{"id":5354,"date":"2022-06-26T15:32:20","date_gmt":"2022-06-26T15:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354"},"modified":"2023-04-15T00:59:53","modified_gmt":"2023-04-15T00:59:53","slug":"vancouver-the-aquarium-in-stanley-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver \u2013 The Aquarium in Stanley Park \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I am looking at a creature with no bones, no heart, no brain, and no eyes. Shredded ribbons of white jelly drift away from its flamboyant bell-shaped body. And yet the orange jellyfish is only one of the fascinating exhibits of the Vancouver Aquarium. What\u2019s more, you never see the same thing twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like most people around me, I look at the tanks while keeping up with children who are either glued to a tank or darting to the next best thing. I barely manage to read the\u00a0AquaFacts,<\/em>\u00a0the fascinating information each tank displays to prepare for the inevitable questions on the way home: jellyfish are\u00a096 percent water, their tentacles are transparent because they are drifters and can\u2019t hide to catch their prey, plus they have been around longer than dinosaurs ever were. I get it and move to the next exhibit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something About the Vancouver Aquarium<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the largest aquariums in North America, it\u2019s located in Stanley Park, a peninsula situated on the northern side of Vancouver. It was the first aquarium to employ full-time professional naturalists to explain animal behaviors at galleries and exhibits. The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Center program is also one of the largest in the world: some 150 marine animals are cared for, rehabilitated, and released each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With no revenue during the pandemic and a monthly cost of one million dollars, the closure of the aquarium was imminent when an operator took over from Ocean Wise in the spring of 2021. It nevertheless continues as an independent non-profit facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aquarium is also a venue for special events, and where our family held a memorable wedding. A flurry of white jellyfish was a unique background for photographs. Later, otters entertained the children with their playful tricks through the glass wall of the underground viewing\/festivity area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Aquarium as a University Research Center<\/em> <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like zoos, aquariums have their detractors, but marine biologists\u2014who also study species in their natural habitat\u2014cannot advance environmental conservation without researching captive animals. That\u2019s why the Vancouver Aquarium doubles up as a marine research center for UBC, the University of British Columbia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the positive side, the species that live in aquariums are not exposed to pollution, illegal trade, overfishing, and climate change and are therefore protected from extinction. In a way, the 70,000 creatures that live at the Vancouver Aquarium advocate for their species. Furthermore, the exhibits, galleries, and other special encounters with the animals connect visitors to the natural world and raise awareness of their plight in the wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the wild or in captivity, life ends one way or another. Not forgotten is Kavna, the 46-year-old white beluga that delighted visitors and died of old age. Sadly, however, in 2016 the two remaining belugas died from a short-lived illness perhaps due to a toxin. Their legacy is the unanimous vote of the Board to end all displays of porpoises, whales, or dolphins: caring for large mammals in tanks is not as humane as once thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Marine World of Electronics<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The children are happy to hear that the five seal pups recently released in the wild are doing well. \u201cHow do we know?\u201d one asks. A satellite-linked transmitter monitors their whereabouts and behavior. The interrogative looks on their faces bring an answer before they even ask, \u201cDon\u2019t worry, the tags will come off when the pups molt,\u201d the marine scientist says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then they want to know why the dolphins needed rescuing: fishing nets are as dangerous as natural predators. The scientists are developing a sonar device that will alert dolphins of danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, facts lead to thoughts far afield, such as\u2026 the origin of physics. Take the electricity-producing eels, for example. Its method to make electricity is as \u2018simple\u2019 as their heads being positive and their tails being negative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aquarium is full of surprises too. Even Santa Claus left a message, warning us that he is on thin ice as the North Pole\u2019s ice cap melts away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the way home, we test ourselves, remembering the\u00a0Treasures of the B.C. Coast\u00a0exhibit: slime-producing hagfish, bum-breathing sea cucumbers, the giant Pacific octopus who is smart enough to open a jar, and other creatures that bring the song \u201cWhat a Beautiful World\u201d to mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
The lion’s mane jellyfish is the largest species of jellyfish.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"
The Vancouver Aquarium (MCArnott)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"
The Vancouver Aquarium is a place to learn. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"
A wedding scene at the Vancouver Aquarium (MCArnott)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am looking at a creature with no bones, no heart, no brain, and no eyes. Shredded ribbons of white jelly drift away from its flamboyant bell-shaped body. And yet the orange jellyfish is only one of the fascinating exhibits of the Vancouver Aquarium. What\u2019s more, you never see the same thing twice. Like mostContinue reading →<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5504,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","has-thumb"],"yoast_head":"\nVancouver \u2013 The Aquarium in Stanley Park \u00a0 - Marie-Claude Arnott<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vancouver \u2013 The Aquarium in Stanley Park \u00a0 - Marie-Claude Arnott\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I am looking at a creature with no bones, no heart, no brain, and no eyes. Shredded ribbons of white jelly drift away from its flamboyant bell-shaped body. And yet the orange jellyfish is only one of the fascinating exhibits of the Vancouver Aquarium. What\u2019s more, you never see the same thing twice. Like mostContinue reading →\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marie-Claude Arnott\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"htthttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/marie.claude.arnott.writing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"htthttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/marie.claude.arnott.writing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-26T15:32:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-15T00:59:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-Vancouver-Aquarium-British-Columbia1-1024x692-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"692\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marie-Claude