Saturday, May 5th, 2012
ZooChat Review #101 – Vancouver Aquarium
Aquarium’s website:
Vancouver Aquarium :: Home
Aquarium Map: (it can be downloaded from this page)
Vancouver Aquarium :: Exhibits & Galleries
Vancouver Aquarium is an AZA-accredited facility that opened its doors in 1956 and somewhat incredibly has only had two leaders in its first 56 years. Dr. Murray Newman served as head of the aquarium for 37 years, and Dr. John Nightingale has currently been in charge for 19 years. Often there are signs of longevity amongst directors at captive wildlife establishments, but not quite to the extent exemplified in Vancouver. Those two men have overseen a lot of changes over the decades, including a number of costly expansions that have created more modern exhibits for the more than 50,000 creatures on its 2.1 acres. According to the aquarium’s website: “We have 37 different species of amphibians, 9 different species of birds, 172 different species of marine fish, 125 different species of freshwater fish, 277 different species of aquatic invertebrates, 10 different species of terrestrial invertebrates, 4 different species of non-marine mammals, 7 different species of marine mammals, and 20 different species of reptiles.”
The aquarium is currently in a period of transition, as approximately $100 million will be spent on an overhaul of specific areas of need.
Vancouver Aquarium :: Revitalization
Highlights include:
- a new sea otter exhibit
- a salmon hatchery
- African penguin exhibit
- new animals such as sea birds and beavers
- larger outdoor pools and a flexible pool between the B.C. Wild Coast and Canada's Arctic exhibits (white-sided dolphin and beluga pools)
- 34,000 square feet of additional public space
- new main entrance and large entrance plaza
- new gallery that will feature rotating exhibits
- refurbishing aging infrastructure behind the scenes
THE REVIEW:
Amazon Rainforest – As soon as a visitor enters this area they come face to face with a huge central tank that contains 6 species: arapaima, redtail catfish, tambaqui, banded leporinus, red-shouldered severum and oscellated freshwater stingray. The size of the single arapaima is awe-inspiring, and immediately there is the sensation of being in the tropics as the heat is cranked and after a significant amount of time it can actually be nice to leave this area as in summer the heat can be sweltering to those that prefer colder climes.
After the large main tank there is a 20-foot long exhibit for Jamaican fruit bats, and a couple of smaller terrariums for Madagascar hissing cockroaches and stick insects. Before entering the walk-through rainforest area there are 3 large tanks set into the wall that are all very impressive in size and scope. The first is perhaps 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep and features an electric eel surrounded by 3 other species: penguin tetra, lemon tetra and redeye tetra. The next exhibit features the largest species of piranha and 6 other species: San Francisco piranha, black neon tetra, serpae tetra, royal panaque, Regan’s pink cichlid, gold marble bristlenose catfish and gold nugget suckermouth catfish. Those first two exhibits represent an Amazonian pool and riverbank, while the third and most impressive of the trio features aquatic denizens of a lake. There are 7 species: tiger stingray, payara, marbled headstander, speckle-faced demonfish, spot-faced pink cichlid, red-shouldered severum and sailfin suckermouth catfish.
The walk-through rainforest section was opened to the public in 1983 and while it is very tiny in comparison to behemoths evident in modern zoos it is still of a high quality. There are 14 species present: two-toed sloth, hyacinth macaw, double yellow-headed Amazon parrot, blue-fronted Amazon parrot, scarlet ibis, Pacific parrotlet, blue morpho butterfly, plumed basilisk, red-footed tortoise, Hilaire’s side-necked turtle, tiger stingray, xingu river ray, royal panaque and red lip demonfish. The two macaws and other birds are very easy to locate, but attempting to find the 3 sloths and single basilisk is always an enjoyable challenge.
Upon leaving the walk-through rainforest area there is an aquatic exhibit of 3 species (black ghost knifefish, festivum and freshwater angelfish) and a terrarium with green and black poison frogs and a Colombian rainbow boa. Goeldi’s marmosets occupy a habitat packed with climbing devices, and a large exhibit with underwater viewing (green anaconda and diving lizard) allows for terrific photos. There are three large terrariums that feature: emerald tree boa/Amazon tree boa/dyeing poison frog; tiger rat snake/bumble bee toad; Brazilian rainbow boa.
