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Opened in 1956, the Vancouver Aquarium has been a fixture of Stanley Park and a defining cultural institution and flagship tourism attraction for Vancouver. Three generations of residents have since grown up walking its galleries, pressing their faces to glass tanks, and learning about marine life.

But the pandemic exposed a vulnerability even decades of public trust and reputation could not protect.

Like many visitor-dependent institutions, the aquarium’s financial model collapsed almost overnight when public health restrictions shuttered its doors in early 2020. Attendance plummeted. Revenue dried up. Major staff layoffs became unavoidable. For the first time, closure was not a distant hypothetical, but a real possibility.

“We had work to do, but no money,” said Wright. “And no obvious sign of when people would be able to come back through the doors.”

For example, unlike the Edmonton Valley Zoo and the Toronto Zoo, which are owned and operated by municipal governments and receive major operating subsidies, the Vancouver Aquarium — despite its high profile — has never received operating funding from any level of government. It was entirely self-sustaining up until the pandemic, with Wright calling the previous organization the most successful not-for-profit of its kind in the country. Previously owned and operated not-for-profit by Ocean Wise, the aquarium relied almost entirely on admissions, memberships, and corporate and individual donations to cover its day-to-day costs.

One-time capital grants from governments and corporate and individual donations helped fund improvements and the construction of new exhibits, but there was no safety net or backstop for a sustained shutdown. As a result, with each passing month of the pandemic’s strict health safety restrictions, the aquarium incurred high ongoing costs to maintain the high standard of care expected for the animals under its stewardship — without the usual ongoing revenue to cover those costs.

Enter Herschend Family Entertainment, a U.S.-based, family-owned entertainment company best known for attractions such as Dollywood. In April 2021, Herschend acquired the Vancouver Aquarium, providing the attraction with a critical lifeline and transitioning it from a non-profit operation to a for-profit entity — a move that sparked controversy, skepticism, and anxiety among some staff and members of the public.

The idea of an American, for-profit company taking over a beloved Vancouver institution raised fears about commercialization, loss of mission, and animal welfare. Wright, however, said he was not surprised by the concerns — but did not share them.

“I knew some of the Herschend people already. I knew what kind of company they were,” he told Daily Hive Urbanized.

In August 2021, months after the acquisition, tapping into the significant resources of their new owner, the financially drained aquarium — which had also lost significant institutional knowledge and experience from laying off many staff — reopened its doors to visitors for the first time since March 2020.

$10 million in facility upgrades within the first four years of new ownership

More than four years after the acquisition, Wright says the results speak for themselves.

Herschend has invested roughly $10 million into the aquarium since the acquisition, much of it directed toward long-neglected infrastructure invisible to visitors — components and equipment that do not directly generate new revenue, but are absolutely essential for optimal animal care and safety.

“These are things like underground seawater reservoirs that have been here for 60 years,” said Wright. “They were cracking. They were starting to fail. As a non-profit, we simply didn’t have the money to replace them.”

In one case, more than $1 million was spent repairing a single reservoir — money that literally went underground, producing no new exhibits, no flashy announcements, and no visible returns beyond ensuring the aquarium could continue operating safely.

“That’s not something you can turn into a visitor experience, but it’s absolutely critical,” he said.

A portion of the $10 million expended to date also went into upgrading the Graham Amazon Gallery, providing a much-needed refresh of the habitats under a rainforest canopy, as well as a renovation of the shark exhibit and the reintroduction of a seahorse exhibit. Together, these are some of the most apparent improvements to visitors to date.

They are also zeroing in on addressing other aging and outdated infrastructure, such as replacing some of the concrete tanks in the tropical species area, which are now six decades old.

Under private ownership, the aquarium’s planning horizon has fundamentally changed. Instead of assembling funding from a patchwork of donors, grants, and government sources, all spending must now be supported by revenue generated at the admission gate.

In essence, the number of visitors passing through the gate and paying admission — as well as the on-site purchases made for food and beverages and merchandise from the gift shop — directly correlate with the ability to further elevate the standard of care his team is able to provide, as well as the pace of facility upgrades they can undertake to ensure the animals are comfortable and healthy.

“It’s very business-like, but it needs to be. It’s mathematical. Everything is planned far in advance. You have to know what percentage of admissions you can put into a project and how long it will take to pay it back,” said Wright.

“One of the things I talk to the staff is that’s the big difference. Now, we have to pay [for] everything we spend. We have to be super careful about.”

Yet Wright insists the core mission has remained intact under its new ownership.

To benefit locals who visit frequently — particularly families with young children looking for a regular activity — general admission tickets for a single visit can be upgraded to a one-year membership with unlimited visits. This upgrade, available for a relatively nominal additional cost of less than the admission for a second visit, must be completed on the same day as the visit at guest services.

The aquarium continues to support conservation initiatives through a commitment to contribute one percent of gross revenues annually to Ocean Wise, the conservation organization that once served as its parent company.

Beyond public-facing exhibits, the aquarium continues to play a major role in conservation and rehabilitation. Its Marine Mammal Rescue program — one of the largest of its kind in Canada — remains a cornerstone of its identity. Fears that the program might disappear under private ownership proved unfounded.

Instead, the program was recently reformatted into a charitable society, allowing it to legally fundraise independently while still receiving staffing and supplemental financial support from the aquarium.

“Herschend puts a significant amount of money into that program every year. There’s lots of resources going into that too, and it’s just as successful as it ever was,” said Wright.

“It’s still mostly harbour seals, occasionally sea otters, as we had a couple of years ago, and then the odd cetacean. But the majority of the animals are released back into the ocean. It continues to be a wonderful program.”

