<p>Out on the west coast of Vancouver Island exists an awesome little non-profit that siphons sea water from the harbour into tanks on land, which briefly house some of the areas most gorgeous residents from under the waves. I&#39;m talking about the Ucluelet Aquarium, a catch-and-release aquarium who gathers all of its exhibits seasonally from the surrounding waters, giving visitors a glimpse into a world that surrounds us yet we seldom see.</p><p><br></p><p>I sat down with Laura Griffith-Cochrane from the Ucluelet Aquarium to chat all about this awesome project, and her unique approach to education that emphasizes hands-on interactions to build connection and care to place. We also delve into various issues relating to these near-shore marine ecosystems, with ethical information on fishing and tide-pooling that we all could use to become better stewards of these places for generations to come. </p><p><br></p><p>For more information on the Ucluelet Aquarium, visit <a href="https://www.uclueletaquarium.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">www.uclueletaquarium.org</a></p><p><br></p><p>Each episode of Nerdy About Nature makes a donation to a non-profit of the guests choosing using funds from Patreon supporters, and in this episode Laura chose to give hers to <a href="https://focs.ca/">⁠Surfrider Foundation</a></p><p><br></p><p>Nerdy About Nature is an independent passion project that relies on support from folks like you.  If you’re enjoying this podcast and videos, help me keep making them by becoming a paid subscriber on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/nerdyaboutnature">⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon ⁠⁠⁠</a>or<a href="https://nerdyaboutnature.substack.com/">⁠⁠⁠ Substack.⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><br></p><p>You can also make a one-time donation, get NAN merch, resources and more information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="www.NerdyAboutNature.com">⁠⁠⁠⁠www.NerdyAboutNature.com</a></p>