The Alberni Aquarium and Stewardship Centre is now open

After a couple of years of planning, funding and renovating, the Alberni Aquarium and Stewardship Centre has opened its doors at Port Alberni’s Harbour Quay. This ecosystem based aquarium is designed to educate people on what is in the water around us.

World class video footage of undersea creatures complements tanks, touch tanks and activities.

The exhibits are arranged to take visitors from freshwater to deep ocean life as follows:

• A fresh water tank holds coho and chinook from Robertson Creek Fish Hatchery. They will continue to grow on-site until it is time for their release and then a new batch will take over the tank. It might be tricky to see the camouflaged fish in the Sand Dabs tank.
• The intertidal zone is where the land meets the sea, so this tank has barnacles, rock fish, crab, sticklebacks and black-eyed goby.
• A man-made pond ecosystem is a good place for safe play for kids.
• At the corner of the gallery stands the shell of a 400-year old cedar tree that visitors can hop inside and look up to see a massive eagle’s nest.
• Next to the Salmon Wheel of Death is the salmon tank with both salmon and pipefish from Canal Beach.
• The shallow subtidal tank has a starfish, urchins, and a wolf eel, while the deep tank features Black Rockfish, sea cucumber, squat lobster, prawns and clams and the eye-catching round aquarium has jellyfish from Rainy Bay.
• The centre also has an interactive educational area where visitors can touch and feel various anemones in open tanks.

Hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm, seven days a week.

For more information and to arrange birthday parties and overnight stays:
www.alberniaquarium.ca
Sheena@westcoastaquatic.ca
7-5440 Argyle St
Port Alberni, BC
V9Y 1T7
(250) 724-3600