Fri. June 9 - Behind the walls of water at the Salish Sea Centre

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning !

As Ocean Week wraps up, we’ve got a couple more water-themed stories for you. First, photojournalist James MacDonald takes us behind the aquarium walls of the Salish Sea Centre and gets an up close look at the jellyfish, eels, sea urchins, and fish that call it home.

Plus, a First Nations flotilla is gathering in the Inner Harbour this morning.

FEATURE

Behind the aquarium walls at the Salish Sea Centre

So, how do you move a jellyfish? Very, very, carefully.

The blobs of tentacles and mesoglea that form the Sea Nettle jellyfish slowly pulsate in large bins of water set on the main floor of the Salish Sea Centre in Sidney so their tank can be cleaned. A staff member wriggles into and then out of their tank to scrub and clean the windows and walls; and now has the very odd, and wonderfully site-specific task of returning these delicate, stunning, and slightly stinging creatures back into their display tank.

Located in Sidney, just metres from the Sidney Pier and the Salish Sea, the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea opened in 2009 as a not-for-profit aquarium focused on the Salish Sea bioregion. With dozens of tanks and aquariums, large and small. The centre hosts a kaleidoscope of the region’s creatures, fish, and undersea inhabitant for the 60,000 yearly visitors it gets.

Tucked in behind the tanks and walls of water, are the intricate piping, narrow catwalks, and essential filter systems that keep the aquarium running smoothly and the thousands of residents alive and happy. Along with the aquarium infrastructure, it takes a dedicated and committed team, who are on call 24/7 in case of power outages, filter issues, or pump failures.

In his latest photo series, James MacDonald explores the world behind those tanks and walls of water, and meets the team caring for these sea creatures.

Explore the photos at Capital Daily.

Capital Bulletin

🌧️ Today's weather: Cloudy with a 40% chance of showers. High 17C / low 11C.

💉 Island Health offering Monkeypox vaccinations: Appointments for second doses are now available for people who received their first dose at least 28 days ago and who meet eligibility requirements.

🏢 Building code updates survey: Provide input on BC’s updates to building codes; online survey closes June 16.

💤 UVic wants parents of babies for sleep survey: The researchers seek people from families of all kinds, especially dads, with infants 6-18 weeks old, to do a five-minute screening and 30-min survey. [Details / participate]

NEWS

Marine flotilla gathers to show Indigenous leadership in blue economy

First Nations stewardship vessels of all varieties will gather today at the Inner Harbour at 10am for a visual demonstration of their commitment to the preservation of coastal waters and environments as part of Oceans Week. First Nations participating in the campaign will include Songhees, Esquimalt, Scia’new, T’Sou-ke, Malahat, Tsawout, Tsartlip, Tseycum, and Pauquachin.

The campaign is supported by the Indigenous Prosperity Centre (IPC), a nonprofit that supports Indigenous-led economic development. IPC will also support a public awareness campaign on Indigenous marine stewardship.

“The marine stewardship initiatives undertaken by the Songhees Nation reflect the deep connection and inherent responsibility that we have towards the land, waters, and all living beings within our traditional territories,” said Chief Ron Sam, Songhees Nation. “We are supporting the preservation of cultural heritage, the creation of sustainable jobs, and the promotion of traditional practice and knowledge. By combining the traditional wisdom with modern scientific approaches, we can implement effective conservation strategies that balance the needs of the present and future generations.”

The gathering of stewardship vessels will reflect the continued and active engagement of Southern Vancouver Island First Nations with the caretaking of marine environments, a relationship that has existed since time immemorial.

The flotilla is part of Victoria’s 10-day ocean celebration that features educational events and activities across the city. The celebration aims to reconnect people with the ocean, in a time where climate change and overfishing have been detrimental to ocean life.

The public is invited to witness the campaign from the causeway.

By Sarah Madsen

SPONSORED BY OXIO

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Cut the cords with the Big Telco companies and find an oxio plan that’s right for you!