The final section of the Amazon Rainforest zone has a large exhibit for two yacare caiman, and they share their pool with 4 species of fish: red hook silver dollar, black bar silver dollar, eight-banded leporinus and banded leporinus. There is also a 6-foot tall terrarium with stick insects and another glass container with cocoons of blue morpho butterflies. A massive fake tree trunk was added in 2011, and there are 10 terrariums built into its nooks and crannies. The species here are: Mexican rustleg tarantula, Chilean rose tarantula, greenbottle blue tarantula, Brazilian red and white tarantula, Brazilian fire red tarantula, giant cockroach, Haitian giant centipede, millipede, whip spider and Peruvian black-headed centipede. The journey ends by passing the original arapaima tank and leads back into the Tropic Zone.
Tropic Zone – Upon first entering this area one encounters a brilliantly coloured coral reef tank with at least 15 species of fish. Highlights include species of damselfish, tang, angelfish, bird wrasse, triggerfish, butterflyfish and bannerfish. To the right of this central tank are 8 smaller tanks, with 7 out of 8 being about 4 feet wide, 4 feet high and 4 feet deep. One of the tanks (for the pufferfish) is approximately double that in size. The 8 tanks are: Brazil’s Rio Negro, South-East Asian Wetlands, Central American Spring, West African Rivers (cross river puffer and Kafue pike), Africa’s Lake Victoria (marbled lungfish), Africa’s Lake Tanganyika, Africa’s Lake Malawi and Madagascar Side Streams. While interesting they are all of a traditional size and represent an older section of the aquarium.
To the left of the central coral reef tank are 8 more exhibits that vary greatly in size. An Indo-Pacific tank displays 4 species: spotted garden eel, splendid garden eel, twinspot goby and raccoon butterflyfish; another smaller tank called Banggai Islands has 2 species: Banggai cardinalfish and hatpin urchin. A large Indo-Pacific Mangrove tank has 5 species in a beautiful setting: banded archerfish, mono, pajama cardinalfish, tomimi surgeonfish and threadfin butterflyfish. A small red lionfish exhibit is next to the main attraction, which is an impressive shark tank with curving glass and a carpeted raised seating area. Indo-Pacific Lagoon is the name of this feature exhibit, and there are 7 species: blacktip reef shark, whitespotted bamboo shark, green sea turtle, laced moray, common bluestripe snapper, yellowface angelfish and a very large but unidentified stingray. Not surprisingly this area is always packed with visitors as the sharks and single sea turtle are popular residents at the aquarium.
The last 3 exhibits in the Tropic Zone are a mixture of size and colour. There is a small tank called Tropical Seagrass Beds that features 3 species: spotted seahorse, copperband butterflyfish and blueband goby. Indo-Pacific Reef Flats has at least 10 species, including clown anemonefish, butterflyfish, and several anemones and corals. Indo-Pacific Reef has 17 species, with many types of corals, anemones, damselfish and butterflyfish.
Wild Coast – For approximately 30 years the aquarium showcased killer whales to the public, but the death of their last specimen and public outcry against cetaceans in captivity led to the abandonment of the orca program and in 2001 Wild Coast was opened to the public. Currently there are 2 Pacific white-sided dolphins, 2 Steller’s sea lions, 3 harbour seals and 2 sea otters in this large section of the aquarium, and the harbour seal pool often acts as a rotational exhibit. In the past couple of years there has been a harbour porpoise (the only one in captivity in North America), Steller’s sea lions and northern fur seals in the pool as the aquarium seems to rotate the animals every few months.
There are ambitious plans for the outdoor exhibits, and there is a desire to create a flexible pool between Wild Coast and Canada’s Arctic, to perhaps allow the dolphins and beluga whales more space or to allow staff to separate animals if necessary. The overhaul of the outdoor pools is part of the transformation of the aquarium and the 1973 sea otter exhibits (which are more than adequate but a little small) will be replaced and the otters will receive a new home elsewhere. My feeling is that the dolphin, beluga whale, sea otter, Steller’s sea lion and harbor seal pools are all on the small side and I’m ecstatic that the aquarium has plans to renovate a large portion of the outdoor zone. The marine mammals are arguably the most popular residents of the aquarium and it will be great to see them allocated more space, along with the imminent arrival of African penguins and the future arrival of beavers.
