Campbell River’s Ocean Week ran from May 31 to June 8, offering a full schedule of marine-themed events for residents of all ages. The week opened with Loop Day on May 31, inviting the community to cycle, walk or roll the 28-kilometre Greenways Loop, while the Explorer Lab ran ocean-themed activities. Monday brought a Seaweed Innovation Lab open house at CARTI, where visitors toured the facility, sampled seaweed snacks and met the researchers growing young seaweed in the lab. That same day, the Campbell River
Association of Tour Operators led a humpback whale spotting session at Ken Forde Park. Tuesday featured a sea star survey at Willow Point Reef with the Discovery Passage Aquarium, as well as an evening of short talks at the Maritime Heritage Centre where local scientists spoke about the marine life found in Discovery Passage. Wednesday’s highlights included an octopus dissection and starfish race in the Explorer Lab and Seaweed Cinema at the Tidemark Theatre, where North Island College’s Centre for Applied Research, Technology and Innovation
screened films on kelp reforestation alongside Beach Fire Brewing’s seaweed sour ale and Stonehouse Tea’s Island Good Tea which features B.C. Bull Kelp! Thursday offered a beach cleanup at Ken Forde Park and a guided watercolour and mindfulness workshop led by Lucilla Girotto, a certified EFT master practitioner. Friday included birding at Baikie Island Nature Reserve and a live Nudibranch drawing session hosted jointly by the Discovery Passage Aquarium and the Campbell River Art Gallery. The week wrapped up Saturday with the Ocean Day Festival
and Maritime Market at the Maritime Heritage Centre and Discovery Pier, where vendors from around the region sold jewelry and art, and organizations including Greenways Land Trust, the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS) and the Campbell River Salmon Foundation shared updates on local conservation projects. Sunday closed out the week with a remote beach cleanup by zodiac, offered through Campbell River Whale Watching.
Campbell River, Ocean Week, Greenways Loop, Seaweed Innovation Lab, CARTI, humpback whale spotting, Ken Forde Park, Willow Point Reef, Discovery Passage Aquarium, Maritime Heritage Centre, Explorer Lab, Tidemark Theatre, kelp reforestation, North Island College, Nudibranch drawing, Ocean Day Festival, Maritime Market, Greenways Land Trust, MERS, Campbell River Salmon Foundation
Seaweed snacks?? That’s the best kind of science I guess.
So they’re doing whale spotting and sea star stuff all week, but what about actual fishers? Feels like the ocean is just a tourist thing now. Also 28 km loop sounds like a lot for everyone.
I saw “octopus dissection” and thought it was like, for kids?? Like do they really let people dissect octopus for fun, or is it educational and I’m misunderstanding? Either way seems kinda messed up, but maybe that’s just how they teach.
Campbell River Whale Watching doing a remote cleanup by zodiac… so like on a boat they go clean the same beach? Confusing wording. But hey, the kelp reforestation screening at the theatre plus a seaweed sour ale, that’s actually kinda cool. I just hope the cleanup isn’t only for one day, because ocean stuff needs way more than a week.