Capital Picks

🎧 ’90s Hip Hop Party at Lucky: Relive hip hop’s golden era with a night of classic rap music of the ’90s, from Tupac to Wu-Tang. Cover is $14.18 and music begins at 10pm. [Details]

🎨 Art battle at Victoria Event Centre: Watch some of Victoria’s most talented artists battle it out over blank canvases. Twelve artists will compete in three rounds, ending with one winner. Tickets start at $20, event runs from 7 to 10pm. [Details]

🌊 Friday nights social paddle: As part of Ocean Week, participate in a group kayak and paddleboard social starting from Portside Marina in Brentwood Bay today, 6pm. [Details]

🛝 Retirement isn’t always a walk in the park. The counsellors at Intertidal Counselling & Wellness help people to navigate later life. Book a free consultation today.*

📚 Free Saturday drop-ins with Earlybird Education: Developmental activities and story time for kids aged 0-6 will take place at Uptown throughout the summer, from 9:30 to 11:30am.

🎻 Seaside Folk & Fiddle Festival: Enjoy roots music in Sidney with a line up of performers at Charlie White Theatre, Sidney Army/Navy, and Beacon Bandshell June 9-11. [Details]

🤝 Now hiring: Corporate Security Coordinator at BC Ferries.

*Sponsored Listing

In Other News

🐋 Humpback tangled in fishing gear near Haida Gwaii
A video captured Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) spending hours rescuing the humpback from ropes that had become embedded in its skin. The whale was able to eventually swim away, and a DFO representative said they will continue to monitor its recovery. [CTV]

Last year there were a record number of humpbacks swimming through the Salish Sea following the species’ long resurgence from near-eradication in the region, but boat strikes and fishing entanglements still pose a major risk to the animals.

🐟 Open-net fish farm transition delayed
Fisheries and Oceans Canada will delay the consultation period over open-net salmon farms until the end of the summer. This decision has been well received by both fish farming representatives and conservation and Indigenous groups who agree that more time will allow for a more informed decision. [CTV]

⚾ HarbourCats open 2023 baseball season undefeated
Victoria is now 6-0 after outscoring Kamloops and Walla Walla a combined 44-20 over a week of games at Royal Athletic. The first road trip now begins vs. the AppleSox (4-1) in Wenatchee, WA. The ‘Cats are the #1, and only undefeated, team in the 16-team West Coast League, which the Nanaimo NiteOwls (3-2) also play in.

NEWS

Victoria’s rising tech industry faces rocky waters—not unlike it did 20 years ago

It’s a perfect storm for tech entrepreneurs these days. Inflation and interest rates are sky-high, while investment dollars are getting lower. For the latest generation of business leaders, this may be the first economic bust they’ve experienced of its kind. But it isn’t the first downturn in modern history, and local tech innovators have ridden these waves before—and made it to bountiful shores on the other side.

In the early 2000s, the digital age was just beginning. Fax machines were still widely used, the IMAX theatre dome was a go-to movie experience, and online banking didn’t quite exist.

“[The year] 2000 was very complicated because digital was on such a hard rise, and everybody jumped on board,” said Art Aylesworth, former CEO of Carmanah Technologies, which began as a solar LED lighting company for the marine industry.

“There was a certain window where suddenly it opened up, and there was a lot of entrance and entrepreneurial enthusiasm because you could get funding for starting internet businesses,” said Hannes Blum, a now-Victoria-based investor who at the time was launching the online book marketplace JustBooks in Germany. “And then very quickly, that turned sour.”

Read the full story at Victoria Tech Journal on how veteran local entrepreneurs weathered an early-2000s downturn, and what we can learn from them.

SPONSORED BY PRISMA FESTIVAL

Experience PRISMA in Powell River

Classical music meets coastal beauty at the PRISMA Festival in Powell River. Top music students and renowned guest artists unite for two weeks of performances, to the delight of a live audience.

Come see it for yourself, June 12-24, 2023.

In Case You Missed It

💊 Victoria Cannabis Buyers meets with Health Canada: Just a week after their application for exemption from the Cannabis Act was rejected, another branch of Health Canada consulted VCBC on the same regulations. [Capital Daily]

📰 Thursday’s newsletter: Publicly-funded counselling will expand for Island residents, $35M lottery ticket purchased in the CRD, encampments taken down at Topaz Park, and more. [June 8]

💌 Find out what Oak Bay locals are talking about in our weekly newsletter, Oak Bay Local, with the latest news, events, and community spotlights. Subscribe today!

🦈 Deep water shark visits Island: Shallow Alberni Inlet waters are an uncommon haunt for a bluntnose sixgill shark, caught on video recently. [CBC]