A marine mammal research partnership with the University of British Columbia, which began in the 1990s, continues to this day, and they are looking at potentially additional academic partnerships.

The aquarium also continues species recovery work, including a long-running amphibian conservation program that has reintroduced tens of thousands of endangered frogs into the wild in partnership with provincial agencies and other institutions.

“The support, the kindness and generosity that they [Herschend] show, the principles… They’re just fully in alignment with the way the aquarium was. So it’s been a very easy transition,” Wright told Daily Hive Urbanized.

“Of course, there’s still expectations for performance, but we had that before as a not-for-profit, so there’s no difference there. You’re still expected to get people to come through the doors — you have to pay the bills, you have to pay people, [and] you have to take care of the animas properly. There’s targets, and we work to targets, but that’s no different than the not-for-profit we were before.”

He also referenced former longtime aquarium head John Nightingale’s approach, saying Nightingale believed that even as a not-for-profit, “you have to be really well run as a business. You can’t rely on handouts.”

Wright added, “I can honestly say that it has been really good for the aquarium. The aquarium has changed, but change is inevitable.”

To balance its mandate of education, conservation, and financial sustainability, the aquarium has doubled down on what Wright sees as its unique strength: connecting people directly with animals.

Attendance has now rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, though Wright noted that global economic uncertainty and some reduced international travel have affected recent numbers. Tourism remains especially important during the summer months, representing roughly 75 per cent of visitation over this extended peak period, with local visitation making up the remaining 25 per cent.

“We connect close to a million people a year to nature. That’s something conservation organizations on their own can’t always do,” he said.

The aquarium has historically had one of the highest annual attendance figures, if not the highest, for any major attraction in Metro Vancouver requiring admission — rivalled only by Science World and Capilano Suspension Bridge.

Still, even against the current economic headwinds, the aquarium is once again bustling. School programs are rebuilding after a slow post-pandemic restart, annual memberships are growing, and rotating exhibits — introduced in a purpose-built gallery space completed in 2014 — are keeping the experience fresh for repeat visitors.

Seasonal programming, such as Fin-tastic Fall and Holiday Splash, has expanded, while new virtual-reality experiences allow visitors to feel surrounded by sharks, and an ever-rotating lineup of films in the 4D theatre adds to a multifaceted educational experience.

“These things give people a new perspective without putting them in the water, and people seem to love it,” continued Wright.

Herschend owns dozens of amusement parks, theme parks, water parks, and other attractions and hospitality properties in the U.S., with the acquisition of the Vancouver Aquarium being its first Canadian asset.

Prior to the Vancouver acquisition, they already owned Adventure Aquarium in New Jersey and Newport Aquarium in Kentucky. Earlier in 2025, Herschend acquired two more aquariums — Living Shores Aquarium in New Hampshire, and Sea Life Park in Hawaii.

Wright says he works closely with the other Herschend aquariums, with their leadership meeting regularly to share knowledge, new initiatives, conservation efforts, and best practices. Staff at different aquariums can also bring varying expertise — some have deeper experience with certain species, while the Vancouver Aquarium staff offers greater insight into others. There are also opportunities for exhibits to rotate among the various Herschend-operated aquariums, although there are limits due to the differences in Canadian and U.S. laws.

More major upgrades to come

Wright, who is also chair of Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA), sees the Vancouver Aquarium as part of a broader global shift in how zoos and aquariums operate. Collaboration, he said, is becoming increasingly essential as biodiversity declines at an unprecedented rate.

Earlier this fall, Wright, who has now been with the aquarium for more than 26 years, was recognized with a lifetime achievement award from CAZA.

“Zoos and aquariums are actually the third-largest contributors to conservation programs worldwide. It’s just phenomenal work, and people don’t always realize that,” he told Daily Hive Urbanized.

At the same time, Wright believes aquariums must resist the temptation to compete on size alone. While massive mega-aquariums are emerging globally, Vancouver Aquarium’s strength lies in its scale, setting, and emphasis on storytelling.

“There’s something powerful about a child standing inches from a fish and realizing the animal is looking back. You can’t replace that with technology alone,” he said, referring to the limits of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, even with improvements.

“That’s the wonder of aquariums. It’s bringing that underwater life to people to make it a very magical experience. This is very visceral because you’re right there.”

Vancouver Aquarium will mark its platinum anniversary on June 12, 2026.

As the aquarium prepares to mark this 70th birthday, plans are underway for major renovations, including long-awaited upgrades to back-of-house facilities and the former Wild Coast area — where the dolphins and whales used to be. He says some exciting changes will be officially announced soon for this space, which will provide much-needed infrastructure repairs and further strengthen the focus on conservation efforts and education.

All changes will remain within the existing footprint — an important reassurance for park advocates concerned about development in Stanley Park.

“There’s not going to be any expansion of the aquarium,” he emphasized. “The aquarium is what it is.”

The aquarium’s relationship with its landlord, the Vancouver Park Board, has also greatly improved, after much acrimony throughout the 2010s.

“Over the years, the relationship with the Park Board has been variable depending on who’s either with the aquarium and who’s with the Park Board. And I would say the Park Board today has been extremely good. They’ve worked with us very closely. They recognize our role in the park. We’re here to support them,” he said.

“We’re working closely together on how we can keep improving that because there’s benefits to them and there’s benefits to us for that being a positive relationship. And I would say today that’s positive. You don’t always see eye to eye on things, but I would say the dialogue that we’ve had with them has been very positive.”

Fundamentally, for Wright, the last few years have marked a turning point.

“It feels like a rebirth,” Wright told Daily Hive Urbanized. “There’s new energy, new ideas, new money, and a really strong team here. It’s going to take time, but the aquarium is on a very good course with great people. We’ve got so many ideas for so many things that we can do.”

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