Unspecified/General

Canada's first public aquarium and still its largest, the Vancouver Aquarium has stood within Stanley Park since it opened in 1956, growing over the decades into a globally respected centre for marine science, conservation and education as well as one of the most popular attractions in the city. Founded by a group of university scientists who formed an aquarium association in the early 1950s and raised funds from all three levels of government and from private benefactors, the institution opened modestly and expanded steadily, becoming a pioneer in the display and study of marine mammals; it was the second aquarium in the world to display an orca, in the 1960s, and later kept belugas and dolphins, though changing attitudes and a city bylaw eventually ended the keeping of whales and dolphins there. Today its galleries take visitors through the waters of the world, from the cold rivers and coasts of British Columbia to tropical reefs and the Amazon rainforest, with sea otters, sea lions, seals, sharks, jellyfish, anemones and a great variety of fish and invertebrates on display, alongside reptiles, amphibians and birds in the recreated tropical and rainforest environments. Beyond its exhibits the aquarium is a working centre of research and of marine-mammal rescue and rehabilitation, rescuing and treating stranded and injured animals from along the coast, and it runs extensive education and conservation programmes. Financial difficulties during the closures of the pandemic led to its acquisition by an attractions operator in 2021, securing its future. Set among the forest and seawall of Stanley Park and easily combined with a visit to the park itself, the Vancouver Aquarium remains a beloved institution and a leading voice for ocean conservation. The evolution of the aquarium over its long history mirrors the changing relationship between people and captive marine life, for the institution that once led the world in capturing and displaying killer whales later became a centre of the movement to end that practice, and today it emphasises rescue, rehabilitation and conservation over spectacle. Its marine-mammal rescue centre treats stranded seals, sea lions, otters and porpoises found in distress along the coast, nursing them back to health for release where possible. Set amid the forest of Stanley Park and reached by a short walk from the seawall, the aquarium combines the pleasures of a great public attraction with a genuine commitment to the conservation of the oceans.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: 845 Avison Way, Vancouver, Canada

Website: https://www.vanaqua.org

Opening Date: 15/06/1956