Huntsman Marine Science Centre facts for kids
The Huntsman Marine Science Centre (HMSC) is an amazing place located in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. It's a special kind of group called a nonprofit organization. This means it uses all its money to help with its goals, not to make a profit. Many universities and government groups worked together to create it. The HMSC is named after Archibald Gowanlock Huntsman, who was a director at the nearby St. Andrews Biological Station. He really helped marine research in the area grow!
History of HMSC
The Huntsman Marine Science Centre started way back in 1969. It was created by a group of universities from Eastern Canada and several government departments. They all put their resources together to build a place where people could do field research and teach about the ocean. This helped their programs in marine biology (the study of ocean life) and oceanography (the study of the ocean itself).
The centre was first called the Huntsman Marine Laboratory. It was built on about 20 acres of land given by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. This land included two houses. The government also helped buy more land and a large house called Anderson House, which is used for students to stay. A public aquarium opened its doors in 1972, letting everyone see ocean creatures up close! The name changed to Huntsman Marine Science Centre in 1987. The HMSC has even won awards, like the Gulf of Maine Visionary Award, in 1991 and 1999.
Where is HMSC?
The HMSC laboratories are located on about 74 acres of land. This land is right where the St. Croix River meets the Bay of Fundy. This spot is called an estuary, which is where a river flows into the sea. It's a great place to study marine life because of the mix of fresh and saltwater.
What You Can Do and See at HMSC
The HMSC has many cool things to offer! It has special labs for teaching and for aquaculture research. Aquaculture is like farming, but for fish and other water animals. They also have a 15-meter research vessel (a boat) that helps scientists explore the ocean.
The HMSC is home to the main office for the Ocean Biogeographic Information System. This system helps collect and share information about where different ocean species live around the world.
The education part of HMSC offers programs for kids, college students, and teachers. This means you can learn a lot about the ocean here! The research team works with government groups and private companies. They study ocean life and help protect it. The Atlantic Reference Centre, which is part of HMSC, has the biggest collection of Atlantic marine animals in all of Canada!
The Huntsman Aquarium and Museum is a fun place to visit. It has a "teeming touch tank" where you can gently touch some marine animals. You can also see live ocean creatures, interesting displays, and watch films about marine ecology. These are usually open from May to October.