Canada’s Arctic – This large, 4-million liter pool (1 million gallons) is home to 3 beluga whales and has had 5-6 of them at one time as there have been some whales bred here in the past. The pool opened to the public in 1990 and now there are plans for expansion as it is a bit on the small side in the modern world of captive cetaceans. The two massive underwater viewing areas are fantastic, and in 2009 there was an overhaul of that area and Arctic-themed signage and a research station were added. The glossy colours and staggering amount of conservation-themed information blends in well with the large amount of space within this area. It is the one section of the entire aquarium that never really gets too crowded, and there are even a few tanks that hold animals such as Arctic char.
Treasures of the B.C. Coast – There are 14 exhibits in this section of the aquarium, and they are all based on geographical location of cities and areas along the coast of British Columbia. There are 8 exhibits that are standard-sized, box-shaped tanks, but the real show-stoppers are the 6 exhibits that feature tanks that are approximately 20 feet in length. These long, rectangular-shaped habitats are modern and naturalistically set into the wall with mock-rock appendages in the public area.
After exiting the central area of the aquarium (Pacific Canada) I will provide details of the exhibits in order of their appearance. #1 has 9 species, but the highlights are blood stars, rockfish, red turbans and various species of anemones. #2 has a 20-foot long viewing window and contains 13 species. Amongst them are white sturgeon, coho salmon, giant pink star, Dungeness crab and surfperch. #3 features a 20-foot long window and has Maroon hermit crabs, 4 species of greenling and 4 species of rockfish. There is constant wave motion and billowing clouds of kelp in this spectacular tank. #4 is another 20-foot long window with 13 species. Highlights include 3 species of rockfish, lingcod, wide-hand hermit crab and longhorn decorator crab. #5 has a giant pacific octopus, 2 species of rockfish, urchins, corals, sea stars, anemones and sponges amongst its 11 species. #6 is a small tank with sunflower sea stars. #7 is another small tank with 4 species: brittle star, feather star, opossum shrimp and galatheid crab. #8 is the last in a trio of smaller exhibits, and there are also 4 species here: shiner perch, surfgrass, California mussel and pink-tipped anemone. #9 features a 20-foot long viewing window with 9 species, and the highlights are California sea cucumbers, blue rockfish, striped perch, rock greenling and bat stars. #10 has juvenile yelloweye rockfish and anemones. #11 has sea cucumbers and anemones. #12 features a 20-foot long viewing window with 18 species that include: spotted ratfish, walleye pollock, spot prawn, English sole, northern spearnose poacher, snake prickleback, northern ronquil and longspin combfish. #13 has 11 species that include: wolf eel, red Irish lord, skeleton shrimp and 3 species of rockfish. #14 features a 20-foot long window and has 16 species that include: juvenile wolf eel, tubesnout, spiny crab, blackeye goby and 3 species of sculpin.
Pacific Canada – This is the main foyer/central hub of the aquarium and up until a few months ago served as the entrance zone of the establishment. There is a 70,000 gallon Strait of Georgia tank (opened in 1999) that is very eye-catching and creates a buzz in the room due to its two-storey presence. There are 36 species in this large tank, with the highlights being: white sturgeon, spiny dogfish, wolf eel, red rock crab, lingcod, Pacific herring, Chinook salmon, coho salmon, Pacific cod, big skate, buffalo sculpin, tubesnout, and severalspecies of greenling and rockfish. There is also a Clayoquot Sound (an area on Vancouver Island) exhibit that features 3 tanks for sea stars, anemones, barnacles and tubeworms.
