify abalone if they see it being taken from our shoreline”, says Mike Anderson, Head Aquarist at the Centre in Sidney. “If people can recognize it, then we have a much better chance of being able to replenish it and help remove abalone from the list of threatened species.”

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About the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre

The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre is an aquarium and marine education centre focused on the amazing ecosystem of the Salish Sea. The Centre operates as a not-for-profit community facility that is self supporting through admission fees, grants and donations. The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre is governed, funded and owned by the New Marine Centre Society. Funds for the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre were raised through generous community support, and a major donation from Shaw Communications. The Centre is located in a spectacular waterfront building in Sidney, BC.

For further information, please contact Robyn Waterman, Public Relations Manager, Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, 250.665.7511 or pr@oceandiscovery.ca

Peninsula Co-op has a long history of contributing positively to the community by supporting various youth programs. Their partnership with the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre was supported by a $5,000 contribution to the Salish Sea School program to ensure its success this summer. Cooper the Co-op Mascot presented the cheque to Linda Funk, Education Director, and Sarah Gibbins, Education Coordinator, on June 8^th.

Salish Sea School engages participants in a week full of fun and educational experiences inside and outside of the Centre. Each camp is limited to 10 participants, which ensures that each camper receives individual attention from Salish Sea School leaders. Participants will spend time with an Aquarist, create ocean-inspired art, and embark on exciting field and boat trips around the Gulf Islands.

Spots are still available in Peninsula Co-op’s Salish Sea School for the following weeks (Monday – Friday):

July 26 – 30
August 9 – 13
August 16 – 20
August 23 – 27

More information about Peninsula Co-op’s Salish Sea School is at www.oceandiscovery.ca/kids.

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About the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre

The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre is an aquarium and marine education centre focused on the amazing ecosystem of the Salish Sea. The Centre operates as a not-for-profit community facility that is self supporting through admission fees, grants and donations. The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre is governed, funded and owned by the New Marine Centre Society. Funds for the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre were raised through generous community support, and a major donation from Shaw Communications. The Centre is located in a spectacular waterfront building in Sidney, BC.

For further information, please contact Robyn Waterman, Public Relations Manager, Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, 250.665.7511 or pr@oceandiscovery.ca

Watch Part Two

Watch Part Three

CBC All Points West host Jo-Ann Roberts discusses World Oceans Day, oil spills, and Marine Protected Areas with Angus Matthews, Executive Director at the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre. Beings at 9:18. Aired Tuesday, June 8th, 2010.

The Capital Regional District and Pacific Salmon Foundation are encouraging visitors to explore these questions and discover the close connections between our ocean and our homes with an exciting new exhibit at the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre. Open cupboards, look in drawers, lift the lid… see how the everyday decisions we make affect our local marine environment.

“Making the connection between our ocean ecosystems and our day to day living arrangements is an extremely important way to reinforce the impact we have on our environment,” said CRD Environmental Sustainability General Manager Larisa Hutcheson. “This new exhibit provides an excellent opportunity to have fun while learning about the myriad connections between residents and the ocean that surrounds them.”

‘The Ocean Is Our Home’ was built to replicate a typical single-family home. It has four rooms and a backyard patio. As visitors make their way through the exhibit, they will learn facts about water and energy conservation, waste reduction, pollution prevention and the ocean in their home. Together, all the little bits of information create a larger picture of how significantly we impact the environment and an understanding of what we can do to conserve it. A scavenger hunt helps visitors gather and organize the tips and information they discover.

Over the past few weeks, the Centre’s staff and volunteers have been busy searching their own homes for products to contribute to the exhibit. “It’s not just seafood; there are a lot of products from the ocean in our homes. Seaweed is processed into substances that end up in many of our food and personal hygiene products like ice cream and lotions, as well as health and medical products. Seaweed is everywhere,” says Linda Funk, Education Director at the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre.

The exhibit was constructed by the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre with generous donations from Westcoast Appliances, Marigold Nurseries, Slegg Lumber, Home Hardware Sidney and Twin Peaks Nursery & Landscaping Supplies.

Exhibit: The Ocean Is Our Home
Where: Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, 9811 Seaport Place, Sidney
When: June to October; daily 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Admission: Adults $12.00, Youth (Age 6 to 17) $6.00, 5 and under FREE

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About the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre
The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre is an aquarium and marine education centre focused on the amazing ecosystem of the Salish Sea. The Centre operates as a not-for-profit community facility that is self supporting through admission fees, grants and donations. The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre is governed, funded and owned by the New Marine Centre Society. Funds for the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre were raised through generous community support, and a major donation from Shaw Communications. The Centre is located in a spectacular waterfront building in Sidney, BC.

For further information, please contact Robyn Waterman, Public Relations Manager, Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, 250.665.7511 or pr@oceandiscovery.ca

The Centre will be offering a variety of activities and displays inside and outside of the Centre. Special exhibits inside the Centre will be set up all day from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM. In light of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, there will be a simulated crude oil spill. There will also be information on what is affected by an oil spill, how they are cleaned up, and the potential for such an occurrence in the Salish Sea. Other environmental exhibits will focus on marine debris and whale-wise boating.  There will be a craft station set up for kids to create sea creature headbands. At 1:00 PM, join James Clowater in the Ocean’s Heartbeat for “Alcids: Birds that Fly Underwater”, a lecture on our local marine bird species.

Outside the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre in Beacon Park, there will be free activities and displays from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Activities will include face painting for kids, and a chance to meet Cooper the Peninsula Co-op bear and the Ocean Discovery mascots. The Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Gulf Islands National Park and Shorekeeper’s will have informative displays on their work on the Salish Sea. Tseycum Canoe Tours will have a traditionally styled dug out canoe in the park and will share the traditional ways of the Coast Salish people with guests. At 2:00 PM, there will be divers on the waterfront demonstrating a Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV), a miniature submarine with a high-tech underwater camera. They will be bringing deep sea animals to the ROVs lens so that guests on shore can experience the bottom of the Salish Sea without getting wet. The Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa will be selling hot dogs and drinks from their patio, and will be displaying ocean-inspired art created by the kids at Discovery House in their lobby.

The Celebration will also mark the launch of three other exciting projects at the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre.

The Capital Regional District and Pacific Salmon Foundation have partnered with the Centre to unveil a brand new exhibit called, “The Ocean is Our Home”. Visitors will be encouraged to explore the replica home to discover how closely our at home lives affect our ocean. They will learn what happens to things poured down the drain, energy efficient appliances and environmentally friendly home products.

Marineapedia of My Salish Sea is a bold citizen scientist project that will establish a new relationship with the ocean. The easily searchable online library will include approximately 3,000 species from anemones to zooplankton, and will enlist the skills of students, schools, youth organizations, amateur biologists and marine life enthusiasts to collect information, photos and videos. Explore Marineapedia and adopt a species from the Salish Sea at www.mysalishsea.ca.

The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre’s seventeen habitats are home to more than 300 species. To offer visitors a roadmap to the live marine life, the Centre is launching an official guidebook to the Salish Sea. The Salish Sea includes details on many of these species, which are categorized into families and accompanied by a photo. The guide book also shares background on the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, Salish Sea and Coast Salish people.

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About the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre

The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, located in a spectacular waterfront building in Sidney, BC, is an aquarium and marine education centre focused on the amazing ecosystem of the Salish Sea. The Centre operates as a not-for-profit community facility that is self-supporting through admission fees, grants and donations. Funds for the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre were raised through generous community support, and a major donation from Shaw Communications.

For further information, please contact Robyn Waterman, Public Relations Manager, Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, 250.665.7511 or pr@oceandiscovery.ca