PRINCE RUPERT, B.C. -- A small, pop-up aquarium has opened at the Northland Cruise Terminal in Prince Rupert.

It was put together by the North Coast Ecology Centre Society (NCECS), whose aim is to eventually establish a permanent ecological education centre in Prince Rupert.

The aquarium, or ecology centre, features sea creatures that can be found along the North Coast. It opened on July 21st and will run until August 15th.

“What we have here set up is a pop-up ecology centre, where we can show different aspects of all the different ecosystems that exist here,” said Christopher Villacorta, an interpreter with NCECS.

“We have it set up so we are going through a journey as water droplets in the water cycle, from the terrestrial ecosystems – like bog ecologies, as well as nursery logs – and we move into the depths of the ocean into our aquarium, which includes a touch tank so that people can see the intertidal species that live there.”

Villacorta says that in its first week, over 200 people attended the aquarium each day.

"We're way past our expected turnout for the whole time that we're open. We were expecting around 1,000 people, but we hit that mark within the first week. So it seems like we're getting a lot of interest, which is really exciting. People in Prince Rupert seem to want this pop-up ecology centre."

The centre is open five days a week – Wednesday to Sunday – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. However, it’s open from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday. The suggested admission cost is two dollars.