Frogs Forever? – This section features 22 exhibits and these species: Hong Kong warty newt, Rio Cauca caecilian, axolotl, tiger salamander, reed frog, Mitchell’s reed frog, green tree frog, Phantasmal poison frog, Barron’s mantilla frog, Amazonian horned frog, African clawed frog, Smokey jungle frog, bullfrog, bullfrog tadpoles, red-eyed treefrog, leopard frog, waxy monkey treefrog, dyeing poison frog, Oregon spotted frog, big-eyed treefrog, marbled running frog, golden toad (extinct – an empty terrarium), Suriname toad, Oriental firebelly toad and cane toad. The signage is eye-catching and kid-friendly yet informative, the terrariums are densely packed with natural substances, and in many cases it is a challenge to locate the inhabitants. On the way down to the underwater viewing area for the dolphins is a single terrarium with 3 species: Phantasmal poison frog, reed frog and three-striped poison frog.
Exploration Gallery – This area is a hodge-podge of exhibits, and also features a 4D Theatre that is extremely popular. Incredibly the 15-minute shows are free with admission, something that I’ve never seen anywhere else. There is also a Wet Lab attached to this area that is essentially an aquatic-based classroom with desks, tanks and all types of research equipment for school groups.
Exhibits include: Pacific herring in a tall, circular exhibit; 6 species in an Arctic-themed environment: Arctic cod, lumpfish, northern sun star, rugnose anemone, scarlet sea cucumber and giant black sea cucumber. There are a trio of tanks with Japanese sea nettles, moon jellies and Pacific sea nettles. A boa constrictor terrarium greets visitors near the 4D Theatre entrance. Another tall, circular tank has these 7 species: oscellated freshwater stingray, royal panaque, black arowana, eartheater cichlid, lipstick leporinus, striped pike-characin and freshwater angelfish. A temporary area has a “Babies” theme, with a handful of small tanks with baby wolf eels, seahorses, etc.
The ramshackle approach to geographical distribution continues with a large terrarium that contains 3 species: guppy, mimic poison frog and three-striped poison frog. A 12-foot high circular tank has 6 colourful species: scalefin fairy basslet, midas blenny, white-cheek surgeonfish, harlequin tuskfish, dwarf hawkfish and India triggerfish. A final tank has 4 species: pile perch, shiner perch, Vancouver feather-duster and giant plumrose anemone.
Penguin Point – This brand-new, permanent exhibit opens on May 18th, 2012, and will feature African penguins. It is located directly between the harbour seal and beluga whale exhibits in the outdoor area.
Clownfish Cove – This is a colourful children’s zone that has a handful of fish tanks and lots of hands-on activities for kids. It has recently been moved into the underwater viewing gallery for Pacific white-sided dolphins, which is actually annoying because there are photographers who attempt to get photos of swimming dolphins while kids toss stuffed animals directly behind them. Also, this part of the aquarium is enormously popular and whenever there is a puppet show on the zone becomes packed and thus any adults without children tend to steer clear of seeing the aquarium’s two dolphins swimming underwater.
OVERALL:
Vancouver Aquarium is an excellent institution that is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the Canadian Province of British Columbia. In the past it has advertised itself as one of the top 5 largest aquariums in North America, and that comment might no longer be pure hyperbole. I’ve toured most of the best aquariums on the continent and I would currently place Vancouver in the #7 position in terms of overall quality, behind (in order) Shedd, Georgia, Monterey Bay, Baltimore, Tennessee and Aquarium of the Pacific. However, with almost $100 million in a long list of improvements to be made in the next few years the aquarium has bold ambitions and in the latest issue of “Waters” magazine (the aquarium’s publication) there was a statement basically outlying Vancouver’s intention to be one of the top 5 aquariums in the world. A bold declaration, but we’ll have to wait until the dust settles during this transitory period before assessing whether the money was well spent.
As it stands right now I feel as if I see the weaknesses as much as the strengths as I visit the facility up to 10 times a year. The entrance zone, gift shop, café, outdoor pools and crowd congestion are things that need to be improved, and I feel confident that all of those issues will be resolved in the next few years. Much of the rest of the aquarium is splendid, and for enthusiasts there is a nice mixture of new and old in the galleries. Establishments such as Monterey Bay, Georgia, Tennessee, Baltimore and Aquarium of the Pacific are all less than half the age of Vancouver, and so at those newer, modern facilities there are some stupendously naturalistic exhibits that perhaps aren’t found in Vancouver. However, the older habitats hold up well, there is an overall high level of quality, and also a very bright future in Vancouver that will solidify its status as a world-class aquarium.
