Vancouver Aquarium to pause public programming next week

The public programming at the aquarium will be halted until further notice. (Photo: @vanaqua/Twitter)

A tourist attraction in Vancouver is temporarily pausing its public programming amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

In a media release on Monday, August 31, Ocean Wise said its initiative, the Vancouver Aquarium, will be doing this after September 7 to “focus on transforming to a new model that is both financially viable in light of the pandemic and also accelerates Ocean Wise’s mission of ocean conservation.” The public programming at the aquarium will be halted until further notice.

Unfortunately, more than 200 full-time, part-time, and casual staff members will lose their jobs because of this move.

“We are committed to getting the Aquarium back on solid financial footing so that we can continue to build on its legacy and tackle the most pressing ocean conservation challenges of our time, including climate change, pollution, and overfishing,” Ocean Wise Board Chairman Christian Baxter said.

“Staff reductions were an incredibly difficult decision and one we truly hoped to avoid,” he added.

They, however, assured that animals at the aquarium will still be taken care of by a team of 75 specialized staff members consisting of biologists, animal care experts, and on-site veterinary team.

The aquarium earlier closed to the public for three months due to the pandemic and was able to get back in June. But due to the limitation on the number of visitors, it was not able to cover its operating costs which amount to more than $1 million a month. Ocean Wise described this as the “most financially challenging times” in the 64-year history of the Vancouver Aquarium.

“Under  these  difficult circumstances, transforming the Aquarium is the most responsible thing we can do,” Ocean Wise President and Chief Executive Officer Lasse Gustavsson said.

Meanwhile, other Ocean Wise’s conservation initiatives like Ocean Wise Research, Ocean Wise Education, Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, Arctic programs, Ocean Wise Seafood, and Marine Mammal Rescue will continue.

According to its website, the Vancouver Aquarium is officially Canada’s first public aquarium that opened in June 1956.