What is the Aquarium's commitment to research and conservation?

The mission of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre is to conserve aquatic life through display and interpretation, education, research and direct action. Aquarium staff and Volunteers have been involved in the creation of Canada's first no-take Marine Protected Area, beach clean-ups, wetlands restorations and rehabilitations, and population surveys of marine mammals and intertidal fishes.

Where does research occur?

Research occurs in the field and at the Aquarium and research exists with partnerships and independently.

• In the field: Year-round, the Aquarium participates in field research and assists scientists collecting data about wild populations. An example of Aquarium research in the field is a lingcod egg mass survey that monitors the annual spawning intensity and population age structure of lingcod in different regions of the Strait of Georgia and beyond. Another example is the on-going annual population survey of Northern resident and transient killer whales, a 25 year study.
• At the Aquarium: Research is ongoing at Aquarium labs and with display animals, by graduate students and staff. For example, researchers conduct safe, basic research on the belugas in our care, analyzing food consumption, growth and reproductive cycles of belugas. Qila, the juvenile beluga, has provided valuable information about growth in baby belugas. Accurate information of this type is impossible to collect in the wild.

How is research applied to conservation?

Here are three examples from Aquarium and field research:

• Field studies indicate that B.C. resident killer whales have a specialized diet of salmon. As West Coast salmon stocks decline, the dietary requirements identified by Aquarium studies provide important information in supporting conservation efforts that preserve adequate salmon for the whale populations.
• Black rockfish were eliminated from the Vancouver Harbour area about 25 years ago. Black rockfish from Ucluelet have been tagged and released at Point Atkinson, and Aquarium divers can safely survey an entire, isolated reef at this location to determine whether a resident population can be reestablished.
• Aquarium belugas acted as a healthy gene bank to which the DNA, or genetic material, of St. Lawrence belugas exposed to high levels of environmental contaminants could be compared. This gave scientists a measurement of the genetic damage caused by pollutants.

What about killer whale research at the Aquarium and in the wild?

For more than 30 years, the Aquarium has encouraged and supported research on whales and dolphins in the wild and at the Aquarium. Aquarium studies allow scientist to study questions that can not be studied in the wild. At the Aquarium, researchers monitor growth rates, test the whale's hearing abilities and look at dietary and digestive habits.

• Scientists from the University of B.C. have worked with Aquarium whales to learn about the energetics of killer whales. These scientists measure the amount of energy whales get from eating different fishes and determine how their population might be affected by declining fish stocks.
• The Aquarium's Dr. John Ford, has been studying and compiling information on killer whale communication for more than 20 years. He is a leading pioneer of killer whale dialects, calls and communications. The latest advancement is WhaleLink and ORCA FM. With this technology, Dr. Ford can monitor the whales year-round and during winter, storms and evenings. Furthermore, researchers will be able to monitor the effects of underwater noise on killer whales' communication and echolocation.

What about Steller sea lion research?

In 1993, the Aquarium, in partnership with the North Pacific University Marine Mammal Research Consortium, began to study the declining population of Steller sea lions. Possible reasons for this decline include an increase in parasites, disease, predation by killer whales, quality and distribution of food, environmental factors and nutritional stress caused by competition with other species, or humans, for food. To solve this puzzle, scientists have undertaken a combination of field, captive and lab studies for this research and most of the analysis concerns diet, food intake, growth and metabolism.

Are local marine species studied as well?

Since 1996, The Howe Sound Research and Conservation Group (HSRCG), headed by Dr. Jeff Marliave, conducts scientific investigations in Howe Sound. The focus of the HSRCG is lingcod conservation, with a tag and release program, and observing and monitoring marine reserves. In the lab, the HSRCG has successfully propagated fish and shrimp from local marine waters. Much of the research efforts link to conservation, as the information allows us to educate anglers, determine population comparisons and preserve groundfish spawning in certain reefs.

What is the Marine Mammal Rescue and Rehabilitation Program?

The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre has rescued and rehabilitated marine mammals for nearly 40 years. The Rescue and Rehabilitation Program is run by the Aquarium in cooperation with the B.C. S.P.C.A. Staff and Volunteers care for marine mammals found injured, ill or abandoned, until they can be returned to their natural habitats. Researchers take blood and blubber samples to provide information about the health of the animals, thus providing an excellent resource for any future problems.

What are we trying to protect marine mammals from?

Many of the problems stem from human development, such as factory pollutants, boat traffic and more. Research provides keys to fixing damage created by people to wild populations of marine animals. In terms of collecting whales from the wild, in 1996, the Aquarium promised not to catch, or cause to be caught, any whales or dolphins from the wild.

What other types of research is the Aquarium involved in?

Husbandry and veterinary research in breeding programs can help species that are facing extinction. Some species that are facing extinction must be bred in captive or semi-captive settings. For example, the Aquarium displays and raises loggerhead sea turtles as part of a release program. The Aquarium raises hatchlings for the first 1-2 years of their lives, then these older, less vulnerable sea turtles are introduced into the ocean near Hawaii.

Can I help in the Aquarium's research and conservation efforts?

Yes, there are several steps that one can take to aid in the Aquarium's mission. To take direct, hands-on action, you can sign up to join the TD Canada Trust Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (www.vanaqua.org/cleanup) which unites volunteers across the country every September to clean up their local shoreline.  If you are near a coast or on the water and you see a sea turtle, whale or dolphin you can report it to either The Sea Turtle Sightings Network http://www.vanaqua.org/conservation/leatherbacks.html) or the BC Cetaceans Sighting Network http://www.wildwhales.org/). If you come across a sick or injured marine mammal, visit (www.vanaqua.org/mmrr/) or call 604-258-SEAL before you approach the animal.    You can also visit the Vancouver Aquarium, become a member of volunteer.  As a volunteer, you can participate in our stewardship program River Works! which focuses on wetland stewardship in the lower mainland. You can also be a part of the many other research and conservation efforts going on at the Vancouver Aquarium.   The final two ways that you can help the Vancouver Aquarium with our mission is donate to the B.C. Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program, which contributes money to field research or enjoy Vancouver's finest seafood when you dine at any of the Ocean Wise (www.oceanwisecanada.org) participating restaurants throughout Vancouver.  

References:

Howe Sound Research and Conservation Group, Annual Report, 1996. Vancouver, B.C.: Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre.

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