Community Day at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea

Connecting the public with the Salish Sea Bioregion and its ecosystems through engagement, knowledge and awareness, the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea offers a fun, interactive and informative experience of science and culture to visitors of all ages – welcoming over 70,000 visitors a year. It is a top destination for families, school groups, and tourists as the only aquarium in Greater Victoria and Canada’s only aquarium and learning centre dedicated exclusively to the Salish Sea.

Located on the breathtaking Sidney waterfront – on the traditional lands of the WSÁNEĆ Nations of the Coast Salish Indigenous peoples – the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea opened in 2009 and is an award winning aquarium and learning centre dedicated exclusively to the Salish Sea Bioregion. A unique non-profit organization, the Centre combines live aquarium habitats and marine mammal artifact displays (science & nature) with a permanent Coast Salish art collection (arts & culture), as well as public and school learning programs and locally-focused Salish Sea Store – providing an amazing opportunity for learning, exploration, and conservation of the natural beauty, ecological diversity, and cultural story of the Salish Sea.

• 35 aquarium habitats featuring more than 160 marine species and 3,500 animals including a giant Pacific octopus and wolf eels and shallow pools to get up close to colourful sea stars, urchins, anemones, and sea cucumbers

• A touch pool

• A rare, fully intact killer whale skeleton and other marine mammal artifacts

• A unique collection of Coast Salish Indigenous art

• A Salish Sea Store with one-of-a-kind, locally sourced, Salish Sea and Coast Salish-focused, and environmentally-friendly arts, jewellery, food, crafts and much more

• Public programming and self-guided tours to more than 70,000 visitors annually including 10,000 school-aged students experiencing curriculum-based programs and summer camps