CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C -The Discovery Passage Aquarium is almost ready to open for the summer, and they’re getting a little help from a local dive school.
On May 10th and 11th, DiveSafe International is volunteering it’s students for an Aquarium “collection.”
“Our divers are going to jump in the water, go down to bottom to pick up fish so they can stock the Aquarium,” said Kelly Koral, director of training and founder of DiveSafe.
“We do a catch and release where in the spring time we’ll go catch fish, crabs and anemones. The Aquarium will keep them on display and we go put them back where we found them in the Fall.”
According to Ricky Belanger, manager of the aquarium, the collected critters have a pretty easy transition.
“We have an open water aquarium system. So a lot of the animals are not going to be heavily impacted by the change, they are going to be experiencing the natural water changing conditions,” said Belanger.
“Water temperature and salinity, natural food is going to be coming in. It’s as natural as we can possibly get it.”
Both Koral and Belanger said they were very excited to be working together on the project.
“It’s to help out the community and to help out the Aquarium, it’s strictly volunteer. But also the students benefit by having a chance to take part in a real live collection,” said Koral.
“We’re a non-profit and this is for education,” noted Belanger.
“When people walk out on Discovery Pier for example, and they’re wondering what’s down there that they can’t see. If you stop through the Aquarium, you’ll find out.”
The aquarium will be open from 10:00am to 5:00pm every day starting on May 19th through the the beginning of September.
For more information or to volunteer, you can visit their website at http://discoverypassageaquarium.ca/aquarium/