ZooChat Review #101 – Vancouver Aquarium
Aquarium’s website:
Vancouver Aquarium :: Home
Aquarium Map: (it can be downloaded from this page)
Vancouver Aquarium :: Exhibits & Galleries
Vancouver Aquarium is an AZA-accredited facility that opened its doors in 1956 and somewhat incredibly has only had two leaders in its first 56 years. Dr. Murray Newman served as head of the aquarium for 37 years, and Dr. John Nightingale has currently been in charge for 19 years. Often there are signs of longevity amongst directors at captive wildlife establishments, but not quite to the extent exemplified in Vancouver. Those two men have overseen a lot of changes over the decades, including a number of costly expansions that have created more modern exhibits for the more than 50,000 creatures on its 2.1 acres. According to the aquarium’s website: “We have 37 different species of amphibians, 9 different species of birds, 172 different species of marine fish, 125 different species of freshwater fish, 277 different species of aquatic invertebrates, 10 different species of terrestrial invertebrates, 4 different species of non-marine mammals, 7 different species of marine mammals, and 20 different species of reptiles.”
The aquarium is currently in a period of transition, as approximately $100 million will be spent on an overhaul of specific areas of need.
Vancouver Aquarium :: Revitalization
Highlights include:
- a new sea otter exhibit
- a salmon hatchery
- African penguin exhibit
- new animals such as sea birds and beavers
- larger outdoor pools and a flexible pool between the B.C. Wild Coast and Canada's Arctic exhibits (white-sided dolphin and beluga pools)
- 34,000 square feet of additional public space
- new main entrance and large entrance plaza
- new gallery that will feature rotating exhibits
- refurbishing aging infrastructure behind the scenes
THE REVIEW:
Amazon Rainforest – As soon as a visitor enters this area they come face to face with a huge central tank that contains 6 species: arapaima, redtail catfish, tambaqui, banded leporinus, red-shouldered severum and oscellated freshwater stingray. The size of the single arapaima is awe-inspiring, and immediately there is the sensation of being in the tropics as the heat is cranked and after a significant amount of time it can actually be nice to leave this area as in summer the heat can be sweltering to those that prefer colder climes.
After the large main tank there is a 20-foot long exhibit for Jamaican fruit bats, and a couple of smaller terrariums for Madagascar hissing cockroaches and stick insects. Before entering the walk-through rainforest area there are 3 large tanks set into the wall that are all very impressive in size and scope. The first is perhaps 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep and features an electric eel surrounded by 3 other species: penguin tetra, lemon tetra and redeye tetra. The next exhibit features the largest species of piranha and 6 other species: San Francisco piranha, black neon tetra, serpae tetra, royal panaque, Regan’s pink cichlid, gold marble bristlenose catfish and gold nugget suckermouth catfish. Those first two exhibits represent an Amazonian pool and riverbank, while the third and most impressive of the trio features aquatic denizens of a lake. There are 7 species: tiger stingray, payara, marbled headstander, speckle-faced demonfish, spot-faced pink cichlid, red-shouldered severum and sailfin suckermouth catfish.
The walk-through rainforest section was opened to the public in 1983 and while it is very tiny in comparison to behemoths evident in modern zoos it is still of a high quality. There are 14 species present: two-toed sloth, hyacinth macaw, double yellow-headed Amazon parrot, blue-fronted Amazon parrot, scarlet ibis, Pacific parrotlet, blue morpho butterfly, plumed basilisk, red-footed tortoise, Hilaire’s side-necked turtle, tiger stingray, xingu river ray, royal panaque and red lip demonfish. The two macaws and other birds are very easy to locate, but attempting to find the 3 sloths and single basilisk is always an enjoyable challenge.
Upon leaving the walk-through rainforest area there is an aquatic exhibit of 3 species (black ghost knifefish, festivum and freshwater angelfish) and a terrarium with green and black poison frogs and a Colombian rainbow boa. Goeldi’s marmosets occupy a habitat packed with climbing devices, and a large exhibit with underwater viewing (green anaconda and diving lizard) allows for terrific photos. There are three large terrariums that feature: emerald tree boa/Amazon tree boa/dyeing poison frog; tiger rat snake/bumble bee toad; Brazilian rainbow boa.
