Ucluelet Aquarium facts for kids
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| Date opened | May 2004 (mini aquarium); 2012 (temporary aqua museum ) |
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| Location | Ucluelet, British Columbia, CAN |
| No. of animals | 300 |
The Ucluelet Aquarium is a special place in Ucluelet, a town on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It's a non-profit public aquarium. This means it's not run for money, but to teach people about the ocean. The aquarium opened its new main building on June 1, 2012. Before that, a smaller, temporary aquarium ran from 2004 to 2011. The aquarium shows off amazing marine plants and animals. All of them live naturally off the west coast of Vancouver Island. The aquarium wants you to get "up close and personal" with sea life. They encourage you to learn by talking with their staff and volunteers.
Meet the Ocean Animals!
All the creatures you see at the Ucluelet Aquarium are from the nearby Pacific Ocean. They are collected from places like Barkley Sound and Clayoquot Sound. The only exceptions are some young freshwater salmon. What's really cool is that these animals are only at the aquarium for a short time. They are released back into the ocean each season! This part of Vancouver Island has many different places for animals to live. This is because of its varied coastline and open ocean waters.
Most of the animals are collected by special divers. Some are found by hand during low tide. Others are caught using a special net called a hand seine. With this net, only the animals needed are kept. All the other creatures are gently returned to the water. Sometimes, local fishers also donate animals. These might be from deeper parts of the ocean.
Star Animals of the Aquarium
The most famous animal at the aquarium is the amazing Giant Pacific Octopus. These huge octopuses can be found close to the surface in this northern area. Other popular animals include different kinds of rockfish. You can also see crabs, bivalves (like clams), feather duster worms, and sea anemones. Sometimes, you might even spot a spotted ratfish or a Humboldt squid!
The aquarium constantly brings in fresh ocean water. This means tiny baby sea creatures, called planktonic larvae, float into the exhibits. This makes for new and exciting discoveries all the time! For example, you might see tiny opalescent nudibranchs. Or you could watch baby clams grow from tiny larvae into young clams. Once they are big enough, these young clams are returned to the beach.
A New Home for Ocean Life
After trying out the smaller "Mini-Aquarium," people saw how popular it was. Enough support was gathered to build a bigger, permanent aquarium. This new building opened on June 1, 2012. It's in a great spot overlooking Ucluelet Harbor. The new aquarium building is very special. It uses the latest green technology. This helps it be very energy efficient. Visitors can learn how to make their own homes more energy efficient too!
The new building also helps the natural environment outside. It sends its used seawater into nearby tidepools. This clean, flowing water helps more plants and animals live in these tidepools. It makes the public beach area even more interesting to explore!
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