Arnott\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marie-Claude Arnott\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/?p=5354#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/?p=5354\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Marie-Claude Arnott\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4675657a61f30902865a861ad6445fc6\"},\"headline\":\"Vancouver \u2013 The Aquarium in Stanley Park \u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-26T15:32:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-15T00:59:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/?p=5354\"},\"wordCount\":751,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4675657a61f30902865a861ad6445fc6\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/?p=5354#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/The-Vancouver-Aquarium-British-Columbia1-1024x692-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Travel\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/?p=5354\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/?p=5354\",\"name\":\"Vancouver \u2013 The Aquarium in Stanley Park \u00a0 - Marie-Claude Arnott\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/?p=5354#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/?p=5354#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/The-Vancouver-Aquarium-British-Columbia1-1024x692-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-26T15:32:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-15T00:59:53+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/?p=5354#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/?p=5354\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/?p=5354#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/The-Vancouver-Aquarium-British-Columbia1-1024x692-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/The-Vancouver-Aquarium-British-Columbia1-1024x692-1.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":692},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/?p=5354#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Vancouver \u2013 The Aquarium in Stanley Park \u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Marie-Claude Arnott\",\"description\":\"Writing is Living\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4675657a61f30902865a861ad6445fc6\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4675657a61f30902865a861ad6445fc6\",\"name\":\"Marie-Claude Arnott\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/Logo-marie-ClaudeArnott-menu2.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/Logo-marie-ClaudeArnott-menu2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/Logo-marie-ClaudeArnott-menu2.jpg\",\"width\":487,\"height\":93,\"caption\":\"Marie-Claude Arnott\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/Logo-marie-ClaudeArnott-menu2.jpg\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/marieclaudearnott.com\",\"htthttps:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/marie.claude.arnott.writing\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/marieclaudearnott\\\/?skipRedirect=true\",\"https:\\\/\\\/ca.pinterest.com\\\/mcawrites\\\/biography-of-a-friendship\\\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Vancouver \u2013 The Aquarium in Stanley Park \u00a0 - Marie-Claude Arnott","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Vancouver \u2013 The Aquarium in Stanley Park \u00a0 - Marie-Claude Arnott","og_description":"I am looking at a creature with no bones, no heart, no brain, and no eyes. Shredded ribbons of white jelly drift away from its flamboyant bell-shaped body. And yet the orange jellyfish is only one of the fascinating exhibits of the Vancouver Aquarium. What\u2019s more, you never see the same thing twice. Like mostContinue reading →","og_url":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354","og_site_name":"Marie-Claude Arnott","article_publisher":"htthttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/marie.claude.arnott.writing","article_author":"htthttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/marie.claude.arnott.writing","article_published_time":"2022-06-26T15:32:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-15T00:59:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":692,"url":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-Vancouver-Aquarium-British-Columbia1-1024x692-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Marie-Claude Arnott","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Marie-Claude Arnott","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354"},"author":{"name":"Marie-Claude Arnott","@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4675657a61f30902865a861ad6445fc6"},"headline":"Vancouver \u2013 The Aquarium in Stanley Park \u00a0","datePublished":"2022-06-26T15:32:20+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-15T00:59:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354"},"wordCount":751,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4675657a61f30902865a861ad6445fc6"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-Vancouver-Aquarium-British-Columbia1-1024x692-1.jpg","articleSection":["Travel"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354","url":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354","name":"Vancouver \u2013 The Aquarium in Stanley Park \u00a0 - Marie-Claude Arnott","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-Vancouver-Aquarium-British-Columbia1-1024x692-1.jpg","datePublished":"2022-06-26T15:32:20+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-15T00:59:53+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-Vancouver-Aquarium-British-Columbia1-1024x692-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-Vancouver-Aquarium-British-Columbia1-1024x692-1.jpg","width":1024,"height":692},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?p=5354#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Vancouver \u2013 The Aquarium in Stanley Park \u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/","name":"Marie-Claude Arnott","description":"Writing is Living","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4675657a61f30902865a861ad6445fc6"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4675657a61f30902865a861ad6445fc6","name":"Marie-Claude Arnott","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Logo-marie-ClaudeArnott-menu2.jpg","url":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Logo-marie-ClaudeArnott-menu2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Logo-marie-ClaudeArnott-menu2.jpg","width":487,"height":93,"caption":"Marie-Claude Arnott"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Logo-marie-ClaudeArnott-menu2.jpg"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com","htthttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/marie.claude.arnott.writing","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/marieclaudearnott\/?skipRedirect=true","https:\/\/ca.pinterest.com\/mcawrites\/biography-of-a-friendship\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5354"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6402,"href":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5354\/revisions\/6402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marieclaudearnott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}