The final section of the Amazon Rainforest zone has a large exhibit for two yacare caiman, and they share their pool with 4 species of fish: red hook silver dollar, black bar silver dollar, eight-banded leporinus and banded leporinus. There is also a 6-foot tall terrarium with stick insects and another glass container with cocoons of blue morpho butterflies. A massive fake tree trunk was added in 2011, and there are 10 terrariums built into its nooks and crannies. The species here are: Mexican rustleg tarantula, Chilean rose tarantula, greenbottle blue tarantula, Brazilian red and white tarantula, Brazilian fire red tarantula, giant cockroach, Haitian giant centipede, millipede, whip spider and Peruvian black-headed centipede. The journey ends by passing the original arapaima tank and leads back into the Tropic Zone.
Tropic Zone – Upon first entering this area one encounters a brilliantly coloured coral reef tank with at least 15 species of fish. Highlights include species of damselfish, tang, angelfish, bird wrasse, triggerfish, butterflyfish and bannerfish. To the right of this central tank are 8 smaller tanks, with 7 out of 8 being about 4 feet wide, 4 feet high and 4 feet deep. One of the tanks (for the pufferfish) is approximately double that in size. The 8 tanks are: Brazil’s Rio Negro, South-East Asian Wetlands, Central American Spring, West African Rivers (cross river puffer and Kafue pike), Africa’s Lake Victoria (marbled lungfish), Africa’s Lake Tanganyika, Africa’s Lake Malawi and Madagascar Side Streams. While interesting they are all of a traditional size and represent an older section of the aquarium.
To the left of the central coral reef tank are 8 more exhibits that vary greatly in size. An Indo-Pacific tank displays 4 species: spotted garden eel, splendid garden eel, twinspot goby and raccoon butterflyfish; another smaller tank called Banggai Islands has 2 species: Banggai cardinalfish and hatpin urchin. A large Indo-Pacific Mangrove tank has 5 species in a beautiful setting: banded archerfish, mono, pajama cardinalfish, tomimi surgeonfish and threadfin butterflyfish. A small red lionfish exhibit is next to the main attraction, which is an impressive shark tank with curving glass and a carpeted raised seating area. Indo-Pacific Lagoon is the name of this feature exhibit, and there are 7 species: blacktip reef shark, whitespotted bamboo shark, green sea turtle, laced moray, common bluestripe snapper, yellowface angelfish and a very large but unidentified stingray. Not surprisingly this area is always packed with visitors as the sharks and single sea turtle are popular residents at the aquarium.
The last 3 exhibits in the Tropic Zone are a mixture of size and colour. There is a small tank called Tropical Seagrass Beds that features 3 species: spotted seahorse, copperband butterflyfish and blueband goby. Indo-Pacific Reef Flats has at least 10 species, including clown anemonefish, butterflyfish, and several anemones and corals. Indo-Pacific Reef has 17 species, with many types of corals, anemones, damselfish and butterflyfish.
Wild Coast – For approximately 30 years the aquarium showcased killer whales to the public, but the death of their last specimen and public outcry against cetaceans in captivity led to the abandonment of the orca program and in 2001 Wild Coast was opened to the public. Currently there are 2 Pacific white-sided dolphins, 2 Steller’s sea lions, 3 harbour seals and 2 sea otters in this large section of the aquarium, and the harbour seal pool often acts as a rotational exhibit. In the past couple of years there has been a harbour porpoise (the only one in captivity in North America), Steller’s sea lions and northern fur seals in the pool as the aquarium seems to rotate the animals every few months.
There are ambitious plans for the outdoor exhibits, and there is a desire to create a flexible pool between Wild Coast and Canada’s Arctic, to perhaps allow the dolphins and beluga whales more space or to allow staff to separate animals if necessary. The overhaul of the outdoor pools is part of the transformation of the aquarium and the 1973 sea otter exhibits (which are more than adequate but a little small) will be replaced and the otters will receive a new home elsewhere. My feeling is that the dolphin, beluga whale, sea otter, Steller’s sea lion and harbor seal pools are all on the small side and I’m ecstatic that the aquarium has plans to renovate a large portion of the outdoor zone. The marine mammals are arguably the most popular residents of the aquarium and it will be great to see them allocated more space, along with the imminent arrival of African penguins and the future arrival of beavers.
