How large is the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre?

The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre covers an area of 0.85 hectares (2.1 acres), making it the largest aquarium in Canada. About 40 percent of the Aquarium is accessible to visitors; the rest of the behind-the-scenes areas are used for mechanical/personnel support, reserve areas and education. Behind-the-Scenes Tours are available.

How many animals are housed at the Aquarium?

There are more than 60,000 animals at the Aquarium, with about 300 fish, 230 invertebrate, 66 reptile and amphibian, and several bird and mammal species.

How many Volunteers work at the Aquarium?

The Aquarium has more than 600 active Volunteers, including 150 youth. Each year they donate more than 50,000 hours to the Aquarium. Without the help of Volunteers, the Aquarium could not function.

Where does the water come from and where does it go?

• Sea water at the Aquarium is pumped from Burrard Inlet through a pipeline 640 m long and 30 cm in diameter whose intake pump is about 12 m below the high-tide line.
• Up to 4,540 litres of salt water per minute can be pumped into the Aquarium’s reservoirs.
• Incoming salt water is filtered by three gravity sand filters to remove micro- and macro-marine life and particulate matter. Each of these massive filters contains ten tonnes of sand.
• Next, the salt water passes to one of eleven reservoirs located below the Aquarium. The water in each reservoir is maintained in perfect condition for use in one of the fish or animal habitat systems. They may contain either fresh or salt water at cold or tropical temperatures.
• All fresh water comes from the city water system and must be dechlorinated.

What volume of water is housed at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre?

The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre houses 9,500,000 litres of water.

• Wild Coast habitat: This pool contains more than 4,000,000 litres of salt water at ambient sea water temperature.
• Beluga habitat: This pool contains 2,000,000 litres of salt water cooled to 11°C.

How is water temperature controlled in the cold water habitats?

• Beluga habitat: A chiller is located behind the Arctic Canada Gallery. It cools both the water in the habitat and the air in the gallery, if needed. Waste heat is carried to a cooling tower, and some is used to heat the water in the Graham Amazon Gallery reservoir.

How are the habitats kept clean?

• Wild Coast habitat: The total volume of water in the habitat passes through one of four Vacuum Diatomaceous Earth (DE) filters or one of eight Pressure Sand Filters every 110 minutes. DE is a white, gritty powder made up of the crushed skeletons of single-celled algae. Each year, 5500 bags of DE are used, at a cost of $68,000. A small amount of chlorine is added to the water to supplement two ozonators, which kill bacteria.
• Beluga habitat: The volume of water in the habitat circulates through three DE filters every 90 minutes.
• Coral fishes display: Biological filters are used to reduce waste ammonia. Particulate matter and odour are removed using a mechanical filter and a layer of charcoal.
• Amazon reptile and fish displays: The water in these exhibits is filtered through a combination of high-rate pressure sand filters and gravity sand and gravel filters.

How is realism created in the Amazon Gallery?

• Lighting: The Gallery uses natural and artificial lighting, and is automatically adjusted to simulate natural conditions in the Amazon.
• Temperature and humidity are continually monitored and adjusted.
• Planted area: This is a 232 m squared area with an underground drainage system covered by rocks and a special soil mixture to minimize the spread of disease-causing organisms.

Where did the rockwork behind the Wild Coast habitat come from?

The rocks surrounding the habitat were painstakingly reproduced at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. The rockwork is based on an actual Gulf Island shoreline, located in Campbell Bay on Mayne Island.

How much food do the animals consume, and at what cost to the Aquarium?

• The Marine Mammal Food Department has a massive seven tonne freezer. Incredibly, 75 tonnes of herring pass through this freezer every year.
• It costs about $150,000 annually to feed the marine mammals at the Aquarium. The cost is allocated as follows: $9,500 on vitamins, $20,000 on squid, $25,000 on fish fillets, $30,000 on shellfish and $60,000 on herring.
• The whales’ and dolphin’s diets must be supplemented because some vitamins naturally degenerate in the frozen fish they are fed and must be replaced to ensure the animals’ health. Sea otters refuse to eat vitamins, so they are fed a wider range of foods to ensure their health.
• A second freezer has a capacity of eight tonnes, and holds food for all of the animals except birds, mammals and marine mammals. In this freezer you will find krill, shrimp, smelt, herring and clams among other foods.
• All of the seafood used at the Aquarium is fit for human consumption.

What research facilities are present at the Aquarium?

• Marine Aquaculutre Lab: Research that occurs here focuses on the early life histories of local species of fishes and marine invertebrates.
• Research/reserve pools: This area is the site for research on the relation between fisheries and marine mammals in the North Pacific Ocean focusing on the Steller sea lion. This research is being carried out by the North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium. The large pool holds more than 600,000 litres of water with several smaller pools available for the quarantine or holding of sea otters, sea lions, seals, and other animals.
• Veterinary lab: Major treatments are done off-site. The Aquarium has a full-time veterinarian. Marine mammal staff collect blood samples from the whales each month to be analyzed.
• Marine invertebrate “Wet Lab”: This lab allows young visitors to engage in educational research during school programs at the Aquarium. Marine invertebrates native to B.C. waters are examined during these hands-on, curricula-based school programs.

What happens in the event of an earthquake?

The Aquarium is continually undergoing earthquake upgrading as exhibits are updated and additions are completed. Much of the piping and machinery can withstand earthquakes of seven on the Richter scale thanks to shock absorbing rubber mounts on pumps, and cables suspending pipes hanging from the ceiling.

And if we lose power?

In the event of a power outage, the Aquarium has a diesel-powered 450-kva generator that can maintain power for 20 hours without refueling. The generator is tested each month, and will turn itself off once B.C. Hydro has restored power.

What other interesting features are there at the Aquarium?

The Robin Best Library contains more than 5,000 books and periodicals and is supplemented by the Interlibrary Loan System.
The Aquarium has a 95-seat wheelchair accessible theatre. This facility can be rented for conventions, meetings and other events.

The 50-seat Ralph Shaw Boardroom was voted the best boardroom in Vancouver in 1990, which is not surprising given its magnificent underwater view of the Wild Coast habitat. The Ralph Shaw boardroom can be rented for small functions.
The Aquarium has its own small carpentry shop.

References:

Hewlett, Stefani. 1986. Vancouver Aquarium’s Max Bell Marine Mammal Centre. Vancouver, B.C.: Vancouver Aquarium Association.
Behind-the-Scenes Tours: The Vancouver Aquarium at a Glance. 1991. Vancouver, B.C.: Vancouver Aquarium

Permission is granted by the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre for classroom teachers to make copies for non-commercial use. This permission does not extend to copying for promotional purposes, creating new collective works, or resale.