The Vancouver Aquarium is a public aquarium located in Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In addition to being one of the primary attractions for visitors to Vancouver, it is a well respected centre for marine research, conservation and marine animal rehabilitation. Image File history File links Newlogocolour. ... For other uses, see Aquarium (disambiguation). ... An areal view of Stanley Park. ... This article refers to the city in British Columbia, Canada. ...

The aquarium is run by a self-supporting not-for-profit association. The operation of the aquarium receives no government funding. The property is owned by the City of Vancouver and managed by the City Parks Board.

Aquarium history

Two sea otters at the Vancouver Aquarium.

The Vancouver Public Aquarium Association was formed in 1950. Officially Canada's first public Aquarium, it opened on June 15, 1956. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1792x1200, 464 KB) Summary Two sea otters at the Vancouver Aquarium. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1792x1200, 464 KB) Summary Two sea otters at the Vancouver Aquarium. ... Binomial name Enhydra lutris (Linnaeus, 1758) The Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) is a large otter native to the North Pacific, from northern Japan and Kamchatka west across the Aleutian Islands south to California. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Vancouver Aquarium has become the largest in Canada and one of the five largest in North America. The Aquarium is internationally recognized for display and interpretation excellence, and was the first facility to incorporate professional naturalists into the galleries to interpret animal behaviours. Aquarium research projects extend world-wide, and are internationally recognized for marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation. A marine mammal is a mammal that is primarily ocean-dwelling or depends on the ocean for its food. ...

The Aquarium has been rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing injured marine mammals for more than forty years. The Marine Mammal Rescue Centre has treated more than 2,000 seals, sea lions, elephant seals, otters, dolphins, porpoises, and whales. The program also helped rescue Springer (A73), an orphaned killer whale successfully released and reunited with her family pod. Among other high profile rescues include the successful returning of a beached gray whale back to the water in 2005 and the rescue of Schoona, a lost green sea turtle near Prince Rupert, BC.

Beluga and calf at the Vancouver Aquarium. The calf has since died.

In 1975, the Vancouver Aquarium was the first aquarium accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (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. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1792x1200, 235 KB) Summary Beluga whale and calf at the Vancouver Aquarium. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1792x1200, 235 KB) Summary Beluga whale and calf at the Vancouver Aquarium. ... Binomial name Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776) Beluga range The Beluga Whale or White Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-arctic species of cetacean. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... The American Zoo and Aquarium Association, or AZA is a people-based association dedicated to raising awareness of zoos and aquariums. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On July 23, 1995, a beluga whale named Qila was born. She was the first beluga to be both concieved and born in a Canadian aquarium.

In 1996, the Vancouver Aquarium vowed to never again capture cetaceans from the wild, and only obtain cetaceans from other facilities if they too were captured before 1996 (unless a rescue animal).

For many years, the primary attraction for visitors was the orca or killer whale show. When Finna died and Bjossa was left without other orca companions, the aquarium attempted to acquire one of more female orcas from other marine parks. However, no suitable companions were found and Bjossa was moved to Sea World, San Diego. The Aquarium has since moved to emphasize the educational aspects of the displays rather than the public spectacle of the shows. They have also tried to highlight the research and rehabilitation efforts of the staff. Binomial name Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758 Orca range (in blue) The orca (Orcinus orca) is the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family Delphinidae. ...

High-jump during dolphin show.

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (614x909, 183 KB) Summary High-jump during Pacific White-sided Dolphin show, taken by Nick Seibert at the Vancouver Aquarium on 3/8/2006. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (614x909, 183 KB) Summary High-jump during Pacific White-sided Dolphin show, taken by Nick Seibert at the Vancouver Aquarium on 3/8/2006. ...

Aquarium facility

The aquarium covers approximately 9000 m² (100,000 ft²) and has a total 9.5 million litres (2.5 million gallons) of water in 166 aquatic displays. There are a number of different galleries:

• Pacific Canada Pavilion is the central indoor tank, 260,000L. Highlighting the marine life from the Strait of Georgia.
• Arctic Canada includes the Beluga whales tank.
• The Wild Coast is an outdoor habitat that includes four Pacific White-sided Dolphins, harbour seals, Steller's Sea Lions, and sea otters.
• Treasures of the BC Coast is a series of separate exhibits that simulate the various environments with sea life found on the BC coast.
• Tropic Zone has a large display of tropical fish, including sharks.
• Amazon rainforest a number of large fresh water fish, snakes and other creatures from the Amazon.
• Discovery Education Centre - coming in Fall 2006
• Canaccord Exploration Gallery - coming in Fall 2006

Strait of Georgia at sunset The Strait of Georgia (also known as Georgia Strait and the Gulf of Georgia) is a 240 km (150 mi)-long strait between Vancouver Island (as well as its nearby Gulf Islands) and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. ... Binomial name Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776) Beluga range The Beluga Whale or White Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-arctic species of cetacean. ... Binomial name Lagenorhynchus obliquidens (Gill, 1865) Pacific White-sided Dolphin range The Pacific White-sided Dolphin (Lagenorynchus obliquidens) is a very active dolphin found in the cool to temperate waters of the North Pacific Ocean. ... Binomial name Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758 Common or Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina) are true seals of the Northern Hemisphere. ... Binomial name Eumetopias jubatus (Schreber, 1776) The Stellers sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), also known as the Northern Sea Lion, is a sea lion of the temperate eastern Pacific, named by Georg Steller. ... Binomial name Enhydra lutris (Linnaeus, 1758) The Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) is a large otter native to the North Pacific, from northern Japan and Kamchatka west across the Aleutian Islands south to California. ... Orders see text Sharks are a group (superorder Selachimorpha) of fish, with a full cartilaginous skeleton, a streamlined body plan with between 5 and 7 gill slits along the sides (most often) or side of the head (the first modified slit is behind the eye and called a spiracle), dermal... A river in the Amazon rainforest The Amazon Rainforest is a moist broadleaf forest in the Amazon Basin of South America. ...

External links

• Official website