Deep Bay Marine Field Station

04/09/2026

Join us for a special opening on Friday, April 10, 2026 from 10am to 3pm to help celebrate the Brant Wildlife Festival. This is a great opportunity to visit the Deep Bay Marine Field Station before we open for the summer season mid-May.

Open to the Public
Admission by Donation
Aquaria, touch tanks and exhibits
Station Tours
Science/Education Partners Displays

The Brant Wildlife Festival brings together thousands of people each year to celebrate nature. The festival hosts a multitude of events in the Spring that connect people with nature, educate people of all ages on topics of conservation, and celebrate the incredible biodiversity our region has to offer.

04/04/2026

April 10, 2026 is a special Open House from 10am-3pm as part of the Brant Wildlife Festival celebrations! We are excited to share our love of marine science with you all!

02/23/2026

Do you recognise the setting for Pacific Salmon Foundation's workshop? It was an inspiring experience hosting the event at VIU's Deep Bay Marine Field Station!

01/21/2026

01/14/2026

The VIU Research Seminar Series welcomes the public to attend and learn about research at Vancouver Island University. Hosted by the Scholarship Research and Creative Activity office at VIU, each session will feature one of seven themes pictured.
Dates and times: Wednesdays evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 on the Nanaimo campus (doors open at 5 pm) on January 21, 28, February 4, 25, March 4, 7, 11.

🦪Join us at the Deep Bay Marine Field Station on Saturday March 7 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. For a special seminar with Tim Green (Fisheries and Aquaculture Professor and Canada Research Chair), Andrew Loudon (Biology Professor) and their students to learn about how climate change will affect seafood safety.

For details on the Wednesday evening sessions, visit events.viu.ca and search for VIU Research Seminar.

08/30/2025

08/30/2025

Check out new science and technology stories in our second Tula Quarterly of 2025. Features range from documenting the rich biodiversity of marine algae on the coast of Calvert Island, to exploring technology that’s improving maternal and infant health in the remote mountains of Guatemala 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/2vyha52a

07/13/2025

Need a break from the heat today? Join us at VIU's Deep Bay Marine Field Station for 'The Teachings of Mutton: A Coast Salish Woolly Dog' from 2pm to 4pm, Sunday July 13.
Featuring author readings, book signing (books available for purchase), and discussions with special guests including members of the Qualicum First Nation, local archaeologists, scientists and professors.



📷Credit: A scientific artist's reconstruction of a Coast Salish Woolly Dog ~
Karen Carr for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

07/09/2025

Join us for this special event on Sunday, July 13 from 2-4pm. Chrome Island in Deep Bay is a familiar and iconic sight with its lighthouse and other buildings. It has a deeper history though. It was once used to raise Woolly Dogs, whose fur was woven into textiles by Coast Salish peoples, including ancestors of the Qualicum and K’ómoks First Nations. Come and learn about this fascinating history of Coast Salish Woolly Dogs with experts.
Special Guests Include
Chief Michael Recalma/Qualicum First Nation
Educator/Artist Carrie Reid, Qualicum First Nation
Audrey Lin, Research Associate, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Martin Martens, VIU Professor of Management and Law
Baseline Archaeology team member
Copies of the book 'The Teachings of Mutton: A Coast Salish Woolly Dog' will be available for purchase and signing by authors.

06/08/2025

Happy World Ocean Day everyone! Thanks for sharing Parksville Qualicum Beach!