By Sonja Jones
Sonja Jones
You may remember, I took an epic jaunt to British Columbia in the summer, taking in their earth loving spirit. It turns out that BC are so abundant in their green approaches, that I couldn’t cram it all in to one issue and so without further ado, are you sitting comfortably for round two?
Seasonal delights: Vancouver Aquarium
When it comes to aquariums, in fact, any type of centre where animals are in captivity, despite knowing that the best of them do facilitate conservation efforts, it always makes me feel a little uncomfortable if I visit as I don’t like the idea of anything being in captivity unless I can be sure there is good reason for it.
Behind the scenes
Nonetheless, the Paddler magazine was fortunate to be invited on a behind the scenes tour of the Vancouver Aquarium.
The exterior hit us squarely in the face with an ocean trash exhibition, whilst thrilled, I was hoping this wasn’t a token attempt at appearing, on the face of it, earth loving to mask a purely commercial undertone. Within minutes, it was clear that the aquarium is so much more than simply a tourist attraction– it is a pioneering ocean conservation organisation.
The canteen, not exactly a hub for the ecologically minded you would think, has more green magic dust than you can shake a tree at; it is not for profit where all income generated goes directly to their education, conservation and research initiatives.
No plastic drinks bottles will be seen where the only water supplied is fresh mountain tap water, all crockery and cutlery are compostable which is used to grow organic crops, and any over-ripe or left-over fruits are used to feed the Amazon animals (such as bats). What’s more, any excess heat produced in the kitchen is re-distributed throughout the building, the coffee is shade grown which prevents deforestation, and lastly, they only serve sustainable seafood. Seriously, who knew a café could be so conservation minded – it was fantastic.
Typically, marine mammal exhibits have historically had the most controversy attached to them, however, any mammals at Vancouver Aquarium, such as the sea lions, harbour seals, and dolphins, are all in captivity because they have been rescued and would not survive release. One of the sea lions was shot in the eye and whilst in good health in the aquarium, they would not survive very long in the natural world.
Vancouver Aquarium has the only marine mammalian rescue programme in Canada, rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing over 150 marine mammals annually. To learn more about their programme or to register as a volunteer, check out: https://rescue.ocean.org/
The organisation is so innovative and earth-wise (go there, immediately!), with countless projects, that it would be impossible for me to do them all justice in this short article, and so if you are to check out any, take a peep at:
Plastic Wise
An initiative focusing on plastics research, community beach clean-ups, corporate partnerships to reduce plastic waste and educational programmes, encouraging us all to #BePlasticWise.
Research
OceanWise Research is made up of a team of 30 scientists conducting ocean conservation research out in the field and at the aquarium, creating impactful published literature.
Education
Through experiential and virtual learning, Vancouver Aquarium provides immersive and inspiring experiences to help develop life long ocean ambassadors, for the betterment of our world. Education takes many forms, including community outreach and school programmes.
Volunteer Opportunities
They have over 150 volunteer roles, for all ages. As a family you can enrol on a volunteer programme for the summer, young people can embark on externships to provide practical experience in their (or soon to be) field of study. The youngsters don’t get all the fun, as there are opportunities for over 19s only too, and so no matter who you are or your marine related interests, there’s something for everyone. Rather than go on a traditional holiday next year, why don’t you take a couple of weeks to embark on some really awesome immersive marine volunteering in Canada? Now that would be awesome wouldn’t it!
OceanWise Seafood
You may be familiar with the UK’s Good Fish Guide; OceanWise is Canada’s equivalent sustainable seafood guide with a cherry on top. Throughout BC, we saw the OceanWise symbol on restaurant menus who have partnered up with the initiative, where their suppliers have been assessed and approved for how eco-friendly they are.
On a seafood note, whilst on the east coast of Vancouver Island, at a little place called Campbell River, down at the harbour, we pootled down a gang plank and found ourselves the most authentic seafood experience we have ever experienced; Crabby Bob’s, a family run business selling only fresh local produce, run by a lovely lady known as Crabby Abby.
We sat down at a little garden furniture type table where we were served, cooked essentially on a camping gas stove, fresh Dungeness Crabs and some grilled prawns. That was it, plain and simple, no sauce, no fuss – seafood and a glass of mountain water to wash it down. It was beyond tasty and the heart and soul that went into this place was exceptionally warming. Quite genuinely, if you are ever going to eat crab in the world, go visit Abby, you will get a cheerful welcome and a belly full of the sweetest tasting seafood around. She will even teach you a nifty trick of cracking open the claws with nothing but a fork handle, no nut cracker shenanigans here!
whale watching
Whilst in Campbell River, we went whale watching – on a zodiac, we whizzed around the Gulf Islands, saw breathtaking mountains, waterfalls, forest, and found Humpback Whales and their calves swimming in front of us. Did you know that you can smell a whale before you see one? All of a sudden the most fishy of smells infiltrated our nostrils where our guide said, “Smell that? That’s whale’s breath – there’s one close by,” – as soon as he smelt it, he would cut the engine, and we would float there waiting. Don’t worry, we weren’t too close, because by law, to respect the animals, you must aim to be approximately 120 metres away from the animals.
Moving away from the marine theme slightly, I’d like to tell you about one of the most lovely wildlife rescue centres I have visited.
North Island Recovery Centre
Just before we made our journey home, we popped back to visit Tracey at the Totally Board Surf Company in Port Alberni to say goodbye and have a natter (do drop in to have a chat if in the area – she is fascinating!) who told us about North Island Recovery Centre – only that week, she had to call out for them to help an orphaned bear cub. There’s nothing like a local top tip so we scooted on over there, not really knowing what to expect.
I haven’t visited many wildlife rescue centres, but this one, was quite genuinely wonderful.
Like Vancouver Aquarium, if any animals remain in captivity, it is purely because they will not survive alone in the wilderness – each creature has a little plaque telling their story, such as the bear who was attacked by humans and can’t be released because he now has seizures. It’s not all sad news, however, because the majority of the animals are treated by their own vets and are looked after in special recovery centres.
When we were there, there were quite a few bear cubs being looked after, but the wonderful thing was so that they didn’t experience too much human interaction, you could only view them via video streaming. We also saw a lot of rescued eagles and like the bears, so that they don’t imprint on humans, you could only view them by means of hide.
If you haven’t got the message already, BC is an exceptionally welcoming and conservation focused place, and so if that sounds like your cup of tea, try to head over there for an adventure – you won’t be disappointed.