Canada’s Arctic – This large, 4-million liter pool (1 million gallons) is home to 3 beluga whales and has had 5-6 of them at one time as there have been some whales bred here in the past. The pool opened to the public in 1990 and now there are plans for expansion as it is a bit on the small side in the modern world of captive cetaceans. The two massive underwater viewing areas are fantastic, and in 2009 there was an overhaul of that area and Arctic-themed signage and a research station were added. The glossy colours and staggering amount of conservation-themed information blends in well with the large amount of space within this area. It is the one section of the entire aquarium that never really gets too crowded, and there are even a few tanks that hold animals such as Arctic char.
Treasures of the B.C. Coast – There are 14 exhibits in this section of the aquarium, and they are all based on geographical location of cities and areas along the coast of British Columbia. There are 8 exhibits that are standard-sized, box-shaped tanks, but the real show-stoppers are the 6 exhibits that feature tanks that are approximately 20 feet in length. These long, rectangular-shaped habitats are modern and naturalistically set into the wall with mock-rock appendages in the public area.
After exiting the central area of the aquarium (Pacific Canada) I will provide details of the exhibits in order of their appearance. #1 has 9 species, but the highlights are blood stars, rockfish, red turbans and various species of anemones. #2 has a 20-foot long viewing window and contains 13 species. Amongst them are white sturgeon, coho salmon, giant pink star, Dungeness crab and surfperch. #3 features a 20-foot long window and has Maroon hermit crabs, 4 species of greenling and 4 species of rockfish. There is constant wave motion and billowing clouds of kelp in this spectacular tank. #4 is another 20-foot long window with 13 species. Highlights include 3 species of rockfish, lingcod, wide-hand hermit crab and longhorn decorator crab. #5 has a giant pacific octopus, 2 species of rockfish, urchins, corals, sea stars, anemones and sponges amongst its 11 species. #6 is a small tank with sunflower sea stars. #7 is another small tank with 4 species: brittle star, feather star, opossum shrimp and galatheid crab. #8 is the last in a trio of smaller exhibits, and there are also 4 species here: shiner perch, surfgrass, California mussel and pink-tipped anemone. #9 features a 20-foot long viewing window with 9 species, and the highlights are California sea cucumbers, blue rockfish, striped perch, rock greenling and bat stars. #10 has juvenile yelloweye rockfish and anemones. #11 has sea cucumbers and anemones. #12 features a 20-foot long viewing window with 18 species that include: spotted ratfish, walleye pollock, spot prawn, English sole, northern spearnose poacher, snake prickleback, northern ronquil and longspin combfish. #13 has 11 species that include: wolf eel, red Irish lord, skeleton shrimp and 3 species of rockfish. #14 features a 20-foot long window and has 16 species that include: juvenile wolf eel, tubesnout, spiny crab, blackeye goby and 3 species of sculpin.
Pacific Canada – This is the main foyer/central hub of the aquarium and up until a few months ago served as the entrance zone of the establishment. There is a 70,000 gallon Strait of Georgia tank (opened in 1999) that is very eye-catching and creates a buzz in the room due to its two-storey presence. There are 36 species in this large tank, with the highlights being: white sturgeon, spiny dogfish, wolf eel, red rock crab, lingcod, Pacific herring, Chinook salmon, coho salmon, Pacific cod, big skate, buffalo sculpin, tubesnout, and severalspecies of greenling and rockfish. There is also a Clayoquot Sound (an area on Vancouver Island) exhibit that features 3 tanks for sea stars, anemones, barnacles and tubeworms.
