Bonne Bay Marine Station facts for kids
The Bonne Bay Marine Station is a special place where scientists study the ocean and teach about marine life. It's located on Bonne Bay along the west coast of Newfoundland. This station helps students, researchers, teachers, and even the public learn more about the ocean.
It's found inside Gros Morne National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This means it's a very important natural area. The station has an aquarium that you can visit. You can take guided tours to see the latest research and discover amazing sea plants and animals in their tanks, including a cool touch tank!
The Bonne Bay Marine Station officially opened on September 6, 2002. It's run by Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Gros Morne Co-operating Association.
Contents
What the Station Does
The main goals of the Bonne Bay Marine Station are:
- To provide a great place for teaching and doing important research about the ocean.
- To offer fun and educational programs for the public.
- To help the local community through its visitor center and other activities.
What You'll Find There
The station has many useful features for learning and research:
- Modern labs for teaching and science experiments.
- A library and computer room.
- Rooms where up to 31 people can stay.
- A kitchen and dining area.
- A theater with 60 seats for presentations.
- Lots of equipment for studying the ocean, like:
- Small boats
- Scuba diving gear
- Nets for catching tiny ocean creatures (plankton)
- Special bottles for collecting water samples
- Tools for grabbing samples from the seafloor
- A large net for catching fish near the beach
- Devices to measure water temperature and saltiness
- Underwater video cameras
- Aquariums with flowing seawater for public displays.
- Aquariums with flowing seawater for research projects.
- A fun marine touch tank where you can gently feel some sea creatures.
- A gift shop.
Ocean Research
The Bonne Bay Marine Station is a hub for scientists who study the ocean. They look at marine ecosystems, which are like underwater neighborhoods where different plants and animals live together.
The Bonne Bay area is perfect for this because it has many different types of ocean environments. These include:
- Cold, deep fjords (long, narrow inlets of the sea).
- Rivers where salmon live.
- Beds of Arctic kelp (a type of seaweed).
- Salt marshes.
- The open waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
This means scientists can easily study many different kinds of sea creatures, including some that usually live far offshore or in Arctic regions.
Current Science Projects
The station encourages scientists, businesses, government groups, and local communities to work together on research. They are interested in:
- Oceanography: Studying the ocean's physical features, like currents and tides.
- Marine Ecology and Biology: Learning how sea creatures interact with their environment and each other.
- Aquaculture: Raising sea animals and plants for food.
Some ongoing research projects include:
- Growing kelp and sea urchins for aquaculture. Scientists test ways to farm these native species.
- Studying snow crabs and lobsters.
- Researching how fishing affects coastal communities.
- Collecting samples of tiny creatures from the seafloor and water.
- Looking at how sensitive habitats are to changes in the environment.
- Studying species that are at risk, like certain types of Wolffish and Acadian Redfish.
- Researching Atlantic Cod.
- Exploring the many different kinds of seaweeds and invertebrates (animals without backbones).
Scientists who want to do research can use the station's facilities and get support from its team.
Learning About the Ocean
Semester by the Sea
The Bonne Bay Marine Station offers special university courses in Marine Biology. These courses are like a "Semester by the Sea" where students get hands-on experience. They are offered during different times of the year.
University Courses
Students can take various courses, such as:
- Marine Principles and Techniques
- Estuary Fish Ecology
- Biology of Boreal and Arctic Seaweeds
- Experimental Marine Ecology of Newfoundland Waters
- Marine Mammals
- Research Methods in Marine Science
Public Programs
The station has programs for everyone! Visitors, school groups, and community groups can see marine plants and animals in the aquariums. They also learn about the latest ocean research.
- Guided Tours: Marine Education Interpreters lead tours and explain everything.
- Discovery Tours of Bonne Bay: You can explore Bonne Bay by boat with local tour operators.
- Sea Kayaking for Nature Lovers: Go kayaking with an interpreter to learn about nature from the water.
These programs are available throughout the summer.
Station History
About 30 years ago, the Bonne Bay Marine Station was much smaller. It was just a two-story house used by Memorial University. The top floor had a small kitchen, living room, and bedrooms. The main floor had two rooms that became labs. There was also an old fish store building nearby.
Dr. Bob Hooper first visited Bonne Bay and was amazed by its beauty and the variety of marine life. He saw its potential for teaching and research. He helped turn the old house and fish store into a marine teaching and research center.
Teaching activities started in 1979 with just one two-week program. By 2001, there were seven programs running from April to September. More and more students wanted to take courses, and scientists wanted to do research there. Also, many local people and tourists would stop by to see the aquarium. The old station just wasn't big enough anymore. So, a plan for a new, larger facility was made.
The new Bonne Bay Marine Station officially opened on September 6, 2002. It was built on the same spot as the old station. This new facility cost $3.2 million and was funded by several groups, including the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Memorial University.
CURRA: Helping Communities and Fish
The Community-University Research for Recovery Alliance (CURRA) is a special five-year research program based at the Bonne Bay Marine Station. This program helps communities along Newfoundland's west coast find ways to help fish populations recover and support fishing communities.
CURRA brings together researchers from different fields, like social sciences, natural sciences, and fine arts, from Memorial University and Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. They work with many local groups and organizations.
The main goals of CURRA are to get the community involved with the station, bring more researchers to the station, and train scientists in research that helps communities.
