• -Forensics Stations:
  What is wrong here? Present a problem, provide the tools for investigating the crime scene, solutions and recommendations. Call it "CSI is all wet". The crime scene could be beach closure results from the dept. of public health, along with locations of sewer fields and outfalls or storm sewers and agriculture runoff.. information on patterns of rainfall and runoff could be par of the evidence.
• Energy budget of a disturbed seabird or mammal video streaming on walls of boats and human activity Images or graphics on the following:
  • total food taken from our waters.
    effluents added
    traffic in waters
    disruption to nesting areas
    boat traffic..speed kills.
    Mariculture facility locations and indications of the level of their sustainability
    Worst-case scenario collision pictures of boats with marine mammals etc... for example.. something like this video: http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidinjureseal.htm
• Focus on foreign tourists.. Their roles and obligations, connections with activities of specific countries with the sustainability of ocean resources. Disclose which countries have the best and worst records for marine resource sustainable practises. Who has better laws, rules for protection, also some positive examples of how some marine food dependent countries -- Japan, Taiwan, HK have or have not met the responsibilities. Full disclosure on "scientific whaling" would be appropriate in the whales exhibit for instance.
• A three pronged diagram.. Social, environmental economic .. How does southern Vancouver Island rate ?
• A Google map type of pop-up where dive spots are represented and related back to the ecosystems that they represent.
  
• Commercial diving and sustainability of resources.
  
• Economic benefits of diving enterprize. This can be one of the subsets of what the ocean provides as a service emphasis for no take to keep it sustainable.
  
• A large flowchart showing (clickable) the spinoffs for our economic activities from such things as diving The marine industries of the Georgia strait.. the positive things that are happening
• .How marine industry can be sustainable.
  Environmental Impact
• First Nations. I know the prov.museum has a lot but what could be unique here.. maybe ask them to provide workshops on their methods of sustainable harvest...
  techniques.. traditional and current of interacting with marine resources.
  How does the mythology relate to the sea? statements.. examples .. case studies, their value for sustainability..
• An interactive way of accessing all the current marine sustainability research projects going on in the British Columbia Coastal and open ocean area.
  
• Highlight case studies of how we restore eel grass beds.... have a tray where kids can plant their own eel-grass.. then follow up with why eel-grass is important as habitat, how we can lessen destruction, how we can lobby for its preservation, beauty of the sea grasses... as the only monocots in the sea.. ecosystem roles.. a good eel grass display there, possibly related to the sand bottom tank, with associated fauna
• Energy budget of the ocean shores.. how kelp contributes energy and materials through the decomposer food web,
  
• The sustainable people role models profiles. Opportunities for visiting scientists to discuss and present their research.. in the theatre space.
  
• Ecosystem Integrity needs an exhibit that defines an ecosystem in terms of its structure and function.There could be a tank set up with a simple ecosystem where the rules of the game are explained and then participants have to check off the characteristics of the ecosystem which are demonstrated. Have what if scenarios developed so that participants can see how manipulating/changing/impacting on an ecosystem can have wide reaching implications.

EXHIBITS:

• Questions and answers...a live webcam where people can come to the aquarium virtually and ask questions of the docents. A live ticker-tape display projected on wall of current questions coming in...has to be screened somehow.. so a slight delay..
• Whaling communication exhibit.. try the approach of having live feed from Alert Bay (FM availability?) as well as recorded whale sounds along with projected images of the species making them.. clips of John Ford explaining significance of whale communication, and what we do to harm communication..( another lobbying issue)
  
• A zippered whale with portals to view animated heart lif size, vertebrae, lungs, ribs, baleen, etc.
• Climate change and the implication for Global marine systems display.

8.1 The Southern Vancouver Island Marine Ecosystem Map.

Index