Attention sea creature lovers and curious onlookers!
The Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea has announced the winners of the Salish Sea Idol competition of 2024, and in honour of the sea stars winning the title, they have something special lined up for the public.
It’s time for you to weigh in on the name of the Centre’s newest ambassador: an adorable, 6 pound octopus who’s already making waves in her temporary home.
To reflect the sea stars’ victory, there are eight potential sea star-inspired names for their new octopus companion.
Here are the eight octopus name candidates:
- Minnie (Patiria miniata, bat star)
- Sunny (sun star)
- Cookie (cookie star)
- Rae (six ray star)
- Eva (Evasterias troschelii, mottled star)
- Sandy (sand star)
- Tess (Pteraster tesselatus, slime star)
- Rose (rose star)
“Since we cannot adorn the winning sea stars with crowns, we are paying homage to the winner by giving our most enigmatic resident, the giant Pacific octopus, a stellar moniker,” said Tina Kelly, Director of Learning & Communications.
“It’s naming one many armed invertebrate after another.”
The Centre is inviting everyone to cast their in-person votes from now until Sunday, January 19th! If there’s a tie, then the competition will be brought to Instagram as well to settle the score.
This new octopus, who was welcomed by excited staff and volunteers on December 9th, is already a crowd favorite.
She’s quickly becoming a hit with visitors, and staff are looking forward to providing an engaging, up-close experience for all who visit.
The Centre’s program plans to release the octopus back into the wild after about six months of fun-filled interactions with the public.
The Salish Sea Idol competition was a part of a fundraising campaign that will go towards continued preservation of marine life and fostering public engagement.
They raised a total of $26,592, vastly surpassing their original goal of $15,000!
“The Centre’s mission to create vibrant experiences that inspire learning, exploration and protection of the Salish Sea bioregion relies heavily on community support,” said Pauline Finn, Executive Director.
“With rising operating costs and the need for 24-hour animal care, community donations are crucial. We are thrilled with the response from supporters and friends.”
So, what are you waiting for? Head on over to the Shaw Centre and cast your vote for the next big star of the Salish Sea!