Frogs Forever? – This section features 22 exhibits and these species: Hong Kong warty newt, Rio Cauca caecilian, axolotl, tiger salamander, reed frog, Mitchell’s reed frog, green tree frog, Phantasmal poison frog, Barron’s mantilla frog, Amazonian horned frog, African clawed frog, Smokey jungle frog, bullfrog, bullfrog tadpoles, red-eyed treefrog, leopard frog, waxy monkey treefrog, dyeing poison frog, Oregon spotted frog, big-eyed treefrog, marbled running frog, golden toad (extinct – an empty terrarium), Suriname toad, Oriental firebelly toad and cane toad. The signage is eye-catching and kid-friendly yet informative, the terrariums are densely packed with natural substances, and in many cases it is a challenge to locate the inhabitants. On the way down to the underwater viewing area for the dolphins is a single terrarium with 3 species: Phantasmal poison frog, reed frog and three-striped poison frog.
Exploration Gallery – This area is a hodge-podge of exhibits, and also features a 4D Theatre that is extremely popular. Incredibly the 15-minute shows are free with admission, something that I’ve never seen anywhere else. There is also a Wet Lab attached to this area that is essentially an aquatic-based classroom with desks, tanks and all types of research equipment for school groups.
Exhibits include: Pacific herring in a tall, circular exhibit; 6 species in an Arctic-themed environment: Arctic cod, lumpfish, northern sun star, rugnose anemone, scarlet sea cucumber and giant black sea cucumber. There are a trio of tanks with Japanese sea nettles, moon jellies and Pacific sea nettles. A boa constrictor terrarium greets visitors near the 4D Theatre entrance. Another tall, circular tank has these 7 species: oscellated freshwater stingray, royal panaque, black arowana, eartheater cichlid, lipstick leporinus, striped pike-characin and freshwater angelfish. A temporary area has a “Babies” theme, with a handful of small tanks with baby wolf eels, seahorses, etc.
The ramshackle approach to geographical distribution continues with a large terrarium that contains 3 species: guppy, mimic poison frog and three-striped poison frog. A 12-foot high circular tank has 6 colourful species: scalefin fairy basslet, midas blenny, white-cheek surgeonfish, harlequin tuskfish, dwarf hawkfish and India triggerfish. A final tank has 4 species: pile perch, shiner perch, Vancouver feather-duster and giant plumrose anemone.
Penguin Point – This brand-new, permanent exhibit opens on May 18th, 2012, and will feature African penguins. It is located directly between the harbour seal and beluga whale exhibits in the outdoor area.
Clownfish Cove – This is a colourful children’s zone that has a handful of fish tanks and lots of hands-on activities for kids. It has recently been moved into the underwater viewing gallery for Pacific white-sided dolphins, which is actually annoying because there are photographers who attempt to get photos of swimming dolphins while kids toss stuffed animals directly behind them. Also, this part of the aquarium is enormously popular and whenever there is a puppet show on the zone becomes packed and thus any adults without children tend to steer clear of seeing the aquarium’s two dolphins swimming underwater.
OVERALL:
Vancouver Aquarium is an excellent institution that is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the Canadian Province of British Columbia. In the past it has advertised itself as one of the top 5 largest aquariums in North America, and that comment might no longer be pure hyperbole. I’ve toured most of the best aquariums on the continent and I would currently place Vancouver in the #7 position in terms of overall quality, behind (in order) Shedd, Georgia, Monterey Bay, Baltimore, Tennessee and Aquarium of the Pacific. However, with almost $100 million in a long list of improvements to be made in the next few years the aquarium has bold ambitions and in the latest issue of “Waters” magazine (the aquarium’s publication) there was a statement basically outlying Vancouver’s intention to be one of the top 5 aquariums in the world. A bold declaration, but we’ll have to wait until the dust settles during this transitory period before assessing whether the money was well spent.
As it stands right now I feel as if I see the weaknesses as much as the strengths as I visit the facility up to 10 times a year. The entrance zone, gift shop, café, outdoor pools and crowd congestion are things that need to be improved, and I feel confident that all of those issues will be resolved in the next few years. Much of the rest of the aquarium is splendid, and for enthusiasts there is a nice mixture of new and old in the galleries. Establishments such as Monterey Bay, Georgia, Tennessee, Baltimore and Aquarium of the Pacific are all less than half the age of Vancouver, and so at those newer, modern facilities there are some stupendously naturalistic exhibits that perhaps aren’t found in Vancouver. However, the older habitats hold up well, there is an overall high level of quality, and also a very bright future in Vancouver that will solidify its status as a world-class aquarium.
