Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto is shining a light on ocean conservation

Did you know that more than 50% of the world’s oxygen is produced by the ocean? You may not realize this, but the ocean provides countless benefits to our planet and all of the creatures that live here. It literally keeps us alive, and it’s also where Finding Nemo takes place. Win-win.

That’s why ocean conservation is growing in importance, and Toronto’s Ripley’s Aquarium is shining a light on just why it’s crucial to foster a culture of sustainability and maintain the productivity and diversity of our world’s oceans.

Over Our Heads Sculpture/Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

Hanging directly above visitors heads since late 2018 is a sculpture containing over 12,000 used plastic bottles from across the GTA — symbolizing the number of plastic bottles that are thrown away every four minutes in Ontario. A whopping one billion plastic bottles are not recycled in Ontario and end up in landfills or the environment every year.

Ripley’s Aquarium participates in several programs and initiatives that contribute to aquatic conservation onsite, locally, and internationally, including bi-annual Shoreline Cleanups, banning the use of straws and lids in the facility since its very first day five years ago, as well as volunteer work and charitable donations to conservation programs worldwide.

Viewing tunnel/Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

Visit the aquarium and enter a world of 20,000 aquatic creatures as you walk through the captivating underwater viewing tunnel that’s home to North America’s longest moving sidewalk (daily dive shows take place here every two hours). Check out the aquarium’s largest exhibit, Dangerous Lagoon, which has approximately 2.9 million litres of water!

And of course, get up close and personal with touch exhibits where you’ll be able to reach in and interact with horseshoe crabs, bamboo sharks, scarlet cleaner shrimp, and stingrays.

Ripley’s Aquarium showcases the beauty and significance of the aquatic world in nine carefully curated galleries with a cross-section of saltwater and freshwater environments from around the world, starting with species from Toronto’s backyard, the Great Lakes basin. Witnessing the beauty of aquatic life will show you just how crucial it is to maintain our oceans as they are.

Visiting the aquarium/Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

Visit Ripley’s Aquarium for more information, to purchase tickets, and plan your visit. Be sure to document your time and tag #SeaLikeShare to share your aquarium experiences — you might even be featured in the aquarium’s Sea.Like.Share campaign when you do!